Bay Area Results from Elementary Nationals

A whopping 55 local youngsters, their parents and coaches flew to Atlanta for the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championship this weekend. The local delegation includes most of the Bay Area's elite elementary age players plus large teams from the two strong Fremont schools. I hope these kids can bring home a few national titles plus an assortment of trophies from many different sections! Go Bay Area!

Northern California Standings
(final results)
(click here for full results)

K-6

• Daniel Liu 6.0, NATIONAL CHAMPION!!! (4th on tiebreaks)
  
• Kevin Moy 5.0, 18th place (tied for 16th, beating three 1700s)
  
• Daniel Ho 5.0, 24th place (tied for 16th)
  

K-5

• Allan Beilin 6.5, NATIONAL CHAMPION!!! (clear 1st)
  
• Art Zhao 6.0, 4th place (tied for 2nd)
  
• Kesav Viswanadha 5.5, 8th place (tied for 7th)
  
• Jeffrey Tao 5.5, 16th place (tied for 7th)
• Armaan Kalyanpur 5.5, 17th place (tied for 7th)
  
• Alvin Kong 5.0, 31st place (tied for 19th)
  
• Cameron Wheeler 5.0, 33rd place (tied for 19th)
  

K-3

• FM Tanuj Vasudeva 6.0, 4th place (tied for 2nd, losing to top seed Roland Feng)
  
• Michael Wang 5.5, 13th place (tied for 9th, also losing against Roland Feng)
• Leyton Ho 5.5, 17th place (tied for 9th)
  
• Amit Sant 5.0, 24th place (tied for 19th)
  

K-1

• Solomon Ge 6.0, 6th place (tied for 3rd)
  
• John Chan 5.5, 18th place (tied for 12th)
  
• Luke Zhao 5.0, 33rd place (tied for 25th)
• Mihir Bhuptani 5.0, 38th place(tied for 25th)
  

Team Standings

• Weibel K-6 finished in THIRD PLACE!
  
• MSJE K-6 took 10th place
  
• MSJE K-5 took THIRD PLACE
  
• Weibel K-5 slipped to 17th place
• Weibel K-3 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! (2nd on tiebreaks)
  
• MSJE K-3 got 5th place
  
• MSJE K-1 took SECOND PLACE!!
  

If anyone who was in Atlanta took photos at the awards ceremony, pretty please with a cherry on top send me some pictures for my blog.

I'm a Perfect Square

(Yes, I do love strawberries!)

Thank you to all of my friends and fans who sent birthday wishes yesterday. I really appreciate the many friends that I have, ranging from my youngest elementary age students to chess veterans who began playing during the Fischer boom of the 1960s and early 1970s. Amazingly, I personally know at least six fans of the royal game who also were born on May 6, including two of my private students plus a resident of the East Bay's famed GM House (Jesse Kraai).

There's a lot going on in the world of chess this week. Foremost is the World Championship match between defending champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Veselin Topalov. The score is tied at 5.0 with two games remaining on Sunday and Tuesday, starting at 5:00am Pacific time. If they are still tied, then rapid and blitz playoffs are scheduled for Thursday. Let's go Vishy!!!

Back in the USA, the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championship began in Atlanta. The crowd of 2000+ participants includes 55 enthusiastic youngsters from Northern California. Many of the elite local players flew east, including: Daniel Liu (K-6), Kesav Viswanadha (K-5), FM Tanuj Vasudeva (K-3), Allan Beilin (K-5), Cameron Wheeler (K-5) and the severely underrated Michael Wang (K-3). A pair of Fremont schools are hunting for big team trophies: 2009 national champ Mission San Jose Elementary and crosstown punching bag Weibel Elementary both have over 15 kids. Click here for updated standings and pairings from Atlanta.

Finally, I hope to play in the Powell G/45 tournament tomorrow at the Mechanics' Institute. I expect to see many of my students. Will preteen terror NM Yian Liou win for the second month in a row? Can any of my lower rated kids scalp an expert or a master? And will I perform well enough to eek my USCF rating back above my lifetime floor of 2200. Wish us all good luck!

February Top 100 Lists

(Left: Yian Liou and Steven Zierk hard at work. Right: Daniel Liu and Jack Zhu pose for the camera.)




Congratulations to the 109 Northern California juniors who are nationally ranked on the February USCF Top 100 lists! We have witnessed a veritable explosion of talent--there were merely 87 ranked kids three years ago, a growth of 25%. Nine stars appear among the top 5, including three well-known #1's: FIDE Masters Tanuj Vasudeva and Daniel Naroditsky plus 9 year old candidate master Samuel Sevian.

Considering that the Bay Area still remains a technology hotspot for the country, it comes as no surprise to see so many of the nation's best young chess players at local tournaments. In fact, the participants of the recent Golden State Open included five #1 ranked juniors and another five at either #2 or #3 (the majority from the Bay Area). Frankly, the explosive growth of scholastic chess over the past decade suggests that the future of our country remains bright.

A few days ago, I uploaded the February CalChess Top 100 and CalChess Top 20 lists to my website. I counted 16 ranked juniors who gained at least 100 rating points in just the past two months. While most big gains came under 1200 (the formula makes it easier to gain points if you're lower rated), two of the most impressive performances were turned in by 12 year old Joshua Cao (1399 to 1665) and 16 year old Thadeus Frei (1790 to 1903). (Photo of Thadeus at right from Dana Mackenzie's interesting chess blog.)

Special kudos to the following nine Bay Area gold medalists for February! How many future Grandmasters or International Masters are there among this exclusive list?

GOLD MEDAL (top 5)
Arun Khemani (#4 age 6)
Rayan Taghizadeh (#3 age 7)
Tanuj Vasudeva (#1 age 8)
Samuel Sevian (#1 age 9)
NM Yian Liou (#2 age 12)
FM Daniel Naroditsky (#1 age 14)
NM Gregory Young (#2 age 14)
NM Steven Zierk (#3 age 16)
IM Sam Shankland (#2 age 18)

Players ranked in the top 10 and top 25 of the country also deserve a special recognition. The names shown in bold and italics are all current or former students of mine.

SILVER MEDAL (top 15)
Cameron Wheeler (#10 age 9)
Vignesh Panchanatham (#11 age 9)
Jack Zhu (#9 age 11)
Kyle Shin (#14 age 12)
NM Rohan Agarwal (#14 age 16)

BRONZE MEDAL (top 25) Leyton Ho, Michael Wang, Kesav Viswanadha, Allan Beilin, Daniel Liu, James Kwok, Taylor McCreary, Samyukta Bhat, Evan Sandberg, Michael Zhong, Adarsh Konda

CalChess Top 20 for Age U-12

(FM Tanuj on left and candidate master Sam on the right.)

If the Top 20 for Age 12-17 looked scary, then wait until you see the little kids! Three of the Top 20 for Age U-12 are rated over 1900 while another 11 are rated above 1600. Wow!!! Top rated Sam Sevian has a strong chance to become America's Youngest Master ever while FM Tanuj Vasudeva earned the silver medal at World Youth U-8 in Turkey last October. Don't forget to watch out for this quartet of rapidly improving juniors: Jack Zhu, Hunter Klotz-Burwell, Russell Bik and Udit Iyengar.

CalChess Top 20 for Age U-12
(February 2010 rating and points gained in last two months;
fpawn students are shown in bold)
Corrected February 1.

1. Sevian, Samuel (2123, +27, age 9)
2. Zhu, Jack (1999, +78, age 11
3. FM Vasudeva, Tanuj (1906, -20, age 8)
4. Viswanadha, Kesav (1784, +90, age 10)
5. Apte, Neel (1783, -17, age 11)
6. Wheeler, Cameron (1783, +8, age 9)
7. Panchanatham, Vignesh (1782, +24, age 9)
8. Beilin, Allan (1770, +52, age 10)
9. Ho, Daniel (1696, +87, age 11)
10. Chow, Colin (1666, -6, age 9)
11. Klotz-Burwell, Hunter (1660, +61, age 11)
12. Taghizadeh, Rayan (1608, +41, age 7)
13. Janarthanan, Naveen (1607, +27, age 11)
14. Tao, Jeffrey (1600, +49, age 9)
15. Yu, Leland (1598, -13, age 11)
16. Wang, Justin (1596, +92, age 11)
    
17. Yi, Richard (1581, -35, age 9)
18. Kalyanpur, Armaan (1580, -5, age 10)
19. Bik, Russell (1580, 115, age 9)
20. Iyengar, Udit (1579, +72, age 9)

Tanuj Smiles for Camera on CBS 5

Did you see 8 year old FM Tanuj Vasudeva on the CBS 5 Tuesday evening news? If not, click on the video image below to replay the story or read about the experience at his blog. Tanuj shows off his trophies, checkmates coach Ted Castro in blitz and talks about trips to distant lands. He even manages to smile for the camera! Gimme five Tanuj!

FIDE Master Tanuj Vasudeva, Youngest in USA!

Here is a kid who trots around the world with his father, having discovered the fountain of youth at the chessboard. He brought home medallions of gold and silver from his conquests in far away lands such as Argentina and Turkey. At home, he has become a veteran of adult tournaments, playing in them since his sixth birthday. While playing, he is a wizard who may checkmate before you know what hit you! His infectious smile brightens any room that he enters, earning attention from 500s and 2500s alike. He was ranked #1 in the nation for age 7 and currently checks in at #2 for age 8. Now he is #1 in the Americas and #2 in the World, both under age 8.

To those of us who know him well, his name is simply Tanuj. To everyone else, his name now comes with a set of initials: FM Tanuj Vasudeva. As in FIDE Master, a lifetime title in the World Chess Federation. By winning the Pan American Championship Under 8 in Argentina this summer, he automatically became the youngest FM in USCF history and currently the youngest in the world. Not skipping a beat, Tanuj followed up 9-0 at the Pan Am with an even more impressive silver medal at the World Youth Under 8 in Turkey. Thanks to his father Tarun for the photos from Turkey at left and right. Tanuj became the Bay Area's third medalist in as many years at World Youth, behind FM Danya Naroditsky (gold in Under 12 in 2007) and IM Sam Shankland (bronze in Under 18 in 2008).

• Name: Tanuj Vasudeva
• Title: FIDE Master
• Age: 8 years old
  
• Current ratings: 1913 USCF, unrated FIDE
  
• National ranking: #2 for age 8
  
• CalChess ranking: #4 for age U12
  
• First tournament: October 2006 (at barely 5 years old!)
  
• First established rating: 751 in January 2007
• First adult tournament: July 2007
  
• Last 12 months: gained 293 points in 108 rated games at 28 USCF tournaments
• Recent successes: Scored 9.0/9 (gold!) at Pan American Under 8 in Argentina (Aug 2009) and 8.5/11 (silver!) at World Youth Under 8 in Turkey (Nov 2009).
  
• Biggest scalps: NM Arthur Wang (Feb 2009) and 2175-rated Marek Jankowski (July 2009)
• Website/Blog: http://tanujchess.blogspot.com plus Photo Gallery
• Chess Life for Kids: Cover story "Mr. Perfect" (October 2009)
  
• In The News: NBC Bay Area (Nov 30, 2009)

Tanuj joins a rich tradition of young masters in the San Francisco Bay Area, dating back to 1995 when 10 year olds Jordy Mont-Reynaud and Vinay Bhat both broke the USCF's youngest master record in short succession. A year and a half ago, Nicholas Nip lowered the mark even further, cracking 2200 a month before his 10th birthday! At 8 1/2 years old, Tanuj has a shot at this hallowed record too. However, it seems likely that another talented Bay Area kid, Samuel Sevian, about half a year older and already rated 2123, might get there first! Stay tuned! Best of luck to Tanuj, Samuel and all of the other kids who aim for the stars.

For a sample of Tanuj's playing style, check out this ruthless attacking game from the final round of the World Youth. His opponent is Hamzah Amier of Malaysia.

Play chess online

Bay Area Well Represented on All-America Team!

(FM Naroditsky presents a lecture at left while Sevian calculates a position at right.)

According to this press release by the US Chess Federation, eight CalChess stars earned a spot on the 2010 All-America Chess Team sponsored by Trophies Plus! The requirements for this prestigious honor are quite strict: players must exceed a very high rating depending on their age (ranging from 1800 for age 8 & under to 2450 for age 18). Only 43 juniors made the team--an average of merely four per age group.

Kudos to the following CalChess kids! Readers of this blog are already familiar with the names, and now folks around the country will recognize them as well.

Bay Area juniors on All-America Team (age as of January 1).

• IM Sam Shankland (17)
• FM Steven Zierk (15)
• FM Daniel Naroditsky (13)
• NM Greg Young (13)
• NM Yian Liou (11)
• Samuel Sevian (8)
• Cameron Wheeler (8)
  
• Tanuj Vasudeva (7)

The All-America team highlights a fact that Bay Area coaches have known for several years: the local kids can compete with those from the scholastic hotbeds of New York and Texas! With eight All-Americans, CalChess narrowly edged New York and Texas, both with seven. No other state has more than four.

The Bay Area has become a prime breeding ground for the nation's elite kids, sharing the role that New York dominated for many years. Much of the credit goes to the Mechanics' Institute for fostering an environment that motivates kids. Regular tournaments offer the rising stars a chance to match wits with experienced adult masters and experts, while the San Francisco School of Chess hosts lectures by experienced Grandmasters from around the world. A final factor is that Silicon Valley kids tend to become comfortable with computers at a young age; I have watched kids as young as 5 and 6 playing chess on ICC!

GM Ian Rogers Teaches Top Kids at Mechanics Institute

(The elite chess class is hard at work! From left to right: GM Rogers with students Samuel, Greg, Yian, Kyle and Tanuj.)

Grandmaster Ian Rogers visited the Mechanics' Institute last weekend in conjunction with a meeting of the Ken Whyld Association of chess historians. Known as the strongest player ever from Australia, GM Rogers achieved a peak FIDE rating of 2618 in 1999 (about top 50 of the world back then). He faced many of the world's top players in the 1980s and 1990s, earning a draw as black versus Anatoly Karpov and swindling a checkmate against Viktor Kortchnoi!

On Sunday, October 11, GM Rogers (seated next to FM Naroditsky at right) took time from his busy schedule to tutor some of the Bay Area's elite juniors. The lecture carried on the inspiration of the San Francisco School of Chess, a program seeking to boost promising young chess players in Northern California both through interactions with GMs and IMs as well as their fellow juniors. Sunday's topic quickly caught the attention of the audience: the rapid improvement of teenager Magnus Carlsen to 2800 and beyond. The class delved deeply into Carlsen's openings and middlegames from the recent Nanjing tournament, with lengthy variations and occasional jokes flying around the room from all sides.

The group was small and intimate, yet highly competitive with five of six students ranked in the top three of the nation for their age! These kids no doubt comprise the present and future stars for the San Francisco Mechanics squad in the US Chess League. The team has a seemingly endless supply of underrated juniors for the next few seasons. If the kids keep improving like this, next year's team may field a GM plus three 2300+ rated juniors! (a.k.a. Panda and the three bamboo sprouts)

• FM Danya Naroditsky, 2378, #1 age 13 (Board 3)
  
• NM Greg Young, 2272, #2 age 14 (Alternate)
  
• NM Yian Liou, 2226, #2 age 12 (Board 4)
  
• Kyle Shin, 2088, #6 age 11
  
• Samuel Sevian, 2079, #1 age 8
  
• Tanuj Vasudeva, 1904, #3 age 8

Tanuj Captures Gold at Pan Am Under 8!

South America, you've just been Tanuj'ed! With the final round yet to be played tomorrow, Bay Area star Tanuj Vasudeva (1902 USCF) already clinched the gold medal for U-8 at the 20th Campeonato Panamericano de Ajedrez. After winning his first eight rounds, the only remaining question is whether he can complete a perfect 9-0 sweep. Even more impressively, several of his games have been miniatures (under 25 moves). Kudos to Tanuj on winning your first international tournament!

Update on Friday morning: Tanuj finished with an impressive 9-0 sweep!

(The photo at left from the official website shows our young hero practicing the classical Sicilian against an unidentified victim.)

For first-hand insight on this adventure to Mar Del Plata, Argentina (see photo of the beach at right) and the experience of playing chess in another country, check out the blogs by Tanuj and Girls U-10 gold medalist Simone Liao (1847 USCF) from Southern California. While the parents help out with the blog, they try to report from the perspective of their child.

The final round takes place on Friday morning, with the awards ceremony to follow. In addition to Tanuj and Simone, the 23 member American delegation has good chances to pick up more medals in Girls-8, Boys-10, Boys-12, Boys-14, Boys-16 and Girls-18.

Tanuj Juega en Mar Del Plata

CalChess star Tanuj Vasudeva traveled to Argentina to compete in the Pan American Youth Chess Festival. As the highest rated 7-year old (now age 8) earlier this year, he earned the right to represent the USA in Mar Del Plata. He faces some elite kids age 7 and 8 from throughout South America plus Mexico. Undoubtedly, none of the Latin American kids have the vast experience that Tanuj amassed over the past two years in Bay Area events!

So far, so good! Tanuj won his first three rounds, including today's showdown against a 1966 FIDE rated player from Colombia. Only two have 3-0, and Tanuj is paired versus a Mexican kid in a battle for the early lead. Go Tanuj!!

There are 23 kids in the American delegation, accompanied by their parents and four coaches. Other notable participants include Tommy He (3-0), Jarod Pamatmat, Arthur Shen (3-0), Victor Shen, Vincent Huang (3-0), Simone Liao, Alisa Melekhina and Courtney Jamison.

• Official website
• Chess Results website
  
• NEW!!! Tanuj Vasudeva's chess blog and Twitter page
  
• Simone Liao's chess blog (from Southern California)
• Reports on Chess Life Online: First, Second

Update on Wednesday afternoon: After three more wins against the top competition, Tanuj has 6-0 and a 1.5 point lead on the field. Thanks to awesome tiebreaks, he mathematically clinches the gold medal with 1.5 in the last three rounds.

Photos from Agoura Hills

The top row of players are Bay Area teens while the bottom row of youngsters are still in elementary school. Two things that they all have in common: love and talent for the game of chess. They all entered in the top three sections (Open, U2100 and U1900) at the Pacific Coast Open just for the challenge and experience.

• top row left to right: Evan Sandberg, Michael Zhong and Arthur Liou
• bottom row left to right: Tanuj Vasudeva, Samuel Sevian and Daniel Liu

Final standings of Pacific Coast Open:

• 5.5 GM Khachiyan
• 4.5 IM Matikozyan and IM Tate
• 4.0 IM Sevillano, NM Manukyan, NM Tanaka, NM Kudryavtsev and NM Y.Liou

Regretably, both Michael Zhong (U2100) and Tanuj Vasudeva (U1900) lost their last game to finish outside of the prizes. However, Arthur Liou (U2100) won his last three games to finish in the money at 4.5. He also hit the 2000 rating milestone to officially become an expert. Way to go dude!

Brief Update from Agoura Hills

(Playing on top board, Yian Liou concentrates against IM Edward Formanek)

More than a dozen Northern California players drove down to Agoura Hills (near Los Angeles) for the Pacific Coast Open. Four of my students and a carload of precocious Chesspunks have arrived, eager to snatch rating points from unsuspecting opponents. Their names are well known around the Bay Area, and soon our friends down south will know them too: Tanuj, Vignesh, Kesav, Allan, Armaan, Samuel, Evan and Yian.

Two stars have done especially well so far. 12-year old Yian Liou has an undefeated 3.0 out of 4 in the Open section for a performance rating around 2500! He crushed IM Edward Formanek in the first round and easily drew as black against NM Garush Manukyan (2357) in the fourth. If Yian plays well on Sunday, then he will become the Bay Area's latest preteen master! In the U1900 division, 8 year old Tanuj Vasudeva won his first three games and is tied for the lead at 3.5 out of 4. The kids keep getting younger and better!

Partial results after round 4:

• Open: IM Emory Tate 3.0, Yian Liou 3.0, NM Michael Aigner 2.5
  
• U2100: Michael Zhong 3.0, Arthur Liou 2.5
• U1900: Tanuj Vasudeva 3.5, Daniel Liu 2.5

Mid afternoon update: Yian Liou, Michael Zhong, Arthur Liou and Tanuj Vasudeva all won to put themselves in contention for money.

Fpawn Rolls Over Opponents in Sacramento

(Left: Fpawn holds the trophy and 1st place check. Right: Masters Koepcke and Lazetich battle on top board in the final round.)




The annual Sacramento Chess Championship on 4th of July weekend provides a leisurely opportunity to push pawns on a holiday weekend. Even the mild weather was enjoyable this year! The 72 player attendance was down nearly 20% from last year, but that did not decrease the competition in the top section. I was paired with three veteran masters and three talented youngsters who all may be over 2200 by next summer. At the end of three days, I finished at 5.0 out of 6 for undisputed 1st place. NM Zoran Lazetich, NM Richard Koepcke and 11 year old Kyle Shin (rated only 1956 officially) shared 2nd at 4.5, with Kyle earning the top prize for players under 2200.

As a scholastic coach, I focus attention on the many up and coming local juniors. Two earned 2250+ performances in their quests to become masters themselves! 12 year old Yian Liou (first photo at left) started out hot with a perfect score after three rounds, beating FM Kenan Zildzic. However, he lost twice to finish with a modest rating gain, leaving him 39 points short of his goal of 2200. Not to be outdone, 11 year old Kyle Shin (second photo at left) picked up the slack. After losing badly in the first round, he recovered to win four straight games, including a pivotal victory against Yian. Kyle was even tied for the lead going into the final round, but only was able to draw. With an impressive 2273 performance rating, Kyle gained 48 rating points to 2045, and he may be near 2100 when the ongoing Tuesday Night Marathon is rated next week!

Several other youngsters gained both experience and rating points in the Master/Expert section. Honorable mention goes to Roland Zhu (3.0 points, +14 rating) and 8 year old Tanuj Vasudeva (2.5 points, +26 rating). Kudos to everyone who fought hard!

On a personal note, I must mention how difficult it is to play a serious game against your own students. On one hand, I want the kids to do well and improve; on the other hand, I really hate to lose or even draw! Making matters worse, the kids know my favorite openings, forcing me to improvise. This led to disaster in round 2, when Yian beat me after a stupid blunder--I hung an undefended knight on c6 to a simple fork with Qd5 check. I reentered into the 2-day schedule and was determined to atone for my mistake; unfortunately for Kyle, he was first in line to play an angry fpawn. The fresh start worked out well for me, and luckily Kyle was able to bounce back from the loss.

The 48 player Reserve (under 2000) section saw stiff competition between the A players and the up-and-coming adult B players. With the elite juniors all playing up in the Master/Expert section, this was the opportunity for Sacramento resident Robert Russo (see photo at right) to dominate. By scoring 5.5 out of 6, Robert certainly earned his promotion to A player! Mathew Benson (rated only 1646 going in) and Michael Da-Cruz shared second place at 5.0. Amazingly, the only junior to win money in the Reserve section was Ted Xiao at 4.0--who won the "top junior" prize.

• Click for USCF rating report.
• Check out my photo album on Flickr.
  

A few readers have commented how rare it is to see a photo of me on this blog. It makes sense considering that I am usually behind the camera. After I won the final round in Sacramento, the tournament organizer John McCumiskey and some others insisted that I pose for the candid camera. Thanks to parent Jung Shin for taking the photo at the top of this article.

The Young and the Younger

(Tanuj at left prepares to write down IM Shipman's latest move.)

A total of 72 chess enthusiasts of all ages turned up for the Sacramento Championship on the 4th of July. The 25 player Master/Expert section features a competition between 5 masters and 11 nationally ranked juniors. After four rounds, 3 masters are tied for first at 3.5/4: NM Zoran Lazetich, NM Richard Koepcke and this writer, who took the reentry option. The top kids are just half a point behind at 3.0, both losing to one of the leaders. 12 year old Yian Liou already beat two masters while 11 year old Kyle Shin defeated a pair of experts. The final two rounds are scheduled for Sunday.

The exciting pairing that I hoped for in my blog post three days ago did indeed occur. The tournament's youngest player, 7 year old (edit: he turned 8 recently) Tanuj Vasudeva (1800), challenged the sly veteran 79 year old IM Walter Shipman (2209) in a battle for the ages. They traded into an endgame of queens, rooks and pawns that should have been drawn by best play. In the end, the young kid got greedy and took a poisoned pawn, allowing the more experienced master to deliver a mating attack. No doubt that's a lesson that the kid will now know.

Battle of Generations in Sactown This Weekend

(The young and the old! 7 year old Tanuj Vasudeva next to 79 years young IM Walter Shipman.)


The Sacramento Chess Championship is one of the stalwarts on the Northern California tournament calendar, occupying the 4th of July weekend since 2001. In an era when one-day G/45 or G/60 events have become the norm, it is a relief to still find long games (30/90, SD/60) against serious competition, directed by well-respected TD John McCumiskey. The relaxed atmosphere at the Best Western Expo Inn on Howe Avenue contributes to the fighting spirit seen on dozens of 8x8 boards.

The advance entry list sets the scene for two intriguing subplots in the Master/Expert section. It will be nationally ranked juniors against masters and kids under 10 versus seniors over 65. Both CalChess K-12 co-champions, Yian Liou and Evan Sandberg, will no doubt hunt for master scalps and rating points as they near 2200 themselves. Another exciting pairing could pit the nation's top 7 year old, Tanuj Vasudeva, against a legend dating back to the 50s and early 60s, 79 years young IM Walter Shipman.

It is not too late for procrastinators to enter. A total of 58 players have signed up by Thursday afternoon; some others intend to sign up at the door. Players may choose between the leisurely 3-day schedule or the more economic 2-day option with three G/60s on Saturday. I would not be surprised to see IM Ricardo DeGuzman, defending champion NM Daniel Schwarz (see photo at left) and another two or three masters show up on Saturday morning for the 2-day schedule.

The annual Cal Expo fireworks show is scheduled for Saturday (July 4) evening at 9:30, but I expect to see fireworks at the chess boards begin much sooner. Be there!

June Top 100 Lists

(Left: NM Rohan Agarwal and IM Sam Shankland. Center: FM Danya Naroditsky and NM Steven Zierk. Right: Vignesh Panchanatham and Cameron Wheeler.)

The USCF posted the June Top 100 lists, including all tournaments rated by May 1 and an age cutoff also on May 1. Please note that the CalChess Scholastics on May 2-3 did not make the cutoff and will be rated on the July rating supplement.

I also finally updated the CalChess Top 100 lists for the first time since last October. Sadly, nobody else appears willing to dedicate 2-3 hours every other month to maintain these rankings, leaving the dirty work to me. Gee thanks!

Nine Northern California players have earned my gold medal distinction for being ranked in the top 5 of the country for their age. Three kids are ranked #1 in June: Tanuj Vasudeva (1767 at age 7), Samuel Sevian (2003 at age 8) and the veteran FM Danya Naroditsky (2378 at age 13). Congratulations to these three stars and best of luck in pursuit of their goals (IM title for Danya, NM for Samuel and 1800 + 2000 for Tanuj). A fourth #1 would have been NM Nicholas Nip, but his USCF membership expired at the end of February and, regretably, his family and coaches apparently chose other activities.

The two highest rated high school students in the Bay Area, IM Sam Shankland and NM Steven Zierk, are both ranked #2 at their age. Two middle school students, NM Greg Young and CalChess K-12 champion Yian Liou, check in at #3. Finally, I would like to welcome National K-3 champion Cameron Wheeler and the "master gambiteer" NM Rohan Agarwal as they earn their first gold medals on my blog!

GOLD MEDAL (top 5)
Tanuj Vasudeva (#1 age 7)
Samuel Sevian (#1 age 8)
Cameron Wheeler (#5 age 8)
Yian Liou (#3 age 11)
FM Danya Naroditsky (#1 age 13)
NM Greg Young (#3 age 14)
NM Steven Zierk (#2 age 15)
NM Rohan Agarwal (#5 age 16)
IM Sam Shankland (#2 age 17)

Players ranked in the top 10 and top 25 of the country also deserve a special recognition. The names shown in bold and italics are all current or former students of mine.

SILVER MEDAL (top 10)
Rayan Taghizadeh (#7 age 6)
Arun Khemani (#9 age 6)
John Canessa (#10 age 7)
Kesav Viswanadha (#9 age 9)
Jack Zhu (#8 age 10)

BRONZE MEDAL (top 25)
Alisha Chawla, Jeffrey Tao, Allan Beilin, Vignesh Panchanatham, Armaan Kalyanpur, Neel Apte, Kyle Shin, Daniel Zheng, Jerome Sun, Daniel Liu, Hemang Jangle, Hayk Manvelyan, Adarsh Konda, Michael Zhong

Tanuj Wins Primary (1-3) Section

First grader Tanuj Vasudeva, the nation's top ranked six year old and National K-1 Co-Champion, won the 1-3 Varsity division of the CalChess Scholastics with an impressive 5.5/6 score. As the top seed, he beat the 2nd place finisher in round 2 and scored wins against two of his top three rated competitors in the final rounds. Afterwards, he proudly showed off his trophy, which was merely two inches shorter than he (see photo at left)! The Bay Area has many prodigies that we've come to know by their first name: Jordy, Vinay, Danya and Nicholas. Tanuj already has a head start to becoming the next star.

Let us not lose sight of the other talented players in the 1-3 division. The average rating of the top 10 trophy winners was over 1360! Many elite players began their chess career as a beginner; Joel Benjamin quintupled his 500 rating from 1st grade as moved up to Grandmaster. While Tanuj shows the most promise, maybe a future GM is named Armaan, Allan, Cameron, Aaron, Kesav, Vignesh, Darren, Alvin or Kevin. If names count for anything, then perhaps Chester has a leg up on everyone else.

Final Standings of 1-3 Varsity

1. 5.5 Tanuj Vasudeva (1577) -- 50 BayAreaChess.com Dollars
   
2. 5.0 Armaan Kalyanpur (1334)
3. 4.5 Allan Beilin (1538)
4. 4.5 Cameron Wheeler (1325)
   
5. 4.5 Aaron Chow (1354)
6. 4.5 Kesav Viswanadha (1494)
   
7. 4.5 Chester Lo (1233)
   
8. 4.0 Vignesh Panchanatham (1472)
   
9. 4.0 Kevin Tang (1231)
   
10. 4.0 Wolfgang Wehle (1084)
    

National K-1 Co-Champion Tanuj Vasudeva

Imagine that you sit at the board and your opponent barely is tall enough to see the pieces on the other side of the table. His rating over 1500 is a whopping 250 times his age, which must be some sort of record even for the scholastic hotbed known as the Bay Area. While most youngsters his age practice penmanship on large sheets of paper in school, he neatly records his moves in a chess scorebook. However, it is the smile that intimidates you (thanks to Mark Shelton of ChessDryad for the photo). How can you beat this 6 year old tactical monster? After 20 moves, he wins a pawn. Then a piece. You suddenly realize that you have just been Tanuj'ed!

Rated more than 200 points higher than any other kid his age in the country, Tanuj Vasudeva picked up his first national title today at the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championships in Pittsburgh. He won all seven of his games in the K-1 section against opponents from Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and New York. Tanuj shared the top honors with Roland Feng of Washington State, who also finished at 7-0. I predict, given his talent and love for chess, that this is the first of several national titles for Tanuj.

The honor roll of CalChess juniors to win or tie for first place in the annual USCF national scholastic championships each spring keeps increasing. Recent winners include Michael Zhong (2007 K-12), Gregory Young (2007 K-9), Rahul Desirazu (2006 K-5), Nicholas Nip (2006 K-3) and Daniel Naroditsky (2005 K-3).

Unfortunately, the other local kids who travelled east were not quite as successful. Kyle Shin came closest in the K-5 section, losing in the final round with a share of 1st place at stake. He still earned the 14th place trophy for 5.5/7. Alisha Chawla (K-1) and Armaan Kalyanpur (K-3) both finished with the respectable score of 4.5/7 while Allan Beilin (K-3) forgot to pack his chess brain for the flight. Click here for the USCF ratings report.

Every four years, the three spring nationals (High School, Junior High and Elementary) are held under one roof on the same weekend. SuperNationals IV is scheduled for April 3-5, 2009 at the vast Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. If there is a chess heaven, this may be it. I expect a decent sized delegation from Northern California to attend, including teams from Saratoga High, Mission San Jose Elementary and St. Mark's School. Mark your calendars now!

CalChess Scholastics - Primary

Can you say Tanuj? This section looks quite scary with the top four players all ranked in the top 20 of the nation for age 7&under or 8. We're looking at the future of the CalChess Scholastics right here. I'm just glad that I don't have to play in this section!

1	Vasudeva, Tanuj	1576	BUNKER
2	Viswanadha, Kesav	1512	LINCOL
3	Beilin, Allan	1490	NORTST
4	Panchanatham, Vig	1444	MURDOC
5	Chow, Aaron	1376	LAJOLL
6	Chow, Darren	1306	LAJOLL
7	Wheeler, Cameron	1280	REGNAR
8	Kong, Alvin	1240	MSJE
9	Tang, Kevin M	1216	CHERRY
10	Lo, Chester Elias	1209	WEIBEL

50 total players

Please check the official website for all of the entries. I will try to update this list when I have new information about who is playing and in what section.

Tanuj Leads at National Elementary Championships

First grader Tanuj Vasudeva leads a small delegation of CalChess members attending the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championships this weekend. The biggest annual USCF rated tournament in the country drew 2100 players and an even larger number of parents and coaches to Pittsburgh. The competitors range from unrateds to about a dozen class A players and even one expert, all in kindergarten through 6th grades.

After four rounds, Tanuj maintains a perfect score in the K-1 division. Rated 1545 after recent tournaments, he is by far the top seed in his section--although I'm not sure that ratings really mean much among players so young. Kyle Shin has 3.5 in the K-5 section. Three more local kids have 3.0 out of 4: Alisha Chawla (K-1), Allan Beilin (K-3) and Armaan Kalyanpur (K-3). Good luck to all of our local representatives!

Update on Sunday night: Tanuj won tonight and still leads with 5.0/5 in the K-1 section. Likewise, Kyle won and, thanks to draws on all of the top boards, he now shares first place with ten other players at 4.5/5 in the K-5 section. Unfortunately, Armaan drew while Allan and Alisha both lost, all to much lower rated opponents. This tournament is proving to be quite a challenge for these young kids. Good luck to all in Sunday's final two rounds!