2009 Pan American Youth Championships

The U.S. Chess Trust is a Proud Supporter of this Event!

(Mar Del Plata, Argentina August 16-22)

Note from WIM Beatriz Marinello:

“The Pan American Youth Festival is a qualifier for the World Youth, and gathers the best players in the Americas.  Participation in this event provides great international exposure for our chessplayers, and it’s great for their personal development.  The kids will be exposed to different cultures, traveling, and tough competition that can bring the best or worst out of them, helping them shape their characters as chessplayers.  Last year the U.S. Delegation (composed of 24 players) brought home 7 medals!”

The tournament is a Nine-Round Swiss.

• CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL WEBSITE AND RESULTS

There are 23 players representing the United States along with four coaches.

Stay tuned for more updates!

List of the (U.S.A) players participating in the Pan American Youth Championships:

1. Sub.8 Abs. TANUJ VASUDEVA
2. Sub.10 Abs TOMMY HE
3. Sub.10 Abs. SHYAM GANDHI
4. Sub.10 Abs. STAN LIAO
5. Sub.12 Abs. JAROD PAMATMAT
6. Sub.12 Abs. JORDAN PAMATMAT
7. Sub.12 Abs. ARTHUR SHEN
8. Sub.12 Abs. MICHAEL BROWN
9. Sub.12 Abs. SAMUEL WARANCH
10. Sub.14 Abs. DANIEL ROZOVSKY
11. Sub.14 Abs. JUSTIN KARP
12. Sub.14 Abs. MILES HINSON
13. Sub.16 Abs. VICTOR SHEN
14. Sub.16 Abs. ANDREW SHVARTSMAN
15. Sub.16 Abs. ADARSH JAYAKUMAR
16. Sub. 16 Abs. VINCENT HUANG
17. Sub.18 Abs. ALISA MELEKHINA
18. Sub. 8 Fem. ANNIE WANG
19. Sub.10 Fem. MARYIA ORESHKO
20. Sub. 10 Fem SIMONE LIAO
21. Sub.14 Fem ANNA MATLIN
22. Sub.18 Fem KARSTEN MCVAY
23. Sub. 18 Fem COURTNEY JAMISON

Chess Coaches: (in alphabetical order)

• Armen Ambartsoumian
• Aviv Friedman
• Michael Khodarkovsky
• Beatriz Marinello

You can visit the tournament’s official website (in Spanish) by CLICKING HERE, where you will find a photo gallery, live games, pairings, results and additional info.

Below is a video clip (in spanish) about Mar Del Plata, Argentina. On our websites sidebar you will find another video clip of the tournament.

Abby Marshall Wins the Denker!

A special congratulations to Abby Marshall, the first woman to win the Denker!  Beatriz Marinello, our web editor, took a moment to congratulate Abby Marshall on her win and ask her how it felt to be the first woman to win this tournament – Check it out!

(August 6, 2009)

Beatriz Marinello:

Congratulations on winning the Denker Tournament! How does it feel to be the first woman to win the Denker?

Abby Marshall:

Thanks very much! It feels awesome. I feel that women’s chess is on the rise and this is just one step to women reaching equality with men on the chessboard.

I think it won’t be long before another girl wins the Denker. Of course it’s special now cause I just happen to be the first but really there are lots of strong young female players who I predict will be great champions. I’m excited

Below you will find the results, report, photos and additional information about the Denker Tournament.

Denker Tournament Report:

Abby Marshall from Virginia (2181), a junior, won the Denker Tournament of HS Champions with a 5.5-.5 score. She won her first five games, defeating higher rated players in Rounds 3-5, including two Masters, Robert Lau of Hawaii and Patrick John Tae of Tennessee.

This is the first time a girl has won the Denker and two girls competed. Abby is a former winner of the Polgar Invitational for Girls two years ago and the first Polgar winner to also win the Denker.

The only player to draw her, Michael Yang of Minnesota (2191) tied for 2nd with Jeffrey Haskel of Florida (2278) with 5-1 scores. Both drew two games and won all the rest.

Steve Breckenridge of Oregon (2150) was sole 4th place at 4.5-1.5. Nine players tied for 5th place with 4-2, led on tiebreak by Robert Lau of Hawaii.

Michael Yang also won the Ursula Foster Scholarship worth $500 towards college.

Top Upset Prize was taken by Chris Andrews of Wyoming (1118) , who defeated a player rated 1694.

Abby Marshall won an $800 scholarship and would have won a full scholarship to University of Texas at Dallas except she previously won that when she won the Polgar.

48 players competed and only Montana, Mississippi, and the District of Columbia were not represented. This excellent turnout was due to the fine work of Denker Chairman Dewain Barber of Southern California.

The prizes and travel money were donated by the U.S. Chess Trust with Mitchell Denker, GM Arnold Denker’s son being the chief sponsor.

U.S. Chess Trust Chairman, Harold Winston, spoke about Arnold Denker at both the opening and closing ceremonies and Chess Trust Managing Director, Barbara DeMaro also spoke at the closing.

Both Winston and DeMaro were honored by Barber by presenting them with Denker medallions recognizing their long time support for this tournament.

Mitchell Denker planned to attend but had problems with flights being cancelled and was unable to make it.

More About the Denker Tournament

“The U.S. Chess Trust, Mitchell Denker and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation awards $2200 in Scholarships (1st place: $800, 2nd place $500, 3rd place $300, 4th place $300 and 5th place $300). This year the tournament was played during the 2009 U.S. Open in Indianapolis, Indiana from August 1, 2009 to August 4, 2009.

The “Denker” is considered a prestigious event held in memory of Grandmaster Arnold Denker who helped found it and who helped support it financially for over 20 years. Scholarships totaling $2,200 are now awarded to the top five finishers, through the generosity of GM Denker’s son, Mitchell, the U.S. Chess Trust and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation.”

Congratulations to all the players!

2009 Continental Championship Wrap Up

GM Alexander Shabalov & GM Alexander Ivanov secure spots to the World Cup!

As was previously reported, American GM Alexander Shabalov and Cuban GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez tied for 1st place at the 2009 Continental Chess Championship, securing their spots to the World Cup.

The 2009 Continental Chess Championship qualifies 6 players to the World Cup.

A Tie Breaker Round Robin Tournament was necessary to determine which players would win the remaining 4 spots, which ultimately went to: Julio E. Granda Zuniga (Peru), Gilberto Milos (Brazil) , Diego Flores (Argentina) and Alexander Ivanov (USA).

Congratulations to all of the players, especially to Grandmaster Shabalov & Grandmaster Ivanov!

(Final results of the tie breaker)

GM Shabalov Scores BIG at the Continental Championship!

American GM Alexander Shabalov and Cuban GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez tied for 1st place at the 2009 Continental Chess Championship.  After calculation of the tie breaks it was determined that GM Shabalov won the event.

The Continental Chess Championship qualifies 6 players to play in the 2009 World Cup.

GM Shabalov and GM Corrales Jimenez have a guaranteed spot for the World Cup.

The remaining four spots are being determined with a Round Robin Tournament between all of the players who tie from 3rd to 8th place (with 8 1/2 points) at the Continental Championship.

Among these players, there are two American Grandmasters who are still in contention to qualify for the World Cup. The tournament is being played this evening and the final results will be posted tomorrow.

CLICK HERE to WATCH THE GAMES!

The following players are participating in this exciting tie breaker event!

• GM Milos, Gilberto BRA
• GM Flores, Diego ARG
• GM Granda Zuniga, Julio E. PER
• IM Rios, Mauricio Flores CHI
• GM Friedel, Joshua E. USA
• GM Ivanov, Alexander USA

Let’s wish our players GM Friedel and GM Ivanov the best in this final qualifier for the World Cup!

Stay tuned for the results tomorrow evening…

GM Maurice Ashley: Chess Day (Video)

GM Maurice Ashley on Virginia This Morning!

2009 Denker Tournament of High School Champions

“The U.S. Chess Trust, Mitchell Denker and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation will award $2200 in Scholarships (1st place: $800, 2nd place $500, 3rd place $300, 4th place $300 and 5th place $300).”

PRESS RELEASE

THE 2009 DENKER TOURNAMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

The tournament shall be played during the 2009 U.S. Open in Indianapolis, Indiana from August 1, 2009 to August 4, 2009.

The Denker Tournament of High School Champions fields High School State Champions from across the United States.

The “Denker” is considered a prestigious event held in memory of Grandmaster Arnold Denker who helped found it and who helped support it financially for over 20 years. Scholarships totaling $2,200 are now awarded to the top five finishers, through the generosity of GM Denker’s son, Mitchell, the U.S. Chess Trust and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation.

Eligibility

Each state shall be allowed one Representative. Alternates may be substituted as the official Representative. If there is an odd number of entrants in the tournament, the Chairman of the Denker Committee will allow the host state to enter an additional qualified player. The additional player may not receive any prize monies, but is eligible for expense monies and the UTD Scholarship. Should the USCF state affiliate fail to respond to the notice for this tournament, the Denker Chairman may determine the candidate from that state. Only first Denker state qualifier played in will be used. Representatives must be residents of the state they are representing.

All players must be under the age of 19 on September 1 of the year in which the tournament is held, and have been enrolled, during the previous spring, in the 9th through 12th grade. Home schooled students who are under the age of 19 on September 1 of the year in which the tournament is held and who have never attended college on a full time basis prior to June 1 of the year in which the tournament is held, are eligible to represent the state in which they reside. Proof of eligibility shall be the responsibility of the players and of the USCF state official certifying the Representative or alternate.
It is the goal of the Denker Committee to have all fifty states and the District of Columbia represented. Consequently, we strongly encourage each USCF state affiliate and the District of Columbia to hold a High School Championship tournament to determine its champion. Failing this, rating or some other criteria may be acceptable.

Playing Schedule

The Opening Ceremony and 6-round Swiss will consist of the following dates and times:
Opening Ceremony 4 PM Saturday, August 1, 2009 (REQUIRED ATTENDANCE AND CHECK-IN). All participants are required to attend for photo session, awarding of Medallions and introduction of dignitaries.

• Round 1-Saturday, August 1, 2009. Same time as evening round of the US Open.
• Round 2-Sunday, August 2, 2009- 11AM
• Round 3-Same starting time as evening round of the US Open.
• Round 4-Monday, August 3, 2009- 11 AM.
• Round 5-Same starting time as evening round of the US Open.
• Round 6-Tuesday, August 4, 2009- 11 AM, Denker Awards Ceremony- 4 PM.

This playing schedule is especially convenient, because it allows players an opportunity to participate in the US Open. This is possible because you can now enter the 6 day schedule or the 4 day schedule of the US Open upon completion of the Denker. Please note that the USCF Delegates voted to provide a 50% entry fee for all Denker participants who choose to enter the US Open after the Denker is concluded.

Rules

1. Players shall be required to play all six rounds of the tournament. Failure to do so, without notifying the TD personally, will result in a forfeiture of expense monies.
2. Player shall be required to furnish the TD with a legible and complete scoresheet.
3. The time control will be 90 minutes per player with 30 second increment added per move. This is the approved FIDE time control.

Scholarship Details

The Denker Tournament of High School Champions is proud to announce that a 4 year Academic Distinction Scholarship will be awarded by the University of Texas, Dallas. The scholarship is valued at $68,000 for an out-of-state student. UTD has been a leader in the promotion of Scholastic Chess for many years. You can see their campus and chess program at the following locations: www.utdallas.edu and www.chess.utdallas.edu/ .

In addition, the “new” video of the UTD chess team has been uploaded to YouTube.  View it below!

It is about UTD (University of Texas at Dallas) which is the sponsor of the scholarship that will be given at the 2009 Denker Tournament of High School Champions. This will give you a look into what UTD is all about and what players can expect when they attend UTD.

Eligible winners must meet UTD entry requirements and have been in grades 9-11 during the previous spring.

The U.S. Chess Trust, Mitchell Denker and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation will award $2200 in Scholarships (1st place: $800, 2nd place $500, 3rd place $300, 4th place $300 and 5th place $300).

Scholarships are designated for college expenses and will be sent to winners only upon proof of college enrollment (copies of paid bills, or official letters, etc.) by the Chess Trust. In some cases, prizes will be held in escrow pending receipt of paper documentation.

There will also be a $500 Ursula Foster scholarship awarded by the Chess Trust to the highest finisher who is under the age of 16 on the first day of the tournament. If no participant is under 16, then the scholarship will go to the under 17. Two or more players must be in the lowest age qualified group.

The winner of the tournament shall receive the title of Denker High School Champion of Champions. In case of ties, co-champions shall be recognized.
Expense money

Through the generosity of Mitchell Denker, each participant will receive a minimum of $100 to help defray travel expenses, plus a share of the remaining funds after tournament expenses. Expense money will be paid in check or cash at the conclusion of the event. A proportion of a player’s expense money will be withheld for each forfeited game. Players expelled from the tournament, or who withdraw without contacting the Tournament Director forfeit all expense money.

Travel & Accommodations:

Players are responsible for their own travel and accommodations. Players sharing rooms should make their arrangements carefully, as neither the USCF nor the tournament are responsible for any consequences arising from such arrangements.

2009 Venue:
Indianapolis Marriott East, 7202 East 21st St., Indianapolis, IN 46219. Phone: 317-352-1231. Hotel “chess” Rate: $99 single/quad.

Contact Information

Each player must provide the Denker Chairman with a phone number of a parent or other responsible adult in case of an emergency.

DENKER CHAIRMAN: Dewain Barber, 524 S. Avenida Faro, Anaheim CA 92807 (714) 998-5508. FAX (714) 998-1160
E-Mail: AmChessEq@aol.com.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE ON THIS EVENT AND IT’S RESULTS!