Koltanowski Conference on Chess & Education

Nov 18-19 in Dallas:
http://www.utdallas.edu/chess/education-camp/second-koltanowski-conference.html

Texas State Grade & Collegiate Championships

2011 Texas State Grade & Collegiate Championships
Hilton Houston Hobby Airport
October 28-30, 2011

More info coming soon...

National Chess Festival in Houston

Later this month, the Hilton Hobby Airport Hotel in Houston will be the site of a Chess Festival that includes two National events: The U.S. Junior Open (July 22-24), open to all players under the age of 21 as of 1/1/2011, and the U.S. Senior Open (July 18-23), open to players age 50 and over as of 7/18/2011. For those who are not eligible for these two events, we will also have the Not-A-Senior-Not-A-Junior Open (July 22-24)! In addition to these three main events, there will be Blitz and Bughouse side events as well as a tournament for the Parents and Friends of the U.S. Junior participants.

The U.S. Junior Open has four sections: U21, U15, U11, and U8 (age as of 1/1/2011). The U21 will have cash prizes and plaques, and the winner gets an automatic spot in the 2012 U.S. Junior Championship, if still eligible by age. The other three sections have trophy prizes. All sections have Class prizes (age and rating) and all participants receive commemorative medals. In addition to the individual awards, the event will have team prizes and players are eligible to enter school or club teams! Top four scores, minimum of three, count towards team scores in each section. Winners of all four divisions, including ties, are considered National Champions. On line registration is available at http://www.active.com/more-sports/houston-tx/us-junior-open-chess-championships-2011

The U.S. Senior Open has 6-Day and 3-Day Schedules. It has a guaranteed prize fund of $5,000 with the overall winner taking home $1,250! The top three finishers get Commemorative Clocks and six class (age) winners will receive plaques. The event is open to all players age 50 or over, and the top finisher born on or before January 1, 1951 is the official USCF entrant in the World Senior Chess Championship. That player also receives a $500 USCF stipend towards that event. On line registration for this event is available at http://www.active.com/more-sports/houston-tx/us-senior-chess-championship-2011

The Not-A-Senior-Not-A-Junior Open offers a Prize Fund of 70% of entries collected. This event has four USCF rated sections: Open (also FIDE rated), U2000, U1600/Unrated, and U1200. More details and on-line registration is available at http://www.cajunchess.com/tourns/uptourns.shtml

The names of all National Champions in the Junior Open and the Senior Open will be included in the USCF 2011 Yearbook. Grandmasters receive free entry for any of these events, if eligible. On-site registration will be available but to take advantage of the early rates, you must register as soon as possible, so REGISTER TODAY!

IM Zivanic and NM Guadalupe win State Championship

IM Marko Zivanic and Francisco Guadalupe II drew their third-round game, both ending with five wins and two draws and in a tie for the Texas State Championship. Marko was the top seed among the 31 players in the Championship while Francisco entered as the twelfth(!) seed. In sole possession of third place was NM Artur Safin who drew both games with the Co-Champions. Thirteen masters were in attendance in this event open to players with over 2000 FIDE or USCF rating.

In the Amateur Championship, Yuri Nunez won his first six games and entered the last round with a full-point lead over Andy Shao, Bovey Liu, Alexander Jiang and Claudia Munoz. In that last game, Shao beat Nunez while Bovey beat Jiang. That allowed Shao and Bovey to tie Nunez for the Championship. Claudia tried very hard to join the group but was held to a draw by the much higher rated William Molina. Claudia fell to a fourth place tie with Akshay Bangale, Austin Jiang, and Atulya Vaidya.

Look for many of the games to be published in an upcoming edition of the Texas Knights magazine.


2011 Texas State Champions: NM Francisco Guadalupe II and IM Marko Zivanic

2011 Texas State Championship

May 27 or 28 - 30, 2011 Texas State and Amateur Championships GPP: 20

7SS, Sheraton Dallas North Hotel, 4801 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy, Dallas, Texas, 75244. $$ 8,350 b/175, full entries, 2 Sections and scholastic side events: Championship (This section is FIDE rated but uses USCF rules. Must be rated 2000 or above by either USCF or Fide to play in this section. Defending Amateur Champion may also play in this section. Foreign unrateds may play in this section.) G/90 with 30 sec. increment: $$ 1,000-500-250, 2200-2399 $700, U2200 $800. Amateur: U2000 & unrated. Rds. 1-7 30/90 SD/1, rd. 1 of three day is G/120 (deduct 5 min. for delay). $$ 800-400-200. B $$ 600-300-150, C 500-250-125, U1400 $500-250-125, U1200 $400, U1000 $300 Unrated $200. Both: TCA membership required. Other states accepted.EF: $88 if received by 5/19, else $99. $80 Junior(U19) if received by 5/19 else $90 (juniors count as 90% toward base), Senior(over 65)/Handicapped/ additional family participant $52 if receive by 5/19 else $65 (Senior/Handicap/ Additional family participant counts 60% toward base). Add $5 for CC phone entries; pre-reg requires pre-payment. After 5/25/11 all registration and changes on site only; all changes including withdrawals, $10 after 5/25/11. 4 day: Reg. Friday 5/27, 6:15 pm-7:15. Rds. Fri.: 7:45, Sat: 2:30 pm - 8:00, Sun.: 11:00 am - 5:15 pm, Mon.: 9 am - 2:45 pm. 3 day: Reg. Sat. 5/28, 9-9:30 am, Rd. 1 at 10 am then merge with 4 day. Foreign Unrated must play in Championship section. Registrations that do not indicate 4 or 3 day schedule will be put in the 3 day. HR: $84/84/84/84, 972-661-3600 reserve by 5/13 and ask for Dallas Chess Club rate. Free Parking. Up to two 1/2 pt byes available if requested before end of rd. 2, but byes for both rd. 6 AND 7 not permitted. K-12 Scholastic on Saturday, 5/28. 5-SS, Rds. 1-3 G/30, rds. 4-5 G/45, EF: $29 by 5/19, $43 after; Pre-reg. requires pre-payment. After 5/25/11 all registration and changes on site only; all changes $10 after 5/25/11. No refunds after 5/25/11, $10 handling fee for refunds before 5/25/11. Entries do not count toward base in Championship and Amateur. Registration 8:15-8:45 am, Rd. 1 at 9:30 am, rest ASAP with small lunch break. Sections: K-12 Championship and K-12 U750. Prizes: Trophies to top 12 individuals, five teams in each section. K-12 U750 also top three unrateds. Medals to those who do not win a trophy. Ent: Dallas Chess Club, C/O Barbara Swafford, 2709 Longhorn Trail, Crowley, TX 76036. Info: Barb Swafford, 214-632-9000, info@dallaschess.com www.dallaschess.com NS. NC. W. FIDE. WCL JGP.

USCF Voter Registration Instructions

Effective with the 2011 USCF executive board election, voting members will have to be registered by March 31, 2011 to be eligible to vote. Only registered voting members will be sent a ballot.

Check your status as a voting member

Register as a voting member

Region VI Scholastic Championships & UIL Puzzle Solving Competition

Two scholastic events in Austin on March 5th:

Region VI Scholastic Championship
UIL Chess Puzzle solving competition (flyer)

Scholastic Championship - 2 weeks away!

The biggest TCA event of the year takes place Feb 12-13 in Houston. Everything you need to know is on the event website.

Huge turnout for Austin Club Championship

The Austin Chess Club held its first annual Club Championship Jan 7-9th. 135 players competed, including 16 titled players (1 GM, 1 IM, 3 FMs, 11 NMs). That's a fantastic turnout for a club event, on par with recent State Championships and Southwest Opens.

IM Goran Vojinovic scored 4.5/5 to win clear first and $600. GM Valentin Yotov and FM Alex Chua tied for 2nd place ($250 each). Duy Nguyen won the Reserve section ($300) with 4.5/5 and Mike Webb won the Booster section with 5/5. The Austin Chess Club website has more details including crosstables.

Here's the round 4 game between the top two seeds:

[Event "Austin Chess Club Championship"]
[Date "2011.01.09"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Goran Voljinovic"]
[Black "Valentin Yotov"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D11"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. Ne5 e6 8. g4 Bg6 9. Nxg6 hxg6 10. Bg2 Nbd7 11. Nc3 g5 12. Bd2 Be7 13. O-O-O Qc7 14. e4 e5 15. exd5 exd4 16. dxc6 bxc6 17. Ne2 Rb8 18. Qa4 Qb6 19. b3 O-O 20. Qa5 Qxa5 21. Bxa5 c5 22. Bc7 Rbc8 23. Bh2 Ne8 24. Rhe1 Bf6 25. Nc3 Nb6 26. Nb5 a6 27. Na7 Rd8 28. Nc6 Rd7 29. Ne5 Rd8 30. Nd3 Nd7 31. Bc6 Nb8 32. Bxe8 Rfxe8 33. Rxe8+ Rxe8 34. Bxb8 Rxb8 35. Nxc5 1-0


Round 5: FM Alex Chua - IM Goran Vojinovic



GM Valentin Yotov


Emily Nguyen (1642), 2010 US Junior Under-8 Champion

2011 Texas Team Championship

More info at dallaschess.com

21-23 or 22-23 Jan 2011. Texas Team Championship, 5SS, G/90 with 30 sec. increment. University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Rooms At Student Union, 800 West Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080. Open to 4-player teams with average rating U2200 based on Dec. 2010 rating list. One alternate allowed/optional, must be lowest rated. Incomplete teams not allowed. EF: $120/team if rec’d by Jan 7th, $140 at site. TCA memb. req. ($11 reg. $8.50 jr. U19, $1 jr. tmt), o.s.a. $$($1550 b/16 teams): 1st - $600+trophy, 2nd - $300, 1st U1900 - $300+trophy, 2nd U1900 - $150. Board prizes: Top scorer on boards 1-4:- $50+plaque. 3 day Reg.: 1/21 6:15pm – 7:00 pm. Rds.: 7:20, 2:30 – 7, 9:00- 2:45. 2 day Reg: 1/22 8 – 8:35 am, 2 day round 1 is at 9 am then merge with 3 day. Fide rated but uses USCF rules. Park on metered parking by Student Union or by UTD bookstore. Or get visitors pass at guard shack on University Drive and park on visitor’s parking. Due to construction, check website for parking updates. Recommended Hotel: Hawthorn Suites Richardson, 250 Municipal Dr., Richardson, TX 75080. 972-669-1000. HR: $79 for 1 bedroom with pullout couch, $99 for 1 bedroom plus another king bedroom plus pullout couch. Mention UTD rate to get hotel rate. Any problems booking your room, please ask for Lynn Koutney. Free hot breakfast with hotel room. ENT: Dallas Chess
Club, C/O Barbara Swafford, 2709 Longhorn Trail, Crowley, TX 76036. 214.632.9000 INFO: Barb Swafford, info@dallaschess.com www.dallaschess.com www.swchess.com. FIDE, NS, NC