Archive for the ‘2011 United States Chess Championship’ Category
May 15, 2011
Joseph Wan of Nebraska won the k-3 Championship section at the 2011 National Elementary Chess Championships in Dallas, Texas. Joseph scored 6.5/7 and finished a half point ahead of his former California rival Rayan Taghizadeh. Joseph Wan’s championship is a rare win for the state of Nebraska at a United States Chess Federation national tournament.
In 2009, Joseph Wan was a first grader at Mission San Jose Elementary School in Fremont, California. It was here that Joseph met chess coach Chris Torres and quickly became one of the top chess players his age in the state. Joseph Wan went on to become a State Chess Champion but narrowly missed winning the National Elementary k-1 Championship by committing a rare blunder in the endgame of his final round. With his championship run in 2011, Joseph has finally achieved the level of success coach Chris Torres always knew he was capable of.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:chess, chess championship, chess Chris Torres, chess fremont, chess Joseph Wan, chess nationals, chess Nebraska, chess tournament, Chris Torres chess, elementary chess, Fremont Chess, Joseph Wan chess, Mission San Jose Elementary, national chess champion, National Chess Championship, national elementary chess, National Elementary Chess Championship, Nebraska chess, Nebraska chess champion, State Chess Champion, uscf, USCF National Elementary Chess Championship
Posted in 2011 National Elementary Chess Championship, 2011 United States Chess Championship, Bay Area chess, calchess, CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships, california chess, california chess tournaments, chess, Children's Chess, Fremont Chess, Joseph Wan, national chess champion, national chess champions, National Elementary Chess Championship, San Jose chess, scholastic chess, World Chess News | 1 Comment »
May 14, 2011
Torres Chess & Music Academy, Inc. |
16691 Colonial Trail
Lathrop, CA 95330
Phone (661) 699-8348
Chesslessons@aol.com |
Contact: Chris Torres
Phone: (661) 699-8348 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2011 |
Kindergartener Milind Maiti Was Undefeated at the NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPIONship
Cupertino, CA, May 6-8, 2011: Cupertino five year old Milind Maiti was unbeatable at the 2011 United States Chess Federation National Elementary Chess Championships held in Dallas, Texas on May 6-8. Despite competing in a section with 294 of the best young chess players in the country, Milind won six games and had one draw which was good enough for a third place finish.
Milind Maiti’s path to becoming the top kindergarten chess player began at the age of four when his parent’s noticed his talents at solving jigsaw puzzles. A couple months later Milind’s interest moved towards building with Legos. It was at this point that Milind’s father Chandan slowly introduced him to the game of chess which he enjoyed immediately. For one so young, Milind’s desire to improve was immense. His parents began signing him up for tournaments very regularly. When he entered school, Milind started attending chess classes run by the Torres Chess and Music Academy. In spite of being a kindergartener, Milind quickly was promoted to the “advanced” class at the Collins Elementary School Chess Team. It was in this Class that Milind met chess coach Chris Torres, president of the Torres Chess & Music Academy. Chris has taught several national chess champions and he immediately recognized Milind Maiti’s remarkable talent and began training Milind to use tactics with greater effect.
In December of 2010, Milind Maiti traveled to Stockton for the Calchess Grade-level Championship. Milind won all his games easily and became the Kindergarten State Chess Champion. Over the next several months, Milind’s chess continued to improve at an incredible rate. In the first week of April, Milind Maiti competed in the Calchess Scholastic State Championships Kindergarten division, held in Santa Clara. During this tournament, Milind once again achieved a perfect score. For his remarkable performance, Milind Maiti became a State Chess Champion for a second time.
According to his coach Chris Torres, Milind is the only kindergartener in California history to be undefeated at the State Grade Level Chess Championship, the State K-3 Chess Championship and the National Chess Championship in the same school year. Chris attributes Milind’s successes to his remarkable talent, love for the game, incredible work ethic and to the support that his parents Chandan and Smitha Maiti provide.
Chris Torres had other Torres Chess & Music Academy students to make him proud in the K-1 section. Chris’ other students included Ben Rood, from Walnut Creek, who tied for first in the individual competition. Five members of the Mission San Jose Elementary School team, Rishith Susarla, Chenyi Zhao, Soorya Kuppam, Jeffrey Liu, and Amulya Harish also placed third in the school competition.
-End-
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:Amulya Harish, Ben Rood, Calchess, calchess chess, CalChess Grade Level Championship, calchess scholastic state championships, california chess, Chandan Maiti, Chenyi Zhao, chess, chess championship, chess Chris Torres, chess Maiti, chess Milind, chess news, chess press release, chess talent, chess walnut creek, Chris Torres, Chris Torres chess, coach Chris Torres, collins elementary school, Cupertino chess, Dallas chess, Fremont Chess, Jeffrey Liu, Kindergarten chess, Kindergarten State Chess Champion, Maiti chess, Milind chess, Milind Maiti, Milind Maiti chess, Mission San Jose Elementary, national chess champions, National Chess Championship, National Elementary Chess Championships, press release, Rishith Susarla, Santa Clara chess, Smitha Maiti, SOORYA KUPPAM, State Chess Champion, Stockton chess, Torres chess, Torres Chess and Music Academy, United States Chess Federation, walnut creek chess
Posted in 2010 Calchess State Grade Level Championship, 2011 Calchess Scholastic State Championships, 2011 National Elementary Chess Championship, 2011 United States Chess Championship, Bay Area chess, Ben Rood, calchess, CalChess Grade Level Championship, CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships, California chess, california chess, california chess tournaments, Chenyi Zhao, chess, chess class, chess lessons, chess news, Children's Chess, Chris Torres, Fremont Chess, Milind Maiti, national chess champion, national chess champions, National Elementary Chess Championship, Parent's Guide to Chess, Press Release, San Francisco Chess, San Jose chess, scholastic chess, Scholastic Chess Business Matters, Silicon Valley Chess, World Chess News | 2 Comments »
May 14, 2011
Torres Chess & Music Academy, Inc. |
16691 Colonial Trail
Lathrop, CA 95330
Phone (661) 699-8348
Chesslessons@aol.com |
Contact: Chris Torres
Phone: (661) 699-8348 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2011 |
FIRST GRADER BEN ROOD BECOMES NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPION
WALNUT CREEK, CA, May 6-8, 2011: Walnut Creek seven year old Ben Rood was awarded the title of K-1 National Chess Champion at the 2011 United States Chess Federation National Elementary Chess Championships held in Dallas, Texas on May 6-8. Ben’s presence attracted interest in the section for kindergarten to first graders because he had the highest chess rating of all 294 contestants. Despite the tough competition, Ben won all seven of his games against the very best chess players his age in the country. The most challenging game for Ben came in round 5 when he was paired against last year’s K-1 champion, Praveer Sharan. It took Ben Rood 3 hours and 81 moves to finally defeat Praveer. He then had to continue his perfect record for two more rounds in order to be crowned a National Chess Champion.
Ben Rood’s path to becoming a National Chess Champion began at the age of three when he decided that 300 piece jigsaw puzzles were too easy and his mother decided to introduce him to the game of chess. When he entered school, Ben started attending chess classes run by the Berkeley Chess School. For one so young, Ben’s desire to improve was immense. His parents began signing him up for tournaments very regularly and taking him to the Friday Night Chess program run by the Berkeley Chess School. In spite of winning first place in the Kindergarten section at the 2010 Calchess Scholastic State Championships, Ben had reached the point of needing personal attention to draw out his natural talent. During the summer of 2010 Ben met chess coach Chris Torres, president of the Torres Chess & Music Academy, at a chess tournament. The two started training together a short while later. Chris has taught several other national chess champions. He immediately recognized Ben Rood’s remarkable talent. Chris then devised a plan to get Ben calculating more accurately while playing more aggressive openings that would better suit his personality and amazing tactical vision.
In December of 2010, Ben Rood traveled to Stockton for the Calchess Grade-level Chess Championships and used his newly found chess style very effectively. Ben won all his games easily and became the Grade One State Chess Champion. Over the next several months, Ben’s chess improved at a rate never before seen from a six year old chess player. By February of 2011, Ben was beating very strong chess players of all ages while taking care to record his games accurately for later review with his coach. In the first week of April, Ben Rood competed in the Calchess Scholastic State Championships K-3 division, held in Santa Clara. During this tournament, Ben once again achieved a perfect score and even defeated the reining second grade National Chess Champion, Josiah Stearman. For his remarkable performance, Ben Rood became a State Chess Champion for a third time.
According to his coach Chris Torres, Ben Rood is the only first grader in California history to win the State Grade Level Chess Championship, the State K-3 Chess Championship and the National Chess Championship in the same school year. Chris attributes Ben’s successes to his remarkable talent, love for the game, incredible work ethic and to the support that his parents Robin Hultgren and Lisa Rood provide.
Chris Torres had other Torres Chess & Music Academy students to make him proud in the K-1 section. Chris’ other students included Milind Maiti, from Cupertino, who placed third in the individual competition. Five members of the Mission San Jose Elementary School team, Rishith Susarla, Chenyi Zhao, Soorya Kuppam, Jeffrey Liu, and Amulya Harish also placed third in the school competition.
-End-
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:Amulya Harish, Ben Rood, Ben Rood chess, Ben Rood chess champion, Berkeley Chess School, calchess chess, Calchess Grade-level Chess Championships, calchess scholastic state championships, Chenyi Zhao, chess, chess Ben Rood, chess champion, chess classes, chess coach Chris Torres, chess fremont, chess news, chess player, chess press release, chess rating, chess talent, chess tournament, chess walnut creek, Chris Torres chess, coach Chris Torres, competition, Cupertino chess, Fremont Chess, Jeffrey Liu, Josiah Stearman, K-1 champion, K-1 National Chess Champion, K-3 Chess, Lisa Rood, Milind Maiti, Mission San Jose Elementary, national chess champion, National Elementary Chess Championships, Praveer Sharan, press release, Rishith Susarla, Robin Hultgren, Rood chess, Santa Clara chess, SOORYA KUPPAM, State Chess Champion, Stockton chess, Torres chess, Torres Chess & Music Academy, tournaments, United States Chess Federation, uscf, walnut creek chess
Posted in 2010 Calchess State Grade Level Championship, 2011 Calchess Scholastic State Championships, 2011 National Elementary Chess Championship, 2011 United States Chess Championship, Bay Area chess, Ben Rood, calchess, CalChess Grade Level Championship, CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships, California chess, california chess, california chess tournaments, Chenyi Zhao, chess, chess class, chess news, Children's Chess, Chris Torres, education, Fremont Chess, Milind Maiti, national chess champion, national chess champions, National Elementary Chess Championship, Parent's Guide to Chess, Press Release, San Francisco Chess, San Jose chess, scholastic chess, Scholastic Chess Business Matters, Silicon Valley Chess, World Chess News | 2 Comments »
May 10, 2011
Mission San Jose Elementary School in Fremont, California has, for decades, fielded the most successful chess teams the Golden State has ever produced. Year after year, the relatively small public school’s chess club trains hundreds of students in the art of aggressive chess play. Those who excel at the club are invited to participate in the more exclusive Monday night team meetings. There, as he has done since the 1980’s, Head Coach Joe Lonsdale uses his demo board to show practical examples of masterful chess games played by the great masters of the 19’th century as well as recent gems played by the young Mission San Jose Elementary chess players. After the lesson, students are paired into a stepladder tournament and compete using clocks while notating their moves. Every week, almost every game played gets analysed by Joe Lonsdale, Richard Shorman, Chris Torres or a graduate of the chess team. Joe’s labor of love has created a chess team that has an unrivaled success rate at major chess tournaments and a team jersey that can barely fit all the state chess titles the school has won.
Mission San Jose Elementary School has also fares well at the national level despite the fact that the USCF National Elementary Chess Championships are rarely held on the west coast. In 2009, Mission San Jose Elementary School became the first school from California to ever win the National Elementary Chess Champion Title. The following year, the Mission San Jose Elementary School team placed second in the K-1 Championship Section, tied for fourth place in the K-3 Championship Section, finished third in the K-5 Championship Section and placed 9th in the K-6 Championship section. In 2011, we even did better! Mission San Jose Elementary School placed second in the k-6 Championship Section, fourth in the k-5 Championship Section, fourth in the k-3 Championship Section and third in the k-1 Championship section. According to a long bearded USCF representative I road back to the airport with, this is the best overall achievement of any school in the history of the USCF National Elementary Chess Championships.
Of course, as hard as us coaches work, it is the players who deserve the credit and recognition. Sixth grader Arman Kalyanpur was our team leader scoring an impressive 5.5/7. Fifth Grader Alvin Kong achieved a score of 4.5/7. Sixth Grader Erik Wong also scored well with 4/7. Our fourth member of the k-6 Championship Section was Alex Yin who completed the tournament with 3.5/7.
Our k-5 team was led by fourth grader Amit Sant with a score of 5/7. Fifth graders Steven Li and Shalin Shah who both finished with an impressive 4.5/7. Another fifth grader, Eric Zhu, managed to score 4/7. Fifth Grader Sayan Das scored 3.5/7.
Our k-3 team was led by second grader John Andrew Chan who finished with 5/7. Next came second grader Mihir Bhuptani and third grader Ojas Arun who both scored 4/7. Second grader Alvin Zhang had a strong showing with 3.5/7. Second Grader Luke Zhao, who had the flu, finished with 3/7. Edward Liu, who attended his first Nationals, finished with 2.5/7.
The MSJE k-1 team’s top scorer was kindergartener Rishith Susarla with and impressive 5/7. Next came first graders Chenyi Zhao and Soorya Kuppam with a score of 4.5/7. First Grader Jeffrey Liu managed to score 4/7. The quickly improving Kindergartener Amulya Harish finished with 2.5/7.
And to the MSJE Chess Team…
It was a real pleasure to watch all of you achieve such great success in the most prestigious tournament of the year. As your chess coach, I am very grateful to have shared so many memorable moments with you during the 2010-2011 school years. Congratulations!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:Alex Yin, Alvin Kong, Alvin Zhang, Amit Sant, Amulya Harish, Arman Kalyanpur, Bay Area chess, california chess, camsje, Chenyi Zhao, chess, chess championship, chess club, chess coach fremont, chess players, chess team, Chris Torres, Chris Torres chess, Edward Liu, elementary chess, Eric Zhu, Erik Wong, fifth grade chess, first grade chess, fourth grade chess, fremont, Fremont Chess, Jeffrey Liu, Joe Lonsdale, Joe Lonsdale chess, John Andrew Chan, Kindergarten chess, Luke Zhao, Mihir Bhuptani, Mission San Jose Elementary, mission san jose elementary chess, Mission San Jose Elementary School, MSJE, MSJE chess, national chess champion, National Chess Championship, national elementary chess, national elementary chess champion, National Elementary Chess Championship, OJAS ARUN, Richard Shorman, Richard Shorman chess, Rishith Susarla, Sayan Das, second grade chess, Shalin Shah, sixth grade chess, SOORYA KUPPAM, Steven Li, third grade chess, uscf chess, uscf national
Posted in 2011 National Elementary Chess Championship, 2011 United States Chess Championship, Bay Area chess, calchess, CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships, California chess, california chess, california chess tournaments, Chenyi Zhao, chess, chess class, chess lessons, chess news, Children's Chess, Chris Torres, education, Edward Liu, Fremont Chess, Joe Lonsdale, national chess champion, national chess champions, National Elementary Chess Championship, San Jose chess, scholastic chess, Silicon Valley Chess, World Chess News | Leave a Comment »
May 8, 2011

California Kindergartener Milind Maiti scored 6.5/7 in the k-1 section of the 2011 USCF National Elementary Chess Championships in Dallas, Texas. Milind finished higher than any other kindergartener in the tournament and received a third place trophy that stands taller than he does. I was not surprised by Milind’s result because I have witnessed his tactical maturity on Tuesdays at the Collins Elementary School chess team. In fact, in thirteen years of teaching chess, I have never seen another kindergartener with such great potential.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:2011 national elementary chess championship, chess, chess championship, chess Milind Maiti, chess tournament, Dallas chess championship, elementary chess, elementary chess championship, Kindergarten chess, Milind Maiti chess, National Elementary Chess Championship, uscf national elementary
Posted in 2011 National Elementary Chess Championship, 2011 United States Chess Championship, Bay Area chess, calchess, california chess, california chess tournaments, chess, chess news, Children's Chess, Milind Maiti, national chess champion, national chess champions, National Elementary Chess Championship, scholastic chess, World Chess News | 1 Comment »
May 8, 2011
California’s Ben Rood and Milind Maiti remain undefeated after four rounds of competition at the 2011 National Elementary Chess Championships. First grader Ben Rood is the highest rated player in the k-1 section with a rating above 1600! Kindergartener Milind Maiti, who is likely the best player his age in the United States, easily defeated a 1500 rated player in round 4. Both of the young combatants were confident and happy going into round 5.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:2011, Ben Rood chess, chess, chess Ben Rood, chess championship, chess Milind Maiti, chess tournament, elementary chess championship, Maiti chess, Milind Maiti chess, National Chess Championship, National Elementary Chess Championship, Rood chess, round 4, uscf
Posted in 2011 National Elementary Chess Championship, 2011 United States Chess Championship, Bay Area chess, Ben Rood, california chess, chess, chess news, Children's Chess, Milind Maiti, national chess champion, national chess champions, National Elementary Chess Championship, scholastic chess, World Chess News | Leave a Comment »
May 7, 2011
The United States Chess Federation ran a very nice article featuring many of the top kindergarten and first graders who are competing in the 2011 National Elementary Chess Championships in Dallas, Texas. As is always the case, California is very well represented by several super talented chess kids. Below is an exerpt from the article by Kele Perkins:
On paper, the ratings favorite is Ben Rood of California. A student at the Chris Torres Chess and Music Academy, Rood has shown tremendous improvement in the last several weeks. His recent victories over 2nd grade national co-champion Josiah Paul Stearman and a win against an ‘A’ player show that Rood is in great form. Torres believes young Ben is “destined to become a national champion,” and his play at the Northern California state championships gives some credence to his teacher’s prediction. Another Torres student, Chenyi Zhao, had a recent ratings slip, but is still a force to be reckoned with. A third, Milind Maiti, is among the country’s top kindergarteners.
There is still time to sign up for the Torres Chess and Music Academy’s summer chess camps in California. Please visit www.ChessAndMusic.com for more information.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:2011 national elementary chess championship, Ben Rood chess, california chess, california chess camp, california state champion, Chenyi Zhao chess, chess, chess camp, chess championship, chess first grade, chess nationals, chess tournament, Chris Torres, Dallas chess, elementary chess, k-1 chess, k-6 chess, Kele Perkins, Kindergarten chess, Milind Maiti chess, national champion, National Chess Championship, National Elementary Chess Championship, state championship, Summer chess camp, Torres chess, Torres Chess and Music Academy, uscf
Posted in 2011 Calchess Scholastic State Championships, 2011 National Elementary Chess Championship, 2011 United States Chess Championship, Bay Area chess, Ben Rood, calchess, CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships, california chess, Chenyi Zhao, chess, chess class, chess lessons, chess news, Children's Chess, Fremont Chess, Milind Maiti, national chess champion, national chess champions, National Elementary Chess Championship, Parent's Guide to Chess, scholastic chess, Summer Chess Camp, World Chess News | Leave a Comment »
April 20, 2011
Robert Hess contributed a new move to the theory of the Scotch Game in a surprisingly quick victory over Alexander Shabalov at the 2011 United States Chess Championship. According to my sources, Hess’ “10…Nb6” is indeed a novelty. After the novelty, Robert Hess played a very clean game while his opponent played a dubious “16. a4.” Shabalov’s “a4” was a little late and not as precise as the obvious “16. exf6 Qc5+ 17. Qf2 Qxf2 18. Kxf2 Bxf6 19. Rad1 dxc4.” Shabalov’s play continued with second best moves while Hess essayed the dangers of a passed pawn.
Only time will tell the overall quality of Robert Hess’ invention. Should anyone face 10…Nb6 on the board, I propose responding with 15. 0-0-0!
[Event “US Championship (Group B)”]
[Site “Saint Louis USA”]
[Date “2011.04.18”]
[EventDate “2011.04.15”]
[Round “4”]
[Result “0-1”]
[White “Alexander Shabalov”]
[Black “Robert Hess”]
[ECO “C45”]
[WhiteElo “2590”]
[BlackElo “2565”]
[PlyCount “50”]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. c4 Ba6 9. b3 g6 10. f4 Nb6 11. g3 O-O-O 12. Bb2 Bg7 13. Nc3 d5 14. Bg2 Rhe8 15. O-O f6 16. a4 fxe5 17. f5 gxf5 18. Rxf5 Kb8 19. Qf2 e4 20. a5 e3 21. Qe1 Nc8 22. cxd5 e2 23. Kh1 Rf8 24. g4 Nd6 25. Qf2 0-1
Another classic Scotch Game:
[Event “London”]
[Site “London”]
[Date “1881.??.??”]
[EventDate “?”]
[Round “?”]
[Result “1-0”]
[White “Joseph Henry Blackburne”]
[Black “Johannes Zukertort”]
[ECO “C45”]
[WhiteElo “?”]
[BlackElo “?”]
[PlyCount “41”]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba6 9.b3 O-O-O 10.Qe4 Nf6 11.Qe2 Re8 12.f4 d5 13.Nc3 Qd7 14.Bd2 d4 15.Na4 Nd5 16.Qf3 Nb4 17.O-O-O Qf5 18.Bxb4 Bxb4 19.Bd3 Qd7 20.c5 Bb5 21.Bxb5 1-0
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:chess, chess championship, chess game, chess Hess, chess Shabalov, Hess chess, Nb6, novelty, Robert Hess chess, scotch, Scotch Game, Shabalov chess, Shabalov Hess, Shabalov vs Hess, United States Chess Championship
Posted in 2011 United States Chess Championship, chess, chess lessons, chess news, national chess champion, national chess champions, Robert Hess, World Chess News | Leave a Comment »