CalChess Top 20 Adults -- October 2010

(Photos of the top Bay Area chess masters: #2 IM Sam Shankland, #1 GM Vinay Bhat and #6 FM Daniel Naroditsky.)

Eight months have passed since I last posted the Top 20 Adults list for Northern California. I can report relatively few changes; most notably Japanese FM Shinsaku Uesugi began attending UC Berkeley. The top junior, 14 year old FM Daniel Naroditsky, moved up three spots to #6 after gaining 56 points to 2482. And a few players returned to the rankings after briefly dropping off due to inactivity (e.g. GM Walter Browne).

The four former residents of the GM House in El Cerrito (it closed last May) still occupy the top spots, with GM Vinay Bhat ranked #1 by a single point over US Junior Champion IM Sam Shankland. Both Vinay and Sam spend time outside of the Bay Area; Vinay travels around Europe (primarily Spain) while Sam started classes at Brandeis University (in Boston). By the way, if you enjoy studying well annotated games, then I highly recommend bookmarking Vinay's chess blog.

CalChess Top 20 Masters
(Fpawn's former students in red)

1 GM Bhat, Vinay 2560
2 IM Shankland, Sam 2559
3 GM Friedel, Josh 2554
4 GM Kraai, Jesse 2551
5 GM Browne, Walter 2520
6 FM Naroditsky, Daniel 2482
7 IM Florean, Andrei 2477
8 IM DeGuzman, Ricardo 2460
9 SM Kotlyar, Gregory 2435
10 FM Zierk, Steven 2431
11 IM Zilberstein, Dmitry 2421
12 IM Pruess, David 2411
13 FM Uesugi, Shinsaku 2399
14 IM Mezentsev, Vladimir 2394
15 IM Donaldson, John 2389
16 IM Tate, Emory 2389
17 IM Grefe, John 2340
18 FM Lee, Andy 2340
19 FM Cusi, Ronald 2332
20 NM Young, Gregory 2328

Fremont Open Next Weekend!

The New Fremont Chess Club promotes chess for both adults and advanced juniors with a wide variety of activities. In addition to rated games on Friday nights from 8-11pm, the club hosts weekend tournaments plus camps and lectures by Grandmasters or International Masters. Celebrities who taught in Fremont include 2008 US Champion GM Yury Shulman and the reputed trainer GM Gregory Kaidanov. Check out a recent interview with Shulman by high school student Aditya Kumar.

The Fremont Open will take place next weekend, July 31 to August 1. The organizers hope to match the turnout from the past two years (average of 70). The early entries appear to be a bit sluggish, but the event seems like a good practice opportunity, especially for 1600 to 1900 rated players.

• Event: Fremont Open
  
• Date: July 31 - August 1.
• Location: Club Sport.
  
• Format: 4 round swiss in 3 sections (M/X, A/B and U1600).
• Schedule: Register: Saturday 9:00-9:45. Rounds: both days at 10:00 and 3:30.
• Time control: 30/90, G/60.
• Entry fee: Postmarked by 7/26: $60. On site: $70. Play up for $10 per section.
  
• Prize fund: $2400 based on 70 paid entries, including $350 for 1st place in M/X.
• Contact: kenneth.zowal (at) sbcglobal (dot) net
  
• Tournament Flyer
  
• Advance Entry List
  

Cadet Kicks Off Today in Tennessee

(The town of Crossville, TN is home of the US Chess Federation national office and the venue for the US Cadet.)

The US Junior is not the only national scholastic invitational going on this week. Eight of the nation's top talents under age 16 flew to Crossville, Tennessee for the US Cadet. While the big guns (notably GM Ray Robson and FM Darwin Yang) elected to play in St. Louis, the field remains quite impressive. Undoubtedly this is the first time that all eight players are masters!

Another noteworthy observation about the Cadet is how tight the ratings are: just 100 points USCF from top to bottom! Seemingly anyone could beat anyone else in this tournament; it wouldn't surprise me to see each player nicked for at least one loss during the seven rounds. That should make it interesting! If I had to pick one favorite, I would go with the top seed Aleksandr Ostrovskiy because he lives in New York and consequently has more experience facing masters than anyone else.

Of course, I will cheer loudly for my pupil Yian Liou (photo at right) to bring home a national title. Yian has steadily improved from 1200 back in 2005 to nearly 2300 today. He earned a 2400 performance last weekend at Pacific Southwest Open in Los Angeles, drawing with GM Melik Khachiyan and beating IM Jack Peters. Go for the gold Yian!

2010 US Cadet Invitational (most updated USCF rating, July FIDE rating)

1. Aleksandr Ostrovskiy (2299, 2257)
2. Yian Liou (2277, 2211)
3. David Adelberg (2275, 2216)
   
4. Michael Yang (2247, 2141)
   
5. Adarsh Jayakumar (2242, 2172)
   
6. Ryan Moon (2227, 2227)
7. Jarod Pamatmat (2210, 2060)
   
8. Atulya Shetty (2198, 2086)

Games will be broadcast live on the MonRoi website (free registration). I don't know when the first round begins, except that it is sometime today. Stay tuned for updates. Correction: Round 1 is on Tuesday, July 13.

Good Luck to Steven and Sam at US Junior!

(The top two seeds--Sam Shankland at left and Ray Robson on right--share a lighter moment before the action begins. Photo from CCSCSL website.)

Two of the Bay Area's most successful young chess players will participate in the US Junior Closed (invitational) beginning this weekend at the magnificent Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Please join me in cheering for FM Steven Zierk (one IM norm) and IM Sam Shankland (two GM norms).

The field seems a bit disappointing, with only three of the top nine players under 20 on the April Top 100 list actually showing up. This year's favorite is top seed and defending champion GM Ray Robson. The second seed, and only International Master to participate, is our own Sam Shankland, who could benefit from a little more luck than at recent tournaments. To be quite honest, I will be shocked if neither Ray nor Sam finish at least tied for first.

The dark horse is FM Conrad Holt, the highest rated player from Kansas ever. He gained another 50 rating points and earned a pair of IM norms at the Copper State International and World Open. Third seed FM John Bryant of Los Angeles won't be intimidated by anyone and may also end up being a force to reckon with.

In addition to Sam, I will cheer loudly for my student Steven Zierk. This is Steven's first one-game-per-day invitational and he will need to adjust to the level of competition. He has enough experience drawing against Grandmasters (plus one notable win) that he could be a serious contender. The challenge will be to play consistently in a round-robin tournament where eight of his nine competitors are rated within 30 rating points or higher.

2010 US Junior Closed (most updated USCF rating, July FIDE rating)

1. GM Ray Robson (2608, 2562)
   
2. IM Sam Shankland (2561, 2513)
   
3. FM John Bryant (2483, 2403)
   
4. FM Conrad Holt (2468, 2402)
5. FM Darwin Yang (2429, 2396)
6. NM Warren Harper (2416, 2304)
7. FM Steven Zierk (2412, 2385)
   
8. NM Parker Zhao (2382, 2267)
9. NM Tyler Hughes (2381, 2312)
   
10. NM Eric Rosen (2227, 2179)
    

Watch for live video coverage from St. Louis beginning at noon Pacific time daily through July 19 (rest day 7/16). As a treat, GM Hikaru Nakamura is scheduled to comment on the first two rounds this weekend. Games are being broadcast LIVE on ICC (check under the Events list). Watch for occasional updates on this blog and on my Twitter page.

Good luck Steven and Sam!

Silicon Valley Challenge on Sunday!

(The playing hall is actually a dance studio. Watch out for the mirrors!)

First of all, I apologize to my regular readers for this extended absence. I am battling an annoying intestinal ailment that has deprived me of much of my usual zest for over two months. Unfortunately, it is still not cured, although the doctors can't seem to find anything wrong in my medical test results.

The 8th Silicon Valley Challenge hosted by the Sun Chess Club will be this coming Sunday! As in recent years, the event will be held at Susan's Dance Studio in NE San Jose.

This year takes on a little more significance since Charles graduated from Saratoga High School and will begin classes at UC Berkeley next month. I began teaching him in 2004 and had the pleasure of watching him grow into a smart and confident young man. Charles was never one of my star students, but his success at big money tournaments (Las Vegas!) remains unparalleled by my students. I still remember watching him improve from 1394 to 1806 in the summer of 2005. He attributed that quantum leap to learning to pay attention to tempo in chess.

In high school, Charles took over the leadership of the Saratoga High School club, extending the streak of state titles to a record six straight years. He also began organizing a couple of rated tournaments each year. Read about last year at this blog post. Over four years, a total of 350 players participated in 11 events, with an impressive peak of 62. Charles generously treats his players to free snacks and drinks, which may help explain why many come back each year.

• Event: Silicon Valley Challenge #8
  
• Date: this Sunday, July 11
• Location: 2146 Ringwood Avenue, San Jose (off I-880 near Milpitas).
• Format: 4 round swiss in 2 sections (Open and U1600).
• Open schedule: Reg: 8:30-8:50. Rounds: 9:00, 11:30, 1:45, 4:00.
• U1600 schedule: Reg: 10:30-11:15, Rounds: 11:30, 12:30, 1:45, 3:00.
  
• Time control: G/60 for Open; G/30 for U1600.
• Entry fee: $45 adults, $40 juniors on-site. Masters FREE!
  
• Prize fund: $510 total including $100 for 1st place in Open section.
• Go to Sun Chess Club website for the entry form
  
• Or check the advance entry list.
• Site capacity: 54 players.

I highly encourage my students to come to play. Unfortunately, it looks like my ongoing health problems may prevent me from coming down on Sunday. Big sigh!

City Council Honors 6-time State Champs

COMMENDATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SARATOGA
HONORING THE
SARATOGA HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM

WHEREAS, Six members of the Saratoga High School Chess Team competed at the CalChess State Chess Championship on April 17th and 18th, 2010 and won the team championship for the varsity section; and

WHEREAS, this Chess Championship was the sixth consecutive championship for the Saratoga High School Chess Team which is a record for the State; and

WHEREAS, the Saratoga High School Chess Team competed in chess competitions throughout the 2009/2010 school year and won the Santa Clara County high school chess championship, with four of the team members placing in the top five finishers, and came in 2nd place in the regional high school league chess championship; and

WHEREAS, the team has been self-motivated and trained throughout the year for this championship; and

WHEREAS, National Master Michael Aigner was the professional coach for the team and trained them in chess technique but also imparted on the team a deep appreciation of the benefits of strategic thinking, hard work and training for all efforts in life; and

WHEREAS, in recognition thereof it is appropriate to extend to them the special honors and highest commendations of the community of Saratoga.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Saratoga does hereby congratulate and commend the members of the Saratoga High School Chess Team for this outstanding achievement.

2nd day of June 2010
Kathleen M. King, Mayor
City of Saratoga

(Team members from left to right: Coach Fpawn, Charles Sun, Kevin Garbe, Rolland Wu, Evan Ye and Brian Wai. Not present: Sankash Shankar.)

2010 US Championship Underway

The 2010 US Championship began on Friday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Thanks to club sponsor Rex Sinquefield for backing a most generous prize fund of $170,000, including $35,000 for 1st place and $3,000 minimum for last. The novel format is a nine round swiss with one major variation. After round 7, the top four players split from the main swiss and face off in a round-robin quad to determine the top prizes. The "Final Four" plays ten games to determine the national champion while everyone else completes the nine round swiss, with the winner earning 5th place. This ensures that the best players face each other at the end.

The field of 24 participants includes all of America's top Grandmasters, a few older veterans and the brightest young talent. Will defending champion Hikaru Nakamura (photo by Betsy Dynako at top right) flex his muscles to become the first repeat winner in 25 years? Or will fellow Olympiad team (photo by Mike Klein below) members Gata Kamsky, Alex Onischuk, Yury Shulman and Varuzhan Akobian snatch the top honors? Or perhaps one of the three talented teenagers will surprise everyone, like last year when Robert Hess took 2nd place.Defending champion: Nakamura
Favorites: Kamsky, Onischuk
Contenders: Shulman, Akobian, Lenderman
Star Juniors: Hess, Robson, Shankland
Former Champions: Shabalov, Christiansen, Benjamin, Yermolinsky
The Field: Ehlvest, Kaidanov, Kudrin, Stripunsky, Bhat, Finegold, Khachiyan, Kraai, Gurevich, Krush, Altounian

Of course, many readers of this blog will cheer for the California players. Vinay Bhat has come home after spending more than a year traveling the European chess circuit. Gaining 73 FIDE rating points in the past 9 months, he may be a dark horse to surprise everyone. CalChess State Champions Sam Shankland and Jesse Kraai both have the potential to beat anyone, but it is unclear if they can maintain that high level of play over the full 9 or 10 rounds. Many Bay Area chess fans still consider 2-time US Champion Alex Yermolinsky as a local hero, although he moved to South Dakota a few years ago. Finally, Melik Khachiyan of Los Angeles has developed an pool of students from Northern California.

Readers may watch games live daily beginning at noon Pacific time. The Internet Chess Club offers live audio and video broadcasts from Saint Louis for its members (observe boards 1 through 12). Monroi broadcasts live moves for free. The official tournament website also promises live games, but their bandwidth was too low yesterday.

Key Round 1 Results: Stripunsky 0-1 Nakamura, Kamsky 1-0 Robson, Shulman 1/2 Bhat, Lenderman 0-1 Khachiyan (photo at right by Betsy Dynako), Hess 1-0 Shankland, Kraai 1/2 Shabalov.

Vini, Vidi, Vishy!

Congratulations to Anand!

This morning, 40-year old Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand successfully defended his world chess title by defeating challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. The 12 game title match ended in a narrow 6.5-5.5 score after Anand won today's final game as black. This was the only game that the player of the black pieces won; white had already won four games--two by each participant. This title defense solidified Anand's status as the unified 15th World Champion, following a direct line from Fischer to Karpov to Kasparov to Kramnik and finally to Anand.

The final game seemed typical of the entire match. Playing white, Topalov achieved a pleasant middlegame out of the Queen's Gambit Declined opening. Knowing Anand's reputation in rapid and blitz games, Topalov couldn't afford to play a tiebreaker and had to find a way to win today, even risking defeat. Anand, defending patiently, saw his opportunity on move 30 and struck with a dangerous pawn sacrifice f7-f5! After 33... Rd4 and 34... Qe8, white's monarch was in grave danger, a complete reversal of how this match began in game 1. While Topalov escaped the mating web today, the attack cost him the queen. Game! Set! Match!

Final Standings: Anand 6.5 - Topalov 5.5

1. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
2. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
3. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
4. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
5. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
6. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
7. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
8. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
9. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
10. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
11. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
12. Topalov 0-1 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
    

What is next? According to the World Chess Federation FIDE, eight players will complete a series of knockout matches for the right to challenge Anand in a title match. The players are Topalov, Carlsen, Kramnik, Kamsky, Aronian, Gelfand and two more. These candidates matches are currently penciled in for December 2010 in Azerbaijan, while the next World Championship could be held as soon as the end of 2011. Unfortunately, FIDE has a reputation of not following through on its official commitments, so we will need to wait and see what actually transpires.

Three Foot Tall Chocolate Chess Set

The family of Utah chess prodigy Kayden Troff hires a chocolate shop to make a giant chessboard with 3-foot pieces. The store owners use more than 1,100 pounds of chocolate while attempting their biggest project ever. After days of hard work, they deliver the board with 32 solid chocolate pieces at a chess camp run by 11 year old master Kayden, his family and their friends.

Little Chocolatiers is an American reality television series on TLC that airs Tuesday evenings. The show is based on Steve Hatch and his wife Katie Masterson's chocolate shop in Salt Lake City and how they make their chocolate.

• Part I on YouTube
• Part II on YouTube (or click on the video player at top)
  

Bay Area Results from Elementary Nationals

A whopping 55 local youngsters, their parents and coaches flew to Atlanta for the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championship this weekend. The local delegation includes most of the Bay Area's elite elementary age players plus large teams from the two strong Fremont schools. I hope these kids can bring home a few national titles plus an assortment of trophies from many different sections! Go Bay Area!

Northern California Standings
(final results)
(click here for full results)

K-6

• Daniel Liu 6.0, NATIONAL CHAMPION!!! (4th on tiebreaks)
  
• Kevin Moy 5.0, 18th place (tied for 16th, beating three 1700s)
  
• Daniel Ho 5.0, 24th place (tied for 16th)
  

K-5

• Allan Beilin 6.5, NATIONAL CHAMPION!!! (clear 1st)
  
• Art Zhao 6.0, 4th place (tied for 2nd)
  
• Kesav Viswanadha 5.5, 8th place (tied for 7th)
  
• Jeffrey Tao 5.5, 16th place (tied for 7th)
• Armaan Kalyanpur 5.5, 17th place (tied for 7th)
  
• Alvin Kong 5.0, 31st place (tied for 19th)
  
• Cameron Wheeler 5.0, 33rd place (tied for 19th)
  

K-3

• FM Tanuj Vasudeva 6.0, 4th place (tied for 2nd, losing to top seed Roland Feng)
  
• Michael Wang 5.5, 13th place (tied for 9th, also losing against Roland Feng)
• Leyton Ho 5.5, 17th place (tied for 9th)
  
• Amit Sant 5.0, 24th place (tied for 19th)
  

K-1

• Solomon Ge 6.0, 6th place (tied for 3rd)
  
• John Chan 5.5, 18th place (tied for 12th)
  
• Luke Zhao 5.0, 33rd place (tied for 25th)
• Mihir Bhuptani 5.0, 38th place(tied for 25th)
  

Team Standings

• Weibel K-6 finished in THIRD PLACE!
  
• MSJE K-6 took 10th place
  
• MSJE K-5 took THIRD PLACE
  
• Weibel K-5 slipped to 17th place
• Weibel K-3 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! (2nd on tiebreaks)
  
• MSJE K-3 got 5th place
  
• MSJE K-1 took SECOND PLACE!!
  

If anyone who was in Atlanta took photos at the awards ceremony, pretty please with a cherry on top send me some pictures for my blog.

I'm a Perfect Square

(Yes, I do love strawberries!)

Thank you to all of my friends and fans who sent birthday wishes yesterday. I really appreciate the many friends that I have, ranging from my youngest elementary age students to chess veterans who began playing during the Fischer boom of the 1960s and early 1970s. Amazingly, I personally know at least six fans of the royal game who also were born on May 6, including two of my private students plus a resident of the East Bay's famed GM House (Jesse Kraai).

There's a lot going on in the world of chess this week. Foremost is the World Championship match between defending champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Veselin Topalov. The score is tied at 5.0 with two games remaining on Sunday and Tuesday, starting at 5:00am Pacific time. If they are still tied, then rapid and blitz playoffs are scheduled for Thursday. Let's go Vishy!!!

Back in the USA, the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championship began in Atlanta. The crowd of 2000+ participants includes 55 enthusiastic youngsters from Northern California. Many of the elite local players flew east, including: Daniel Liu (K-6), Kesav Viswanadha (K-5), FM Tanuj Vasudeva (K-3), Allan Beilin (K-5), Cameron Wheeler (K-5) and the severely underrated Michael Wang (K-3). A pair of Fremont schools are hunting for big team trophies: 2009 national champ Mission San Jose Elementary and crosstown punching bag Weibel Elementary both have over 15 kids. Click here for updated standings and pairings from Atlanta.

Finally, I hope to play in the Powell G/45 tournament tomorrow at the Mechanics' Institute. I expect to see many of my students. Will preteen terror NM Yian Liou win for the second month in a row? Can any of my lower rated kids scalp an expert or a master? And will I perform well enough to eek my USCF rating back above my lifetime floor of 2200. Wish us all good luck!

Topalov Levels Score in World Championship

This morning, the challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria leveled the score of the World Championship match at 4 games each. He continued a theoretical discussion in the Slav defense, this time obtaining an advantage in an opposite colored bishops endgame. However, the defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India defended resourcefully and would have drawn if he had not blundered with 54... Bc6?? Better was Ba4, allowing the Bishop to defend h7 if needed. Black resigned two moves later because he couldn't stop White's Pawns and active King, e.g. 56... Be8 57. g5 Bc6 58. f4 Be8 59. Bg7 Bc6 60. g6 hxg6 61. Kxg6 Bd7 62. Kf6 Kh7 63. Ke7 Ba4 64. d7 Bxd7 65. Kxd7 Kxg7 66. Kxe6.

Only four games remain in the match! Watch the action LIVE on ICC on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday beginning at 5:00 in the morning PDT. Anand plays White on Thursday and Sunday.

Current Standings: Anand 5.5 - Topalov 5.5

1. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
2. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
3. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
4. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
5. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
6. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
7. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
8. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
9. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
10. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
11. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
    

If the match somehow ends knotted at 6-6, rapid and blitz tiebreaks will be played on Thursday, May 13. Tiebreak format: Four action games G/25+10 sec/move. If still tied, up to five pairs of blitz games G/5+3 sec/move (as many as 10 games total). If still tied after 12 classical games and 14 rapid/blitz games, they play a single Armageddon game where White has 5 minutes against 4 (no increment) but Black gets draw odds.

Ray Schutt Memorial Blitz on Sunday

Mechanics' Institute Chess Room director IM John Donaldson passes along this note. He expects the field to be strong, including several GMs and IMs. This looks like a perfect opportunity for the top local juniors to pick up a few big name scalps.

4th Ray Schutt Memorial Blitz Tournament

A Chance to remember and pay tribute to an old friend
Sunday, May 2, 2010, 1 to 5 pm
Tournament: 2 to 4 pm
5 double-round Swiss (10 games)

PRIZES:
1st $300, 2nd $200, 3rd $100, 4th $75, 5th $50, 6th $25

ENTRY FEE: $10. Free to GMs and IMs.
Enter at tournament from 1:00 to 1:45 pm

Come honor Ray's memory and make this a great tournament! Light refreshments will be available.

World Chess Championship: Anand vs Topalov

(The combatants wait patiently for the start of game 2 on Sunday.)

The most exciting chess event of the year began last weekend in Sofia, Bulgaria. This year's World Championship match pairs two well-known players who both have consistently been ranked in the top 5 for at least a dozen years. And for the first time since 1972, none of the infamous K's was present (Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik).

In one corner, we have the reigning 15th World Champion from Chennai, India: Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (photo at left). Currently rated #4 in the world at 2787, he achieved a lifetime peak rating of 2803 two years ago. Most impressively, the 40 year old Anand maintained elite status since the mid 1990s, when he lost to Garry Kasparov in a 1995 title match. He became FIDE Champion in 2000 after winning a Knockout Tournament in Tehran, Iran. Alas, twelve years after first facing Kasparov, Anand finally captured the undisputed unified title by winning the 2007 World Championship Tournament in Mexico City, an eight player double round-robin. He successfully defended the throne in a 2008 title match against Vladimir Kramnik (6.5 to 4.5) in Bonn, Germany.

In the other corner stands the 35 year old challenger from Bulgaria: Veselin Topalov (photo at right). He is currently rated 2805, second in the world behind the teenage phenom Magnus Carlsen. His lifetime peak rating of 2813 has been exceeded only by Kasparov. Topalov joined the world elite in the late 1990s, a status he has held since. He became FIDE World Champion by dominating the 2005 World Championship Tournament in San Luis, Argentina, another eight player double round-robin. As the final component of the reunification of the world chess crown, Topalov earned his seat in today's match by defeating Gata Kamsky in a 2009 challenger's match by a lopsided margin of 4.5-2.5.

Grandmasters Anand and Topalov play 12 games from April 24 through May 11, with a rest day after every two games. The classical time control is 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour, and finally G/15 plus 30 second increment starting after move 60 (maximum length = about 7 hours). Games begin at 5:00 in the morning Pacific time, but can easily last four or more hours. If the match is tied 6-6, the tiebreaks are scheduled for May 13. (Action G/25+10sec, then blitz G/5+3sec and finally a possible Armageddon game.)

Current Standings: Anand 4.0 - Topalov 3.0

1. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
2. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
3. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
4. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
5. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
6. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
7. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video

You may follow the games early each morning at the official match website or live on the Internet Chess Club. When you log into ICC, type "/tell webcast listen" (for Dasher or BlitzIn only) to hear Grandmaster commentary or view the results and games in "/finger WorldChamp10". By late afternoon of each day, you may watch the "Game of the Day" video for each round (enter your ICC username and password when prompted).

NM Agarwal Honored as Scholar-Chessplayer

Last week, the US Chess Trust announced five recipients of the 2010 Scholar-Chessplayer Award, including 11th grader NM Rohan Agarwal of Fremont. The other scholarship winners were Richard Herbst (Colorado), WFM Abby Marshall (Virginia), Jake Miller (New York) and FM Victor Shen (New Jersey).

"These annual scholarships awarded by the US Chess Trust, the National Scholastic Chess Foundation, and the USCF, are intended to recognize and encourage high school junior or senior students who promote a positive image of chess. High School students who have shown outstanding merits in academics, sportsmanship and chess were eligible to apply to these scholarships. Five awards of $1,500.00 each (total of $7,500) in scholarship money are awarded."

Well done Rohan for excelling in challenging courses at Irvington High School as much as on the chessboard! Read my blog tribute to the "Master Gambiteer" dated January 2009 and my report on the 2009 US Cadet invitational. No doubt the many skills required to checkmate will also help Rohan in other walks of life. Good luck!

Joanna Liu Wins Girls Nationals U-8!

Believe it or not, the CalChess Scholastics were not the only major chess championship held last weekend. Three Bay Area girls flew to Columbus, Ohio to play in the All-Girls Nationals, hosted by the Kasparov Chess Foundation. They competed against 210 of the best girls around the country, and even managed to bring home a first place trophy!

Congratulations to 2nd grader Joanna Liu (1410) of Weibel Elementary for taking winning the U-8 division with 5.5 out of 6! She worked hard for her trophy, facing five of the top 10 in the final standings, including a pair of challenging 1300s. Joanna's proud coach Ted Castro writes that she was "doing 4-5 hours of training every week to make sure that she gets better and better" (plus 4 hours of play and coaching at Weibel). Practice makes perfect! As the photos prove, Joanna insisted on wearing her lucky old Weibel team shirt in Ohio. (Thanks to her parents for the photos above.)

Two other local girls both scored 4.0/6 to finish in the top 10. 3rd grader Alisha Chawla, also from Weibel, played up and took home the 10th place trophy in the difficult U-10 section, losing only to the top two rated players. 2nd grader Alanna Song received the 8th place trophy in U-8. Well done!

• US Chess Online article
• Tournament standings
• Official rating report
  

Congrats to Four State Champions!

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

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

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

Chess Shirts

Unfortunately, I am not Superman and needed a couple of days to catch my breath after the CalChess Scholastics. It was a wild weekend; I got dizzy from keeping track of 26 private students in 4 different sections. Two of my kids took home 1st place trophies and another two tied for first! And Saratoga High School narrowly earned its sixth consecutive K-12 title! Anyways, my post-championship report is still forthcoming.

For a partial summary of what went down, check out my Twitter feed.

In the meantime, please enjoy hundreds of photos from last weekend that are online. Veteran photographer Richard Shorman uploaded a huge album of 360 pictures on ChessDryad. Organizer emeritus Alan Kirshner carried around a camera, but hasn't had time to post the pics to CalNorthYouthChess yet. I uploaded a modest number of my own photos to Flickr, primarily of players in the High School division.

The photos of chess shirts in this post are all courtesy of Shorman. If you can't read the text on the shirts, click on the thumbnail for a closer look.

35th CalChess Scholastics Begin

The biggest annual chess tournament in the Bay Area, the CalChess Scholastics, began this evening with the blitz side event. After six years, the tournament returns to the premiere venue in Northern California: the Santa Clara Convention Center at Great America. Thanks to a steady trickle of last minute entrants who don't seem to mind the late fee, paid attendance now stands at 890, including a total of 267 in the five Varsity sections. Organizer Salman Azhar no doubt is pleased with more entries! Counting parents, siblings, relatives, coaches and volunteers, the crowd will approach 2000 people. If you're not there, you're really missing out on pure chess bliss!

Participants compete in one of 14 sections from 1-3 Rookie (unrated) to 9-12 Varsity. Advanced and intermediate youngsters play six rounds over two days while beginners only play one day. The elite players in the Varsity divisions play G/75 to G/90, meaning a single game can take up to three hours. There are three rounds Saturday and three more Sunday (9:00, 12:15 and 3:30 on both days). The Novice, Rookie, Kindergarten divisions play only one day each, with five rounds at G/30.

I will watch my 22 private students closely (plus another half dozen former students). Several have aspirations of winning, including three of the top four seeds in 4-6 and the top three rated players in 7-8. Historically my students have dominated the High School division, but that may not be the case this year because all five of my Masters are skipping this tournament. Some have legitimate conflicts while others don't see any benefit from playing only against much lower rated opponents. Most significantly, the Denker Qualifier was held last month with FM Steven Zierk victorious. What a shame! Perhaps one of my five students seeded between 4th and 12th can step up and hit a home run.

Here are my favorites and dark horses for each of the Varsity divisions. Current and former private students are shown in red bold.

• 9-12 Favorites: Samuel Sevian (2133), Hayk Manvelyan (2103), Michael Brown (2068), Arthur Liou (2010). Dark horse: Daniel Liu (1982).
• 7-8 Favorites: James Kwok (1919), Edward Li (1832), Roland Zhu (1798), Hwai-Ray Tung (1688). Dark horse: Aamir Azhar (1639).
• 4-6 Favorites: Kyle Shin (2052), FM Tanuj Vasudeva (1863). Dark horses: Neel Apte (1802), Colin Chow (1787), Hunter Klotz-Burwell (1704), Richard Yi (1688).
• 4-5 Favorite: Cameron Wheeler (1851). Dark horses: Jeffrey Tao (1599), Udit Iyengar (1556).
• 1-3 Favorites: Rayan Taghizadeh (1648), Michael Wang (1473). Dark horse: Leyton Ho (1428).

The team championships should be competitive as they always are. In the Elementary divisions, 2009 national champion Mission San Jose Elementary has won most of the Varsity trophies in recent years. But this year seems to be the best opportunity for crosstown rival Weibel Elementary to steal a title. Likewise, Saratoga High has captured five straight K-12 team titles and is looking for a record sixth in a row. Can they do it, or will Mission San Jose High end the dynasty? Stay tuned!

Latest news from Santa Clara: 7th grader Michael Brown of Southern California won the 7-12 blitz and Edward Li took 2nd. Hunter Klotz-Burwell won K-6 blitz.