The Denker Tournament takes place from July 31, 2010 to August 3, 2010. Check out the details below and stay tuned for more coverage!

Confirmed list of participants below:

• Alabama: Jeffrey Byrd
• Alaska: Hannah Warren
• Arizona: Kevin Zhang
• Arkansas: Alexander Wolf
• California N.: Steven Zierk
• California S.: Christian Tanaka
• SoCal-ALT: Kyron Griffith
• Colorado: Richard Herbst
• Connecticut: Michael Finneran
• Delaware: Michael Pergeorelis
• DC:
• Florida: Enmanuel Iglesias
• Georgia: Elliott Chung
• Hawaii: Stephen Mau
• Idaho: Adam Jiang
• Illinois: Eric Rosen
• Indiana: Steven Cooklev
• Iowa: Matt Anzis
• Kansas: Andrew Latham
• Kentucky: Alex Hamilton
• Louisiana: Kyle Hecker
• Maine: Aaron Spencer
• Maryland: Charles Yang
• Massachusetts: Andrew C. Wang
• Michigan: Michael Bowersock
• Minnesota: PrashanthaAmarasinghe
• Mississippi:
• Missouri: James Larkin Smith
• Montana:
• Nebraska: Albert Zhou
• Nevada: Richard Lee
• New Hampshire: Gerald Potorski
• New Jersey: Andrew Shvartsman
• New Mexico: John Flores
• New York: Deepak Aaron
• North Carolina: Josh Mu
• North Dakota: Austin Battles
• Ohio: Ryan Clayton
• Oklahoma: Ryan Farell
• Oregon: Alexandra Botez
• Pennsylvania: Kevin Mo
• Rhode Island: Benjamin Swiszcz
• South Carolina: Kenzie Moore
• South Dakota:
• Tennessee: Peter Suich
• Texas: Bob Shao
• Utah: Tony Chen
• Vermont: David Ro
• Virginia: Quentin R. Moore
• Washington: Alex Guo
• West Virginia: Josh Helgoe
• Wisconsin: James H. Bowen
• Wyoming: Chris R. Andrews

Tournament information:

The Denker Tournament of High School Champions (July 31, 2010 to August 3, 2010)

The U.S. Chess Trust is a Proud Sponsor of this tournament!!

The 2009 Denker Tournament held in August 2009 was a huge success!

CLICK HERE to find out more about last year’s winner!

We look forward to this years tournament!

Below are the complete details for the 2010 Denker Tournament.

The 2010 Denker Tournament of High School Champions

General Information

The tournament shall be played during the 2010 U.S. Open in Irvine, California from July 31, 2010 to August 3, 2010. 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 as determined by the USCF State Affiliate. Alternates may be substituted as the official Representative. If there are an uneven 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 by June 15, the Denker Chairman may determine the candidate from that state. Representatives must be residents of the state they are representing. Only first Denker state qualifier will be used.

All players including home schooled students must be under the age of 20 on September 1 of the year in which the tournament is held. They must have been enrolled in high school courses, during the previous spring using the 9th through 12th grade curriculum. The Representative may not be listed as a full-time student at any college. Proof of eligibility shall be the responsibility of the players and 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, July 31, 2010 (REQUIRED ATTENDANCE AND CHECK-IN). All participants are required to attend for awarding of Medallions, introduction of dignitaries and photo session.

• Round 1-Saturday, July 31, 2010. Same time as evening round of the US Open.
• Round 2-Sunday, August 1, 2010- 11AM,
• Round 3-Same starting time as evening round of the US Open.
• Round 4-Monday, August 2, 2010- 11 AM.
• Round 5-Same starting time as evening round of the US Open.
• Round 6-Tuesday, August 3, 2010- 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 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 score sheet at the conclusion of each round.
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.

Note: Find it on the U.S. Chess Trust’s video sidebar.

It is about UTD (University of Texas at Dallas) which is the sponsor of the scholarship that will be given at the 2010 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 less than two participants are under 16, then the scholarship will go to the top participant 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. Please note that registration in a hotel room will require a person 18 years of age or older to be present.

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 .

This Work, Victory for Irina Krush!!, by jstrand is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Krush crowned; three-way tie atop Junior leaderboard

By Mike Wilmering

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
314.361.CHESS (2437)
mwilmering@saintlouischessclub.org

PHOTOS CAN BE OBTAINED AT WWW.SAINTLOUISCHESSCLUB.ORG/GALLERIES

ST. LOUIS, July 19, 2010 — After an IM Anna Zatonskih draw in round nine, IM Irina Krush won a wild one against WFM Abby Marshall to clinch the 2010 U.S. Women’s Championship title with a score of 8/9. This is her third U.S. Women’s Championship title, and her first since 2007.

FM Warren Harper bounced back from five straight losses to upset GM Ray Robson, which seemingly dashed his hopes at a repeat, but a late draw by Parker Zhao and a victory by IM Sam Shankland created a three-way tie atop the Junior Closed leaderboard at 6/9. An Armageddon showdown will be used to determine the Junior Closed Championship.

The playoff, which will take place at 10 a.m CDT, on Tuesday, will feature a unique set of rules. Robson, by virtue of being first on tiebreaks, has elected to receive a bye in the first round of the playoff. Zhao and Shankland will play a game to determine who will play Robson for the championship.

In this game, both players will bid on how much time they are willing to start with, between 1 minute and 45 minutes. Whoever bids the lesser amount of time has the option to choose his color, with the black pieces getting draw odds (meaning that in the case of a draw, black is declared the winner). Whoever loses the bid will receive a full 45 minutes, with both players receiving a five-second increment for each move.

The winner of that game will have his choice of color in the championship game, with black again having draw odds. This means that Robson will almost certainly have to play for a win with White. In the championship game, each player will have 45 minutes with a five-second increment for each move.

At the start of round nine play, tournament announcers GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade said each thought the women’s event was more likely to go to Armageddon playoff than the Junior Closed Championship. As both of the top seeds in the Women’s Championship event had White in the final rounds, a rematch of the controversial 2008 Armageddon playoff between Krush and Zatonskih seemed imminent.

But tough opposition from WGM Sabina Foisor stymied Zatonskih’s chances at a three-peat, and Krush’s dynamic yet solid play helped her capture the crown.

After a disappointing 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship, Krush brought an upbeat, positive and focused mentality to this year’s event.

“I tried to be aggressive Black and kind of principled with White,” Krush said. “So no one was just going to get any easy points.”

In round nine, Krush got the benefit of playing with White against Marshall, who had a disappointing tournament going just 0.5/9. Initially, it appeared as though Krush would simply steamroll her opponent.

Krush pulled the aggressive 14.Qd4, stopping Marshall’s ability to fianchetto her bishop on g7. The book move, according to Krush, is to play Rg8 to prep Bg7, which attacks the queen and controls the long diagonal, but Marshall instead opted for 14…b5.

“After Qd4, she apparently didn’t know the position anymore,” Krush said. “You have to give up this pawn [on c4]. Trying to defend it with b5 just means the queenside will collapse.”

But Marshall defended well, as she attempted to play the spoiler and salvage a win in her first U.S. Women’s Championship.

“After [22...]Be5, I realize she has a very good plan to consolidate,” Krush said. “My bishop on g3 is out of the game, she has all this good dark-square control, and its not even really clear what I’m doing. I suddenly realized that the whole position I was aiming for is not so good.”

Krush said after 23…Bc3, she was able to capture Marshall’s knight on d7 and a pawn on c7, which ultimately broke open the position to give her a winning advantage.

Although Krush called her game against Marshall her worst game of the tournament, she was able to convert the full point to clinch the victory, a victory she said she badly wanted.

Krush said an impromptu vacation may be in the works before she begins preparing for the Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

Although they will be teammates in Russia, Krush’s main rival in this tournament, Zatonskih, never got the opening advantage she needed to overwhelm a tough opponent in Foisor. Although she said she prepared for the a6 Slav, Zatonskih differed from the main line of 6.Bg5 with 6.g3. Foisor responded with 6…c5, a response that took Zatonskih by surprise.

Following a queen trade, each established a solid position, but Foisor did not allow Zatonskih to once again work her endgame magic. Numerous times throughout the tournament, Zatonskih demonstrated her uncanny ability to grind opponents down in a long, grueling endgame, often turning the slightest of advantages into winning positions.

Zatonskih, who found herself in time pressure frequently this tournament, went at least 50 moves deep in five of her nine games, including a grueling round four win against WIM Alisa Melekhina that lasted 82 moves.

“Of course, I got tired,” she said. “I’m not a robot … 58 moves is like a miniature for me.”

Zatonskih said she missed a lot of opportunities in this tournament.

“I’m in pretty bad shape, so I’m quite happy with the result,” Zatonskih said. “Even if in bad shape I was able to fight for first place, I think it’s pretty good.”

Her 7.5/9 performance was good enough to tie for second place with WFM Tatev Abrahamyan, who had another stellar tournament performance.

In the Junior Closed Championship, Robson needed only to draw with Black against Harper to ensure at least a playoff for the title, if not the outright victory. He began the day just a half point ahead of Zhao, and his opponent, Harper, was in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

Robson once again tried to surprise his opponent by pulling out the King’s Indian, but Harper said he looked over those lines in preparation after seeing Robson use it earlier in the tournament.

First, Robson tried to break open the position with 16…Bxh3, sacrificing his bishop to maneuver his Knight to f3, which forked Harper’s king on g1 and rook on d2. After trading the two pieces for the rook, the pivotal move, 23…b5, allowed Harper a passer on the a-file. Robson countered by marching his c- and h-pawns down to the second rank, but Harper had too many pieces, ultimately queening his a-pawn (39.a8=Q) and forcing Robson’s resignation.

A dejected Robson appeared resigned to the fact that his hopes of repeating as the tournament champion were all but finished.

“Probably not a good position out of the opening,” Robson said. “I tried to create some chances, but I think he played pretty well throughout the game.”

Harper said this was the most difficult round-robin tournament he had ever played.

“In open tournaments, you lose a couple games, you play a weak player and then you can boost your confidence back up,” Harper said. “But in this tournament, you lose five games in a row, and you play Ray Robson.”

“Nobody beats you six in a row,” joked Finegold.

After Robson’s loss Zhao needed a full point to claim the 2010 Junior Closed title. After an 0/3 start, FM John Bryant had scored 4/5 and continued his solid play this round to prove to he is a formidable opponent. Although Zhao appeared to have the advantage for most of the game, Bryant managed to successfully defend with just his king and knight against Zhao’s king, bishop and two pawns.

As the seconds ticked down Robson and Shankland, who pulled off a brilliant round-nine victory, were crowding around the board to see if Bryant could stave off Zhao’s attack. Finally, with time pressure too great, Zhao acquiesced to a draw.

A draw by Shankland in round eight seemed to shut the door on his chances at the title. After losing his first two games, a despondent Shankland, who announced he will soon be retiring from chess, seemed like he had all but given up on his final major tournament. After a remarkable turnaround, however, Shankland managed to score six points in his final seven games to qualify for the Armageddon playoff.

In round nine, Shankland blew his opponent, FM Conrad Holt, off the board in a game that truly demonstrated his elite ability.

With Shankland’s bishop sitting on f7, the move 15.Qb3 threatened mate in one and further blew apart Holt’s defenses. Shankland said he wanted to “go out in style.”

“This [15.Qb3] was an over the board inspiration,” he said. “I decided to have some fun with this one.”

Zhao and Shankland will have to bid on how much time each is willing to start with in order to win the ability to play with Black and draw odds in the first round of the Armageddon playoff. Then, the winner will have to take on the tournament’s only grandmaster for the title.

FM Darwin Yang drew tournament surprise Eric Rosen in a hard-fought game. If Yang could have pulled off the victory, the Junior Closed would have had a four-way tie for the lead.

The playoff begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. CDT. To follow the action live or for more details, visit www.uschesschamps.com.

Katie Baldetti contributed to this report.

###

GM Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), winner of the fourth leg

From FIDE.com

The FIDE Women Grand Prix series continued with Jermuk tournament which took place on 23rd June – 5th July 2010 in Jermuk, Armenia. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov opened the fourth leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in the presence of the President of Armenia and the Armenian Chess Federation the Hon. Serge Sargissian.

GM Tatiana Kosintseva (Russia), second in Jermuk

This series is featuring the strongest women tournaments of all times and it is important to point out that there are three ex-world Champions, Maia Chiburdanidze, Antoaneta Stefanova and Xu Yuhua, taking part, as well as the highest ranked women players in the world. Three events were completed previously, when Humpy Koneru won in Istanbul, Xu Yuhua won in Nanjing and Tatiana Kosintseva dominated in Nalchik.

Georgian Grandmaster Nana Dzagnidze convincingly won the tournament by collecting impressive 9 points from eleven games. GM Tatiana Kosintseva suffered a defeat in the final round and remained point and a half behind the winner. Further point bellow are former World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova and Armenian representatives Lilit Mkrtchian and Elina Danielan.

Closing Ceremony

Final Ranking:
1. GM Dzagnidze Nana 2478 GEO – 9.0
2. GM Kosintseva Tatiana 2534 RUS – 7½
3. IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2477 ARM – 6½
4. GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2560 BUL – 6½
5. IM Danielian Elina 2473 ARM – 6½
6. GM Hou Yifan 2589 CHN – 6.0
7. GM Cramling Pia 2536 SWE – 5½
8. WGM Shen Yang 2452 CHN – 5½
9. GM Chiburdanidze Maia 2514 GEO – 4½
10. GM Xu Yuhua 2484 CHN – 4.0
11. WGM Kovanova Baira 2366 RUS – 3.0
12. IM Fierro Baquero Martha L 2363 ECU – 1½

The tournament was dedicated to the memory of Henrik Kasparian, one of the greatest chess composers of all time. Jermuk also hosted one of the men’s Grand Prix tournaments, which was won by Vassily Ivanchuk.

Visit the Official website

After Jermuk, the last two tournaments will be held in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia, on 29 July – 12 August 2010, and Santiago, Chile, on 27th October- 9th November 2010. The overall winner of the Grand Prix series will challenge the 2010 Women World Champion to a match for the title in 2011.

Standings of FIDE Women Grand Prix after the fourth leg of the series.

The World Open 2010 will take place from June 29 to July 5, 2010 at the Valley Forge Convention Plaza. Each tournament will be over 9 rounds with norms available in the Open and Under 2400 Sections. The projected prize fund is $250,000 and at least $175,000 is guaranteed!

Please visit www.worldopen.com to view more information from the World Open 2010!

Philadelphia International 2010

June 25-29, 2010, Valley Forge, PA

The Philadelphia International 2010 was won by IM Bryan Smith who finished on 7/9, a half-point ahead of five other players. Smith was unfortunately a victim of his own success as he missed out on a GM norm having failed to have played against the 3 GMs required.

However, FM Farai Mandizha and Amanda Mateer both put in great performances and managed to play against the necessary opponents for them to score IM and WIM norms respectively.

Please select from one of the following options for more information on the Philadelphia International 2010:

• Tournament Information: Venue, accommodation, entry fees, prize fund, time control, etc.

Visit  www.worldopen.com for Final Standings and Games Viewer!

World Open 2010 Side Events

As part of the World Open festival, various other events take place from June 25-July 5.

Please visit www.worldopen.com for more information: Standings – Senior Amateur,  Girls Championship,  Under 13 Championship.

• Game/10 Championship (July 4)
• Blitz Championship (July 5)

By Franc Guadalupe
June 25, 2010

In less than one month, the U.S. Junior Open returns to Texas and this time the event will be held at the beautiful facilities of the Hilton Houston Hobby Airport Hotel, 23-25 July. This National event, open to all players under the age of 21 as of 1 January 2010, has been held in Dallas on two occasions, 2002 and 2006, both times drawing record crowds. The organizers in Houston are hoping for another record this year. There will be four sections in this event: Under 21, Under 15, Under 11 and Under 8 (age as of 1 January 2010).

Past winners of the top section of this event include GM Gabriel Schwartzman in 1995 and IM Greg Shahade in 1996. Not to be outdone by Greg, lil’ sister WGM Jennifer Shahade won the event in 1998. IM Salvijus Bercys won in 2003 when he was only 13 years old!

Last year’s US Junior Open was held in Milwaukee, WI, and the Champions were: Brady Harder (U11) from Wisconsin, Marc Christian Nazario (U15) also from Wisconsin, and the U21 section resulted in a two-way tie between Experts Eric Rosen from Illinois and Kevin Bu from Minnesota. There was no U8 section last year. The winner of the US Junior Open U21 division gets an automatic spot in the 2011 US Junior Closed (if still eligible by age). >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS.

For more information about the 2010 U.S. Junior Open, and to sign up, please visit the tournament webpage, http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2010/junior/.

“The Cadets Are Ready To Begin Fighting Chess!”
Official Press Release (USCF)
By Alan Kantor
June 21, 2010
(Crossville, TN)

NM David Adelberg Claims The Cadets Are Ready To Begin Fighting Chess!

If you thought the 2009 version of the U.S. Cadet Championship was any indication of fighting chess, the 2010 version looks to be even better.

This is an all-master field led by Aleksandr A. Ostrovskiy (2268) from New York, Michael Yang (2249) from Minnesota, David Adelberg from Arizona, Yian Liou (2243) from California, Jarod M. Pamatmat (2236) from Texas, Ryan Joseph Moon (2235) from Georgia, Atulya A. Shetty (2229) from Michigan, and Adarsh Jayakumar (2226) from Texas. Yang and Pamatmat are repeat players from the previous year. Last year’s winner was Andrew Ng from New Jersey.

The players are set and the battleground is set. The location is the same place where the fighting took place in 2009: The Cumberland County Bank in Crossville, Tennessee. The date will be July 12-16. The players will once again be armed with the MonRoi scorekeeping device so spectators will be able to view the action. This year, with the help of Vol First, the bloodshed can be viewed on the Internet. There will also be daily reports on Chess Life Online.

This is a national invitational chess championship for the top players under age 16. Along with the title is $500 plus a four-year, fixed dollar incoming tuition scholarship to the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (current value $69,760 for out-of state, $34,832 in state). Second place is $300 plus a four-year University Academic Service Scholarship to Tennessee Tech University (current value $20,000). Third place will get $200. Everyone will receive plaques.

The sponsors Cumberland County Chess Club, U.S. Chess Federation, Cumberland County Bank, TAP Publishing, House of Staunton, Crossville Trophy & Gifts, and Vol First wish all the players the best of luck. The city of Crossville wish the players and their families all the best and a great time while in Crossville.

The United States Chess Federation (USCF), founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is now headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. USCF is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with over 80,000 members. For additional information on the USCF see: http://www.uschess.org.

The Denker Tournament of High School Champions turned twenty-five years old this last August. I paused to reflect on how this event has evolved because at the start there wasn’t even a site picked. GM Denker simply said to me when he called one evening many years ago, “I want to do something for the kids.” At first, I thought he was simply going donate his time to do a simultaneous exhibition or volunteer to pass out trophies at one of the Nationals. But as it turned out, it was a whole lot more than I expected.

First, it was the idea of selecting deserving players who would want to travel to an event. He then provided an idea or two suggesting an event that brought together every state high school champion. But, would it be the highest rated player who qualified? Would it be based on age or something else?

As it turned out the decision we agreed upon was to invite the champions from the high school tournaments of each state to play. But, when? Since I was acquainted with the scholastic schedule, I knew that many of the months that might be considered would be out. The fall was the start of school year, the winter would present problems with travel, and the spring was devoted to competing in state events and the Scholastic Nationals. The end result was a decision by both of us that the summer would work. But, where? There were few scholastic events in the summer available, and most families were on summer vacation. This would mean starting a new event with no support. Arnold suggested the US Open as a possible site. He had been US Champion and had played in the US Open for many years so it seemed a possibility. The US Open was a very prestigious event with many strong players at all levels and ages wanting to compete so the fundamental question was, “Would the US Chess Federation accept a bunch of high school kids playing at their event?” Maybe yes, maybe no.

I mentioned to GM Denker that there were several committees that needed to review this, and any one of them could say no. As it turned out there was moderate interest in the idea, but I sensed it would take more than moderate interest to get it passed by the USCF Delegates and accepted. I had truly forgotten that I was dealing with one of the most charismatic and dynamic persons to ever push a pawn. GM Denker stepped forward and made the case with many of his long time friends that this event would be good for the kids and good for chess. The case was made and the vote was to approve.

That was all good and fine, but what were the rules and who would decide when it came to the issue of qualifications. I mentioned to GM Denker that I would try to write some rules and he stated he would provide a stipend of $100 to each participant.

The early years saw just over half of the states attending with many states not even bothering to return messages to the USCF Scholastic Director. I wondered if this event was ever going to get at least two-thirds of the states and maybe help support a young man who wanted to become a GM.

Several times I would contact a high school state champion and the word was, “The Denker event does not have any strong players and I have other things to do during the summer.”

At this point, it was very much like the film about baseball: “If you build it they will come.” And sure enough they did, and the state count began to rise because GM Denker kept up the positive enthusiasm needed to move this event forward. He always had a smile and a kind word to say to the players with interesting stories and a sense of humor flowing through the conversation. The man was magnetic, had the joy of living, and funny chess stories that kept the gathering alive.

He gained support from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) who provided a scholarship. Texas Tech has also supported the event and so has the U.S. Chess Trust.

One time he said to me, a few years before his death, that that he was going to change the name of the event. I was surprised at the thought, but he said, “Let’s change it.”

I said, “No, absolutely not. You have created a legacy that will be continued and appreciated by all the chess players who see the event, follow the results, and cheer on their champions.” I knew he was just kidding, but I am happy for what has been accomplished and that Mitchell Denker, his son, came on board a short time ago when GM Denker passed away and has continued that same enthusiasm.

It is with great pleasure and reverence that I say it has been an honor to meet and greet the young people who can proudly say, “I played in the Denker!” It is a legacy that the entire chess community can be proud of. As we move into the next quarter century, it will continue to shine as an example of the best we can offer from Alaska to Maine, Michigan to Texas, Florida to Hawaii and from California to Virginia. I say from the deepest part of my heart: “Thank you, Arnold, for the legacy you have bestowed upon the chess community.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT “The Denker Tournament of High School Champions”

The U.S. Chess Championship was held at the held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, May 13-25.

• CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD complete 2010 US CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA KIT (PDF) (Exerpts below)

REPLAY ROUND 11, GM SHULMAN, YURI VS. GM KAMSKY, GATA

HISTORY OF U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP

No series of tournaments or matches enjoys the same rich, turbulent history as that of the United States Chess Championship. It is in many ways unique – and, up to recently, unappreciated.
In Europe and elsewhere, the idea of choosing a national champion came slowly. The first Russian championship tournament, for example, was held in 1889. The Germans did not get around to naming a champion until 1879.

The first official Hungarian championship occurred in 1906, and the first Dutch, three years later. But American chess fans knew as early as 1845 who their champion was: the little-known Charles Stanley – and many non-players knew it, too, because the title match of that year was well publicized.

Twelve years later the industrious American organizers mounted their first tournament for a national champion. And that event, New York 1857, won by the “pride and soul of chess,” Paul Morphy, was only the fourth true chess tournament ever held in the world.

In its first century and a half plus, the United States Championship has provided all kinds of entertainment.

It has introduced new heroes exactly 100 years apart in Paul Morphy (1857) and Bobby Fischer (1957) and honored remarkable veterans such as Sammy Reshevsky in his late 60s. There have been stunning upsets (Arnold Denker in 1944 and John Grefe in 1973) and marvelous achievements (Fischer’s winning debut as a precocious 14-year-old in 1957, and his remarkable perfect score of 11-0 in 1964, to his record-breaking eight title wins).

The championship has seen scandals and swindles, boycotts and brilliancies, bitter controversy and theoretical innovations. The games have been won and lost by geniuses and drunkards, prodigies and e?migre?s, college dons and coffeehouse hustlers.

It has also been a truly national championship. For many years the title tournament was identified with New York. But it has also been held in towns as small as South Fallsburg, New York, Mentor, Ohio, and Greenville, Pennsylvania.

Fans have witnessed championship play in Boston, and Las Vegas, Baltimore and Los Angeles, Lexington, Kentucky, and El Paso, Texas. The title has been decided in sites as varied as the Sazerac Coffee House in 1845 to the Cincinnati Literary Club, the Automobile Club of Detroit. The U.S. Championship has been held in the auditorium of a fundamentalist Christian college in Pasadena and, in 1984 the Student Union Building of the University of California at Berkeley, as well as the Seattle Center in the shadows of the Space Needle. The most recent title was decided at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, widely recognized as the premier chess club in the country if not the world.

U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS

With a heritage line that includes great legends of the game, no series of tournaments or matches enjoys the same rich history as that of the U.S. Chess Championships.

The first player to be termed, by popular acclaim, “U.S. Champion”, was Charles Stanley in 1845.

The first championship to name a true national champion was New York 1857, won by Paul Morphy. It was only the fourth chess championship ever held.

The first “official” U.S. Champion was Jackson Showalter (who is also credited with the invention of the curve ball in baseball) in 1890.

From 1905 through to 1936, the title was decided by a match between the top two players in the country; Frank Marshall holding the title throughout.

The longest gap between title wins is 33 years when Sammy Revshevsky won his first title in 1936 and his last, in 1969.

The first U.S. Women’s Championship was held in 1938 and was won by Gisela Gresser.

The youngest winner of the title at 14 in 1957 was Bobby Fischer. He also holds the record for the most titles won with eight.

The player with the best score is Bobby Fischer, who in 1964 recorded a perfect 11-0.

CHAMPIONS BY ACCLAMATION FROM PAST YEARS

1845-1889

• 1845-1857  Charles Stanley, defeated Eugene Rousseau in a match in 1845
• 1857-1871  Paul Morphy, won the first American Chess Congress in 1857
• 1871-1889  George Henry Mackenzie, won the 2nd, 3rd and 5th American Chess Congress

Match Champions: 1889-1935

• 1889 – 1890  S. Lipschutz
• 1890 – 1890  Jackson Showalter
• 1890 – 1892  Max Judd
• 1892 – 1892  Jackson Showalter
• 1892 – 1893  S. Lipschutz
• 1893 – 1894  Jackson Showalter
• 1894 – 1895  Albert Hodges
• 1895 – 1896  Jackson Showalter
• 1897 – 1906  Harry Nelson Pillsbury
• 1906 – 1909  Jackson Showalter
• 1909 – 1935  Frank Marshall

Tournament Champions: 1936-1980

• 1936  Samuel Reshevsky
• 1938  Samuel Reshevsky
• 1940  Samuel Reshevsky
• 1942  Samuel Reshevsky
• 1944  Arnold Denker
• 1946  Samuel Reshevsky
• 1948  Herman Steiner
• 1951  Larry Evans
• 1954  Arthur Bisguier
• 1957/8  Bobby Fischer
• 1958/9  Bobby Fischer
• 1959  Bobby Fischer
• 1960/1  Bobby Fischer
• 1962/3  Bobby Fischer
• 1963/4  Bobby Fischer
• 1965/6  Bobby Fischer
• 1966/7  Bobby Fischer
• 1968  Larry Evans
• 1969  Samuel Reshevsky
• 1972  Robert Byrne
• 1973  Lubomir Kavalek and John Grefe
• 1974  Walter Browne
• 1975  Walter Browne
• 1977  Walter Browne
• 1978  Lubomir Kavalek
• 1980  Walter Browne,  Larry Christiansen,  Larry Evans

Tournament Champions:  1983-2009

• 1983  Walter Browne,  Larry Christiansen,  Roman Dzindzichashvili
• 1984  Lev Alburt
• 1985  Lev Alburt
• 1986  Yasser Seirawan
• 1987  Joel Benjamin and Nick de Firmian
• 1988  Michael Wilder
• 1989  Roman Dzindzichashvili, Stuart Rachels, Yasser Seirawan
• 1990  Lev Alburt
• 1991  Gata Kamsky
• 1992  Patrick Wolff
• 1993  Alexander Shabalov and Alex Yermolinsky
• 1994  Boris Gulko
• 1995  Nick de Firmian, Patrick Wolff, Alexander Ivanov
• 1996  Alex Yermolinsky
• 1997  Joel Benjamin
• 1998  Nick de Firmian
• 1999  Boris Gulko
• 2000  Joel Benjamin, Alexander Shabalov, Yasser Seirawan
• 2002  Larry Christiansen
• 2003  Alexander Shabalov
• 2005  Hikaru Nakamura
• 2006  Alexander Onischuk
• 2007  Alexander Shabalov
• 2008  Yury Shulman
• 2009  Hikaru Nakamura
• 2010  Gata Kamsky

From the Official World Chess Championship Website (www.anand-topalov.com)

The FIDE World Chess Championship match between the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and his challenger Former World Champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria was set to start on the 21st April with the official opening ceremony.

CHESS CURIOSITIES (U.S. Chess Trust Commentary)

The World Champion Viswanathan Anand and the challenger Veselin Topalov are staying in seperate hotels with their respective teams.  Their teams consist of “seconds”, a term used in Europe to refer to a team of technical people who assist in the preparation of each game.  In situations like this, players travel with their own support team.

Anand has not released any information about who his “seconds” are for the match, but, it is known that he requested ten hotel rooms.

The players have already selected their chairs.  Basically, what this means is that each player was presented with a number of chairs to choose from. Due to the length of time the players are seated during the match, comfortable seating is extremely important.

On another note, you can sense the spirit of competition in the air.  Topalov has already indicated that he will not offer or accept draws – he’s playing for a win.

At this level, in chess, it’s very exciting.  I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of anticipation.  Butterflies, a bit of tightness in the chess…it’s better than football!  What do you think?

Let’s see how this all plays out.  We look forward to bringing you replay options. So stay tuned!

Note: The schedule below reflects the date and time in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Check back for more FIDE World Chess Championship Match coverage!!

SCHEDULE

April 21 – 18.00 EEST (15.00 UTC) – Official opening
April 24 – 17.00 EEST (14.00 UTC) – Game 1
April 25 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 2
April 26 – Rest Day
April 27 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 3
April 28 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 4
April 29 – Rest Day
April 30 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 5
May 1 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 6
May 2 – Rest Day
May 3 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 7 May 4 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 8
May 5 – Rest Day
May 6 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 9
May 7 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 10
May 8 – Rest Day
May 9 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 11
May 10 – Rest Day
May 11 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 12
May 12 – Rest Day
May 13 – Tie breaks

ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS

From the Official World Chess Championship Website (www.anand-topalov.com)

Viswanathan Anand is an Indian chess Grandmaster and the current World Chess Champion.

Anand held the FIDE World Chess Championship from 2000 to 2002, at a time when the world title was split. He became the undisputed World Champion in 2007 and defended his title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008. With this win, he became the first player in chess history to have won the World Championship in three different formats: Knockout, Tournament, and Match. He will next defend his title in the World Chess Championship 2010 against Veselin Topalov, the winner of a challenger match against Gata Kamsky in February 2009.  READ MORE >>>

Veselin Topalov born 15 March 1975 is a Bulgarian Grandmaster and 19th World Champion. In the January 2009 FIDE rating list, he is ranked first with an ELO 2780.His current trainer and manager is International Master Silvio Danailov.  Topalov became the World Champion by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005. He was awarded the 2005 Chess Oscar. In October 2006, Topalov had the second highest Elo rating of all time (2813). READ MORE >>>

“The match is taking place at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. The total prize fund 2.000.000 EUR, full regulations can be found here, the updated playing schedule is posted bellow.

Viswanathan Anand won the World Championship in 2000 under knockout system and held the title until 2002. In 2007 he reclaimed the throne by winning the double round-robin World Championship tournament in Mexico. He successfully defended the title in the match against Vladimir Kramnik, which was held in 2008 in Bonn, Germany.

Veselin Topalov became the World Champion after winning the first double round-robin World Championship Tournament in 2005 in San Luis, Argentina. He lost the title in 2006, following the unification match against Vladimir Kramnik in Elista, Russia. He again earned the right to challenge the World Champion by winning the 2009 match versus Gata Kamsky.

Anand has arrived to Sofia by car and asked for a three day postponement. Closed German airspace prevented him from flying by plane.
FIDE Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos in his capacity of FIDE Supervisor for the match decided to postpone the first game for one day.

The final inspection took place on Wednesday morning, followed by the press conference with both players.”  READ MORE >>>

OPENING CEREMONY

The opening ceremony of the FIDE World Chess Championship match started at 17:00 CET as scheduled.  “More than 20 TV crews and about 100 journalists were present for the ceremony.”   VIEW THE OFFICIAL PHOTO GALLERY HERE >>>

INTERVIEWS (Excerpts from Official World Chess Championship Website)

FIDE PRESIDENT MR. KIRSAN ILYUMZHINOV

Mr. President, it’s a well known fact that several countries applied to organize this World Chess Championship match. Why was Sofia chosen?

April 22, 2010, Temple-monument “Alexander Nevski”: President of the World Chess Federation FIDE Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov receives the jubilee medal of the temple and orthodox icon.

“For several reasons. Bulgaria is a country with strong chess traditions. One of the very few having World Champions in all categories – men, women, seniors. And this happened quite recently in a short time frame, providing ground for representatives of international media to claim Bulgarians as the smartest people. Secondly, every year the M-Tel masters takes place in Sofia – one of the strongest and best organized chess tournaments. The government pays serious attention developing our sport in this country. I have as well to give credit to the hard work of Bulgarian Chess Federation, presided by Mr. Stefan Sergiev. Bulgaria has demonstrated serious attitude to the applying procedure and offered the best candidacy in any aspect.”  READ ENTIRE INTERVIEW – GO TO OFFICIAL WEBSITE  >>>

April 20, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 2010 Scholar-Chessplayer Award Recipients are:

• Rohan Agarwal, CA
• Richard Herbst, CO
• Abby Marshall, VA
• Jake Miller, NY
• Victor Shen, NJ

Congratulations to the winners for their outstanding achievement!

These annual scholarships awarded by the U.S. 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.

Thanks to the generosity of it’s long-time supporters, the U.S. Chess Trust continues to fund many wonderful programs including the Scholar-Chessplayer Awards.

Please spread the word to potential donors to “Say Yes to Chess!” Donations to the U.S. Chess Trust are tax-deductible.

Special thanks to the National Scholastic Chess Foundation for their contribution to this program.

The U.S. Chess Trust is an independent 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.

Created in 1967, the Trust was organized to promote, stimulate and encourage the study and play of the game of chess as a means of intellectual development. The Trust uses its resources for charitable purposes, including social, educational, scientific, historical endeavors. The U.S. Chess Trust takes an active role in supporting chess education programs across the nation. Our Trustees act without compensation, and are dedicated to the U.S. Chess Trust’s mission.
For more information about the U.S. Chess Trust see: www.uschesstrust.org.

The United States Chess Federation (USCF), founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is now headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. USCF is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with over 80,000 members.
For additional information on the USCF see: http://www.uschess.org.

The National Scholastic Chess Foundation (NSCF) is a non-profit foundation organized for educational purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The NSCF was created in 1991 as a merger between the Westchester Chess Foundation (founded in 1985) and the Fairfield County Chess Foundation. The Executive Director of the NSCF is FIDE Master Sunil Weeramantry.
For additional information on the NSCF see: www.nscfchess.org.