Mechanics' Institute ChessRoom Newsletter #60

1) World Youth Championships 
2) FIDE Knockout World Championship Pairings
3) Upcoming Events

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: THIS WEEKEND, THE MI WILL BE HOSTING THE ANNUAL
Carroll Capps Memorial
STARTING FRIDAY EVENING AT 6:30 PM

1) World Youth Championships

The World Youth Championships, held in Oropesa del Mar, Spain from October 20-November 2, went very well for American participants. Hikaru Nakamura won the silver medal in the Boys Under 14 Championship. This was the first medal that the US had won since 1996 when Vinay Bhat took the bronze in the Boys Under 12.

Other highlights of the event in Oropesa were Alisa Melekhina's fourth place finish in the Girl's Under 10 (She was tied for second going into the final round but lost her last game trying to win to get the silver) and ninth place finishes by Katie Pelletier in the Girls' Under 12, and Aaron Pixton in the Boys' Under 16. Aaron's result was good for a ten game International Master norm. This is his second IM norm. He made his first norm earlier this year at the World Open.

The competition was very strong. In the Boys Under 18, IMs Dimitry Schneider and Vinay Bhat were ranked around number 20 at approximately 2400 FIDE at the start of the event. There were several GMs and many IMs competing. Here are the final results for all the American players.

Note: There were approximately 900 players participating in the five age group categories for Boys and Girls.

Girls Under 10: 
Alisa Melekhina        8/11             4th out of 71 
Louisa Livshitz        7/11             = 9-17 (13th on tie-break out of 71) 

Boys Under 10 
Fabiano Caruana        6.5/11      = 17-27 (17th on tie-break out of 87) 
Michael Thaler         6.5/11      = 17-27 (24th on tie-break out of 87) 

Girls Under 12 
Katie Pelletier        7.5/9        = 5-10 (9th on tie-break out of 78) 

Boys Under 12 
Teddy Coleman          5/11            = 65-83 (66th on tie-break out of 117) 

Girls Under 14 
Laura Ross             6/11            = 24-30 (26th on tie-break out of 79) 

Boys Under 14          
Hikaru Nakamura        8.511        = 2-3 (second on tie-break out of 106) 
Ruixin Yang            6/11          = 31-44 (42 on tie-break out of 106) 

Girls Under 16          
Cindy Tsai             6.5/11        = 15-25 (20th on tie-break out of 76) 

Boys Under 16 
Aaron Pixton           7/11          = 9-20 (9th on tie-break out of 102) 

Girls Under 18 
Yelena Gorlin          6.5/11        = 11-16 (15th on tie-break out of 55) 

Boys Under 18 
Dimitry Schneider      7/11         = 11-16 (13th on tie-break out of 83) 
Vinay Bhat             6.5/11      = 17-26 (23rd on tie-break out of 83) 

Fabiano Caruana (GM Miron Sher) and Teddy Coleman (IM Greg Shahade) had private coaches. GM Joel Benjamin and IM John Donaldson coached the rest of the team.

2) Pairing for World Championship

Pairings for the first round of the FIDE World Knockout Championship, which starts in late November, were recently released. Pairings are not done by the normal Swiss System, but rather with number 1 playing number 128, number 2 versus number 127, and so forth. The Mechanics' Institute is being represented by its GM-in-Residence Alex Yermolinsky and his wife US Women's Champion Camilla Baginskaite.

Pairings for American players:

Men 
37 Dautov (GER) 2630           92 D. Gurevich (USA) 2550 
46 Tiviakov (HOL) 2618         83 Christianson (USA) 2570 
47 Milov (SWZ) 2614            82 Yermolinsky  (USA) 2571 
49 Pigusov 2613 (RUS)          80 A. Ivanov  (USA) 2573 
53 Kaidanov (USA) 2605         76 Shabalov (USA) 2574 
57 Gulko (USA) 2602            72 Vescovi (BRZ) 2581 
59 Baklan (RUS) 2594           70 Benjamin (USA) 2587 
64 Goldin (USA) 2594           65 Nielsen (DEN) 2593 

Women 
7 Ioseliani (GEO) 2497         58 Groberman (USA) 2105 
17 Kosteniuk (RUS) 2445        48 Shahade (USA) 2286 
21 Prudnikova (RUS) 2411       44 Baginskaite (USA) 2324 

3) Upcoming Tournaments

MI EVENTS (check the MI website at www.chessclub.org) for complete details.

October 30 to December 18
Kurt Bendit Tuesday Night Marathon

November 9-11
Carroll Capps Memorial (5 rounds)

December 1
Pierre Saint-Amant Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 k)

December 8-9
2nd Koltanowski Memorial Masters/Experts (4 rounds, open to 2000 and over)

January 25 - 27, 2002.
Bay Area Masters Spring Grand Prix I (*)
Prizes: 1st $1000 2nd $500 3rd $200
Based on 22 paid entries.
Site: Mechanics' Institute Chess Room, 57 Post St.
4th Floor, San Francisco, Ca. 94104
Dates: January 25, 26 and 27, 2002.
Schedule: 5 round Swiss
Open to players rated 2200 USCF and above (December 2001 rating list)
USCF and FIDE rated.
Time control: 30/90 + 30/1 + SD/15.
Rounds: Friday 1/25 at 5pm. Saturday 1/26 and Sunday 1/27 at 11 am and 5pm.
Entry fee: $100, if received by 1/22, $120 thereafter. GMs and IMs
free. On site registration 1/25 4-4:30pm.
Send entries to: Guillermo Rey, 435 Firecrest Ave, Pacifica, Ca. 94044.
Info: Guillermo at 650-355-0305 or reyg@ix.netcom.com
Organized by IM Guillermo Rey and directed by Mechanics' Institute Chess
Room staff.

* Two other similar tournaments will be held during the first half of the year as part of the Grand Prix. The player who scores the most total points in all three tournaments will receive an additional $300. Tournaments dates will be announced soon.( Before the end of 2001).

REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS

An American Classic & A Heritage Event
Nov. 22-25 or 23-25 GPP: 100 S. California
The 37th Annual American Open.
(US Championship Qualifier). 8SS, 40/2, SD/1. Furama LAX, 8601 Lincoln Bl, LA. Free parking. $40,000 b/400, 50% each prize gtd. Open: $4000-2000-1000-700-600-500. U2450/Unr $1000-500. U2300/Unr $800-400. U2200 $2600-1300-700. U2000, U1800 U1600 each: $3200-1600-800-400. U1400: $2200-1100-550, U1200 $1000-500. Unr: $350-200. Trophy 1st each section. EF: $119 by 11/20. +$20 at site,-$30 for Srs 65+ & Jrs U15. Unr: $39 adv, $49 at site. SCCF mem re ($12, $7.50 jrs U18), OSA. No checks at door. Reg: 4-day ends noon, Rds 12:30-7:30,12:30-7:30, 10:30-5,10-4:30. 3-day ends 11:30 Fri, 12:30-2:45-5-8 G/1, merges rd 5. Byes rds 1-6 w/adv. notice. HR: $84, 310-670-8111. Credit Card Ent/Info: 626-282-7412, 323 257-9839, randallhough@yahoo.com. Ent: American Open, Box 205, Monterey Park, CA 91754. NS. FIDE.

NOTE: THERE WILL BE A WBCA BLITZ TOURNAMENT AT THE AMERICAN OPEN ON NOVEMBER 21, STARTING AT 8:30 PM, REGISTRATION BY 8 PM, WITH $400 GUARANTEED. ENTRY FEE, $25 ($20 WBCA MEMBERS)

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