1) Carl Haessler wins Summer FIDE Rating Tournament A 2) Michael Aigner wins Summer FIDE Rating Tournament C 3) Pacific Southwest Open 4) Kasparov Coming to Seattle 5) Chess Camps 6) Upcoming Tournaments
Shivkumar Shivaji leads Group B with 5 points from 7 followed by Adrian Keatinge-Clay with 4 1/2 from 7. Young up and comer Matthew Ho looks set to earn a FIDE rating with his excellent, undefeated score of 5 from 8.
Top-rated IM Melikset Khachian led the 58-player Open section with an impressive 51/2-1/2 total that included wins on Sunday over IM Andranik Matikozyan and state champion Cyrus Lakdawala. Only IM Varuzhan Akobian, who finished second at 5-1, held him to a draw. Next at 41/2-11/2 were Matikozyan, state champion Levon Altounian, IM Nikolay Andrianov and top experts Scott Haubrich, Sid Morriss and Gennadiy Titkov.
Frank Berry scored 51/2-1/2 to win the 68-player Amateur (under-1800) section. Moheb Boules, Bobby Hall and Harut Keshishian tied for second at 5-1. Class prizes went to Ron Hoffman and Bruce Margolin (tied for best under-1600); Tongzhou Wang (best under-1400); Sarkis Toneryan (best under-1200); and Anatoliy Manko (best unrated). Randy Hough directed. The next major open tournament is the Southern California Open, scheduled Labor Day weekend in San Diego.
Thanks to Frank Berry
On Saturday, September 29, Kasparov will be featured in two exciting events focused on young chess enthusiasts. From 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., Kasparov and several local chess masters will conduct clinics for scholastic players. The clinics will cover a wide range of chess topics so that both beginning and advanced chess players can benefit from Kasparov's expertise. The cost will be $5.00 per participant. Due to space limitations, this clinic will only be available to K-12 players. (Plans are underway for a lecture/game analysis presentation open to the general public from 11 - 12:30. Details will be posted on our Web site at Seattle Chess Foundation beginning July 1, so please check out our site for regular updates.)
From 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Kasparov will take on Northwest K-12 chess players in "Kasparov versus the Next Generation." 240 Kids, grouped into teams of 20, will develop and vote on which moves to make in a challenge match against the world's top-rated player. This event will be free for all participants, with tickets for $15 (individual) and $25 (family) for spectators.
Kasparov will also be the keynote speaker at a fundraising dinner in Seattle on October 1st. If you would like to support the Seattle Chess Foundation and the Scholastic Chess Initiative by attending please contact us as indicated below to request an invitation.
The mission of the Foundation is to improve education in the United States by developing a chess program in elementary schools and to elevate the prominence of chess by hosting national and international tournaments. The Seattle Chess Foundation believes that through chess they can instill in young people the confidence they need in order to set higher goals. Programs in areas including New York and Washington DC suggest that learning chess can help students both intellectually and socially, and the Seattle Chess Foundation hopes to make that process even more effective and widespread. The Seattle Chess Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit. All proceeds from these events will benefit the Foundation.
If you are interested in participating, volunteering, or attending any of these events, please email sarah@seattlechessevents.org or call the Seattle Chess Foundation information line at 425-882-9745. Also, for more information and periodic updates, please visit our Web site Seattle Chess Foundation
August 18
Vladimir Pafnutieff Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 K)
September 22
Howard Donnelly Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 K)
October 20
J.J. Dolan Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 K)
November 9-11
Carroll Capps Memorial (5 rounds)
December 1
Pierre Saint-Amant Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 k)