Changes to US Chess Federation Junior High Nationals

Announcement from the United States Chess Federation regarding changes to the structure of the Junior High Nationals:

In June 2019, the Scholastic Council formed a subcommittee of the Scholastic Committee to examine the current structure of the Junior High Nationals. This nine-person subcommittee from across the country examined data from the last four years and discussed the impact of any proposed changes, including projections of both section and grade restructuring. Their extensive report recommended a two-step process: (1) Immediate move to one K-9 Championship section and adding new class sections; and (2) Effective no earlier than 2022, the intent to transition Junior High Nationals to K-8. 

Key findings:

1. New class sections are immediately needed that will increase opportunities for all eligible players rated under 1700 and encourage the growth of chess at Junior High Nationals at every level. Meanwhile, the new championship section can be more competitive and ideal for all the top players and teams in the country. This restructuring would be consistent with previous section changes to the National High School in 2015 and National Elementary in 2016, which added new class sections to reflect the increased competition at all levels of the game.

2. Restructuring into one K-9 Championship section is more appropriate given that the event did not have a significant number of 9th graders and the current size of Junior High Nationals. Keeping the two championship sections with the addition of a higher class section would result in sections that would be too small.

3. An immediate change to one K-8 Championship section, thereby making Junior High Nationals K-8, would not be fair to the current field of participants without proper notice. 

4. Since the Junior High Nationals were first created, more middle and junior high schools around the country have transitioned to going up to only 8 ^th grade.

Based on the recommendation of the subcommittee and further discussion at the 2019 U.S. Open, the first step of restructuring the event as outlined below was recommended by the Scholastic Council and approved by the Executive Board and is effective for the 2020 Junior High Nationals: 

K9 Championship

K9 U1700

K9 U1400

K9 U1100

K9 U900

K9 U700

K9 UNRATED

The second step toward transitioning Junior High Nationals to K-8 sections is actively being discussed and is intended to be effective no earlier than 2022 Junior High Nationals. The subcommittee will remain active during this transition.

If anyone wants further information on the process or would like to provide feedback, please reach out to the chair of the Sections subcommittee, Daniel Rohde, at Daniel.G.Rohde@gmail.com , who will circulate any feedback to the subcommittee and the Scholastic Council.

Winning Chess Moves

Today’s position comes from round 10 of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. IM Anna Zatonskih (White) has just erred with 30. Qe1. How does seventeen-year-old Jennifer Yu (Black) punish Anna’s mistake to win the game and the U.S. Women’s Championship?

Black to move and win. (Zatonskih – Yu, US Women’s Championship, 3/20/2019)

Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship: Final Call to Register

Rated Chess Tournament tomorrow in Fremont. Registration is $20. Register tonight on http://www.fremontchess.com/fremont-scholastic-chess-championship/ or tomorrow onsite. Please note that the round times for the g/60 sections have changed.

*Round Times*

K & 1-4 G/30: 3/16 * R 1 @ 9:00am * R 2 @ 10:30am * 3/17 * R 3 @ 9:00am * R 4 @ 10:30am * R 5 @ 12:00pm

5-12 G/60: 3/16 * R 1 @ 9:00am * R 2 @ 11:00am *R 3 @ 1:30pm * 3/17 * R 4 @ 9:00am * R 5 @ 11:00am *R 6 @ 1:30pm

Details for the 2019 Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship

On March 16th and 17th, 2019, the Torres Chess and Music Academy in conjunction with US Chess Mates will be hosting the Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship at the Learning Bee Learning Center in Fremont, Ca.

The Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship is a Swiss style tournament (a non-eliminating tournament format which features a set number of rounds of competition, each competitor does not play every other. Competitors play opponents with a similar running score, but not the same opponent more than once.) All participants will be broken into age appropriate sections (Kindergarten (G/30), grades 1-4 (G/30) & grades 5-12 Section (G/60) and the winner is the competitor with the highest aggregate points earned after five rounds. Impressive trophies will be awarded to the top 10 in each section, top school team per section, and the top boy & girl in each grade. All other players will receive medals for participating. 

I strongly encourage any and all scholastic players in Fremont and its neighboring cities to come and join the tournament. It’s not only competitive and fun, but it’s a place where players can meet new people, make new friends, and gain a lot of experience.

For all those interested in attending, kindly visit FremontChess.com. Because of generous donations from longtime chess coach Joe Lonsdale and Learning Bee Director Grace Wong, the entry fee is only $20! As usual, please make sure that your child has a current United States Chess Federation membership . For ease of processing, you can join or renew your child’s USCF membership on the tournament application. 

I hope to see you all on March 16th and 17th at the spacious Learning Bee Learning Center which is located at 

39977 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539

Sincerely,

Chris Torres

Organizer for the Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship 

 

The Learning Bee, US Chess Mates & the Torres Chess and Music Academy, Inc. Present:

Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship

March 16 & 17

Where: Learning Bee Learning Center, 39977 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539

What: Scholastic (K-12) 5 Round Swiss, Kindergarten (G/30) 1-4 (G/30) & 5-12 Section (G/60)

Cost: Thanks to a generous donation from Joe Lonsdale Sr., the entry fee for this event is only$20!

Trophies are awarded to the top 10 in each section, top school team per section, and the top boy & girl in each grade. All other players will receive medals for participating.

Registration: Each time control (G/30 & G/60) will be limited to only the first 100 applicants. Please do not delay in registering as there is no guarantee that there will be room to register the day of the tournament.

USCF Rated SWISS Format : All players must be USCF members. All players must understand USCF tournament rules. USCF Membership fee is $17, per year. SWISS Format – a non-eliminating tournament format which features a set number of rounds of competition, each competitor does not play every other. Competitors play opponents with a similar running score, but not the same opponent more than once. The winner is the competitor with the highest aggregate points earned in all rounds. All competitors play in each round unless there is an odd number of players. Sets and boards provided. Clocks will be provided, but players are encouraged to bring their own .

*Round Times *

K & 1-4 G/30: 3/16* R 1 @ 9:00am * R 2 @ 10:30am * 3/17* R 3 @ 9:00am * R 4 @ 10:30am * R 5 @ 12:00pm

5-12 G/60: 3/16* R 1 @ 1:00pm * R 2 @ 4:00pm *R 3 @ 7:00pm * 3/17* R 4 @ 3:00pm* R 5 @ 6:00pm

Trophies: K & 1-4 awarded @ 2:00pm on 3/17, 5-12 Trophies awarded @ 8:30pm on 3/17

APPLY ONLINE atwww.FremontChess.com

Information : Contact Chris Torres atChris@uschessmates.com or (209)323-0197

Learning Bee Learning Center, 39977 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539

The registration fee for this tournament is $20. No refunds will be issued after 3/13/19. Sign Up online at FremontChess.com Please call 209.323.0197 or emailChris@uschessmates.com if you have questions.

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BE MEMBERS OF THE USCF TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TOURNAMENT.

The Learning Bee, US Chess Mates & the Torres Chess and Music Academy, Inc. Present:

Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship

March 16 & 17

Childs Name: ___________________________________________________________

Parents Name: _____________________________ Phone: _______________________

Email: _________________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

USCF ID: ____________________ Grade: _______ School: ______________________

OR ___My child is new and does not yet have a USCF ID

___ Please add $17 for a USCF Membership

My Child will play in Section: (Circle One) K 1-4 5-12

Total Fee: $20 + ___ = $___________

Please make all checks payable to U.S. Chess Mates and bring to the Swiss OR mail to 16691 Colonial Trail, Lathrop, CA 95330

Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship 2019

The Learning Bee, US Chess Mates & the Torres Chess and Music Academy, Inc. Present:

The Fremont Scholastic Chess Championship!

March 16 & 17, 2019

Where: Learning Bee Learning Center, 39977 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539

What: Scholastic (K-12) 5 Round Swiss, Kindergarten (G/30) 1-4 (G/30) & 5-12 Section (G/60)

Cost: Thanks to a generous donation from Joe Lonsdale Sr., the early bird entry fee for this event is only $20!

Trophies are awarded to the top 10 in each section, top school team per section, and the top boy & girl in each grade. All other players will receive medals for participating.

Registration: Each time control (G/30 & G/60) will be limited to only the first 100 applicants. Please do not delay in registering as there is no guarantee that there will be room to register the day of the tournament.

 

USCF Rated SWISS Format: All players must be USCF members. All players must understand USCF tournament rules. USCF Membership fee is $17, per year. SWISS Format – a non-eliminating tournament format which features a set number of rounds of competition, each competitor does not play every other. Competitors play opponents with a similar running score, but not the same opponent more than once. The winner is the competitor with the highest aggregate points earned in all rounds. All competitors play in each round unless there is an odd number of players. Sets and boards provided. Clocks will be provided, but players are encouraged to bring their own.

*Round Times*

K & 1-4 G/30: 3/16 * R 1 @ 9:00am * R 2 @ 10:30am * 3/17 * R 3 @ 9:00am * R 4 @ 10:30am * R 5 @ 12:00pm

5-12 G/60: 3/16 * R 1 @ 1:00pm * R 2 @ 4:00pm *R 3 @ 7:00pm * 3/17 * R 4 @ 3:00pm * R 5 @ 6:00pm

Trophies: K & 1-4 awarded @ 2:00pm on 3/17, 5-12 Trophies awarded @ 8:30pm on 3/17

Register Online at:

http://www.fremontchess.com

Chess Classes in Fremont, California

FREMONT ACHIEVER CHESS TEAM: August 23^rd through October 25th

Brought to you by The Achiever Institute and the Torres Chess and Music Academy, a non-profit organization

 

Children at Achiever Institute focusing hard at chess.

 

The Fremont Achiever Chess Team chess program meets every Saturday from 1:00 until 3:00, beginning August 23, 2014.

Held at The Achiever Institute.

43475 Ellsworth St. Fremont, CA 94539

Register at Achiever this Saturday

 

The Fremont Achiever Chess Team has a very special chess program taught by the nationally renowned chess instructors from the Torres Chess and Music Academy.  This course will provide experienced tournament players with instruction that will quickly increase their ability and understanding of chess. In addition, we will also teach newer students the skills necessary to excel in competitive chess. Participants will begin their afternoon by participating in an exciting chess class taught by the top chess instructors from the area. Students will then play 1 USCF rated chess game as part of the ongoing tournament and receive 1-on-1 analysis of their play. Lower rated players will play at g/30 time controls while higher rated players will be using g/45. Every five weeks, the tournament will be reported to the USCF in order to be rated. All participants must be members of the USCF. If your child is not a member, your child can join or renew their USCF membership at the first meeting.

The tuition for this program is $180 for ten weeks.

Drop-In for a single class for $20.

If you miss the first week or inform us during registration that you will be missing a week we will prorate the tuition. No refund will be given for unscheduled student absences.

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 4

Below are photographs of my favorite moments from week four of the Fremont Summer Chess Camp. I wish to thank all of our students, coaches, Steve and Kate’s Camps,  the Wild Cat Education and Conservation Fund and Grandmaster Susan Polgar. It takes a lot of great people to make the Fremont Summer Chess Camp as successful as it is and without these great groups and individuals many kids from Northern California would have missed out on an experience of a lifetime.

 

Thanks to Coach Tans for doing a great job teaching our youngest campers.

 

 

For four straight years, Coach Francisco has been teaching our campers confidence through attacking chess.

 

 

International Master Emory Tate managed to greatly improve the chess skills of every child in the advanced group.

 

 

Coach James proved daily why he is the Director of Instruction for the Torres Chess and Music Academy.

 

 

James Pacquette also managed the technological aspects of our Esteemed Guest Series.

 

 

MSJE Head Coach Joe Lonsdale was always available to help kids review their USCF rated chess games.

 

 

The Wild Cat Education and Conservation Fund put on a great show for our kids.

 

 

Everyone in attendance will never forget the day Susan Polgar (The World’s Top Chess Trainer) challenged every mind in the room with an extremely thought provoking chess lesson.

 

 

Most of all, it was all the awesome young chess players that made the 2014 Fremont Summer Chess Camp so fantastic.

 

Want to see more?

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 3

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 2

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 1

 

 

 

 

Coach Joe’s Report on the 2014 USCF National Elementary Chess Championships

MSJE Head Coach, Joe Lonsdale, Provides a Brief Summary of  Fremont’s Achievements At the 2014 National Elementary Chess Championships.

The MSJE Chess Team wins another National Championship!

The 2014 National Elementary School Chess Championships were held the weekend of May 9^th to 11^th in Dallas, TX.  More than 2,200 students from 107 schools competed in these championships. 17 MSJE (Mission San Jose Elementary School, Fremont, CA) students attended these championships.  MSJE won first place in the K-3 Championship section.  The MSJE Chess team is the 2014 National Primary School Chess Champion.  MSJE tied for fifth place in the K-1 section and tied for fourth place in the K-5 section.

Gomes Elementary School, also of Fremont won the Elementary school (K -6) division.  This is the second time in two years that two of the major elementary school sections were won by schools from Fremont, CA.  Last year Gomes won K-5 and MSJE won K-6.  In K-6 Joanna Liu and Jason Zhang each had five wins and a draw in seven games and tied for six place.  Ganesh Murugappan scored 5 points and William Sartorio scored 4.5 points.  The Gomes Elementary team is now the National Elementary School Chess Champions.

Coach Joe Lonsdale stands with the MSJE k-1 Chess Team.

In the K-1 section Arnav Lingannagari was the top scorer for the MSJE team with five wins and a draw in seven games (5.5 points).  Arnav tied for 12^th place and won a large trophy.  Allyson Wong scored five points, tied for 22^nd place and won a large trophy.  Shreyas Jay scored four points and Siddharth Arutla scored 3.5 points.  Ayaan Kassamali and Jolene Liu also competed for our K-1 team.  Shreyas, Siddharth, Ayaan, and Jolene all won trophies.

The Final Standings in the K-3 Section at the 2014 USCF National Elementary Chess Championships.

In the K-3 Section MSJE was the top rated team, but several teams from New York City were close behind.  Rishith Susarla was our top rated player at 1701 and came in with the top score of 5.5 points tying for 7^th place and winning a large trophy.  Second grader Kevin Pan (1534) and Annapoorni Meiyappan (1508) each scored 5 points tied for 17^th place and won large trophies.  Second grader Stephen He (rated only 925) was paired against a 1337 third grader from a top New York team in the last round.  Stephen won his game to give MSJE a perfect four point round and a clear first place.   We usually do well in the last round and our motto is “MSJE owns the seventh round!”  Atul Thirumalai, Shree Jay, and Amulya Harish each scored 3.5 points in the K-3 Championship section.  The MSJE team is the 2014 Primary School Chess Champion.

MSJE’s David Pan tied for second place in the k-5 section.

David Pan (1839) was the top rated player on our K-5 team and scored a fantastic 6 out of seven points.  David tied for second place and won a large trophy.  Kavya Sasikumar and Mihir Bhuptani each scored 4 points and Jeffrey Liu scored 3 points in this very tough section.  Our K-5 team tied for fourth place in the tournament.

Congratulations to the Chess Team for a great result at the National Championships.

 

*Former MSJE Student, Joseph Wan, took first place in the k-6 Championship division.

 

Chess students in Fremont get exciting lessons from Chris Torres.

 

The best chess experiences of a lifetime occur at the Mission San Jose Elementary School Summer Chess Camp. The camp will take place from June 30 through July 24 at MSJE in Fremont, California. In addition to all the great chess teachers detailed above, the 2014 Summer Chess Camp at MSJE will feature all the other highly accomplished Torres Chess and Music Academy coaches as well as a formidable line up of special guest lecturers. Every child who attends all four weeks will receive a camp T-shirt, a personalized study plan, a follow up private lesson with a Torres Chess and Music Academy instructor, and a diploma presented by Susan Polgar. All school aged chess players are welcomed to sign up but this camp is expected to fill up quickly. Sign up today to avoid missing out on all the chess magic the worlds best chess coaches bring to the Mission San Jose Summer Chess Camp in Fremont, California.

Sign up today at www.ChessAndMusic.com

The Tenth Rank

The Top Ten Chess (CC) Players in the United States for May 2014.

Source: United States Chess Federation

1	Menke, John R	IL	USA	2489
2	Buss, Michael	IN	USA	2430
3	Brandhorst, Wesley	FL	USA	2416
4	Ingersol, Harry Walter	IA	USA	2415
5	Tracz, James G	OH	USA	2405
6	Tseng, Wilbur	IL	USA	2403
7	Kain, Anthony James	SC	USA	2398
8	Mcgregor, Stephen Dean	TX	USA	2391
9	Sogin, David Warren	KY	USA	2386
10	Torres, Chris	CA	USA	2375

 

Of course it was never about rank or rating but rather the happiness and enjoyment that I derive from playing chess at a high level. Still, it is nice to be ranked in the top 10… Although, I still have work to do as there is no tenth rank in chess.

 

 

The MSJE Chess Team’s Dynasty Continues at the 2014 Calchess Super States

MSJE Head Coach Joe Lonsdale Reports on the 2014 Calchess Super States

 

A proud head coach poses with the State Championship Kindergarten team from MSJE.

The 2014 Northern California Scholastic Chess Championships were held the weekend of April 26^th and 27^th at the Santa Clara convention center.  Over 600 students and more the 50 schools competed in these championships.  Mission San Jose Elementary school (MSJE) of Fremont was the big winner in the Elementary School Division.  MSJE swept all of the Championships sections and won many of the Junior varsity sections and rookie sections.

The closest and most exciting championship was the Kindergarten (K) section.  Saint Marks School of San Rafael entered a nine player team in the K section.  The MSJE team won first place with 13 points versus 12.5 points by Saint Marks.  St Marks has been a scholastic powerhouse for more than 25 years.  Shreyas Jay lead the MSJE team with four wins out of five games.  Shreyas won his first four games and was playing for the state championship in the last round.  Shreyas lost in the last round but he still tied for third place.  Siddharth Arutla, Ayaan Kassamali, and Yiwen Gong each scored three points and tied for 12^th place.  Jolene Liu, Zachery Easow, Vivdh Goenka, and Jasper Li also competed for the team.  All of our kindergarten students won trophies.

The top elementary school section at these championships is the 4-6 Championship Division.  MSJE won the section with 18.0 points versus 11.5 points for the second place school. (Bullis Charter school of Los Altos.) MSJE also beat all of the chess clubs (Teams made up of players from numerous schools) in this section.  The individual 4-6 championship came down to two MSJE players.  3^rd grader Rishith Susarla (Who was “playing up” in the 4-6 section) was in second place with four wins and a draw.  David Pan was in first place with five wins.  Usually teammates do not play each other, but this prohibition is eliminated in the last round for the top players.  David won the final game vs. Rishith to finish with a perfect 6-0 score and won the individual Championship and the title on Northern CA Elementary School Chess Champion.  Rishith tied for fourth place.   Annapoorni Meiyappan (another third grader playing up) scored four points, won a trophy, and tied for 9^th place.  Kevin Zhu scored 3.5 points and won a trophy.  Andy Tong, Max Wang, and Sriram Bharadwaj also competed for the MSJE 4-6 Championship team.

Calchess President Tom Langland with MSJE head coach Joes Lonsdale and the k-5 State Championship Team from MSJE.

The 4-5 Championship section was also won by the MSJE team by a large margin.  MSJE scored 16.5 points versus 6 points for Marin School of Marin the second place school.  This score tied MSJE with the first place club, Berkeley Chess School.  Berkeley Chess School runs chess programs at more than 50 schools and their team is an all-star team from these schools.  Kavya Sasikumar was top scorer on the MSJE K-5 team.  Kavya scored five wins in six games and tied for second place.  Jeffrey Liu and Mihir Bhuptani each scored four points, tied for seventh place, and won trophies.  Jaisuraj Kaleeswaran scored 3.5 points and Alex Liu scored 3 points.  Both Jaisuraj and Alex won trophies.

The 4-6 JV (junior varsity) section is for players with ratings below 800 and above 500.  The top 12 MSJE players were playing in 4-6 championship or 4-5 championship sections.  None of the competing schools in the 4-6 JV section had more than one or two players in the championship sections.  Also MSJE only had three players in the 4-6 JV section.  The team score is the sum of the scores of the top four players on each team.  Despite these handicaps the MSJE team of Siddharth Mukherjee, Alvin Lee, and Nivedha won the first place team trophy in 4-6 JV.  Siddharth scored a perfect 5/5 and won the first place trophy.  Alvin scored 3.5/5 and won the 7^th place trophy.  Nivedha scored 3/5 and won the 23^rd place trophy.

The 4-6 rookie section is for players that do not have a rating.  There were several three and four player teams in this section.  Saharsh Goenka and Kevin Ma were the only two MSJE players in this section.  Kevin and Saharsh won all of their games until they had to face each other in the last round.  (Again the prohibition against team members playing is removed in the last round for the top of the ladder.)  Saharsh won the all MSJE game and the first place trophy.  Kevin tied for second place with four wins.  MSJE won the first place team trophy in the 4-6 rookie section.  I believe that this is the first time that a two player team has won first place in any division.

MSJE won the K-3 Championship section with 15 points versus 9.5 points for second place Gomes Elementary of Fremont.  Kevin Pan won his first five games and was playing for the individual championship in the last round.  Kevin lost the game, but still tied for second place and won a large trophy.  Atul Thirumalai scored four points, won a trophy, and tied for 8^th place. Leo Jiang, Stephen He, and Amulya Harish scored 3 points, won trophies and tied for 25^th place.  Allyson Wong, Arnav Lingannagari, Edwin Thomas, Henry Liu, Shree Jay, and Maxwell Yu also competed for the K-3 Championship team.

The k-3 Calchess State Champions from Mission San Jose Elementary School.

The 1-3 JV section is for players with ratings between 500 and 799.  MSJEs top 13 1-3 players were playing in higher sections (4-6 Championship and 1-3 Championship).  Most of the schools competing in the 1-3 JV section had very few students playing in higher sections.  MSJE won the 1-3 JV section with 13.5 points vs. St Marks with 10.5 points.  Nicholas Jiang won his first four games and was playing for first place in the last round.  Nicholas drew his game and finished in second place.  Vasu Rao, Dhruv Susheelkar, and Carolyn McNay scored three points, tied for 13^th place and won trophies.

The 1-3 beginner section is for players with ratings under 500.  Vaibhav Wudaru won all five of his games and tied for first place. Evan Yang and Jack Lee each won three games and won trophies.  Suhan Khan, Lillian Ma, Soham Patti, and Varun Rao also competed for our 1-3 beginner team which took the third place team trophy.

The 1-3 rookie division is the division for players that have not played in a tournament before.  Sandeep Salwan tied for first place in this section with 5 wins out of five games. Monish Jonnadula and Aditi Sagi each scored 4 points, tied for fourth place and won trophies.  Chris Liu also competed for our 1-3 rookie team which won the first place team trophy.

Congratulations to the MSJE chess team for a great result at the State Championships.  In two weeks much of the team will be in Dallas competing in the Elementary School National Championships.

 

Don’t forget to sign up for the annual Fremont Summer Chess Camp at MSJE.