Congratulations to 36 talented youth chess players across the state who were named as ICA 2010 Warren Junior Chess Scholars.   The group of players includes 30 boys and 6 girls, ranging in age from 6 to 17.  For nine of the students, this is the first time they’ve received the honor, which has been given annually since 2006.  To qualify, the students needed to be among the top-ranked youth chess players for their age in the country.

Warren Scholars receive their awards at the 2010 K8 championshipMost of the eight high school students among this year’s Warren Scholars were present to receive special recognition for the honor at the awards ceremony of the Illinois high school team championships on February 13.  The 28 elementary students will receive their awards at the state K8 championships that will be held in St. Charles the weekend of March 13-14.  A letter is also being sent to each student’s school principal about this special achievement.

The ICA Warren Scholar program provides some funding for individual instruction, and arranges group instruction with high-level masters and grandmasters to further develop the players talents and help them be competitive on a national stage.  All 2010 Warren Scholars have been invited to participate in a special group seminar on Sunday, February 28 with Grandmasters Dmitry Gurevich, Nikola Mitkov and Mesgen Amanov.  The Warren Scholar program also sponsors two competitive invitational tournaments for the state’s top high school and top female players, and provides funding for the winners to travel to national competitions.

Congratulations go to:
(* denotes first-time recipient)

Age 7 and under:

Vincent Do, Rockford

David Tianjian Peng*, Northbrook

Jason Scott Daniels, Normal

David Wallach*, Lincolnshire

Age 8:
William Radak
Matthew Stevens, Burr Ridge
Jack Xiao, Lincolnshire
Jonathan Tan*, Mundelein
Chetan Reddy, Peoria
Michael K. Rhodes, Hinsdale

Age 9:
Zhaozhi Li, Wilmette
James Wei, Buffalo Grove
Alex Bian, Lincolnshire
Jack Curcio, Park Ridge
Anshul Adve, Champaign
Lorenzo Barbin*, Naperville

Age 10:
Conrad Oberhaus, Lincolnshire
Bryce McClanahan, Glenview
Ian Gilchrist, Marion

Age 11:
Zachary Holecek, Lincolnshire

Age 12:
Gavin McClanahan, Glenview

Age 13:
Sam Schmakel, Chicago

Age 14:
Tommy Ulrich*, Grayslake
Jonathan Kogen*, Deerfield

Age 15:
Matthew Wilber*, Buffalo Grove
Josh Dubin, Buffalo Grove

Age 16:
Eric Rosen, Skokie
Michael Auger, Chicago

Age 17:
Trevor Magness, Bolingbrook
Zach Kasiurak, Hoffman Estates


Girls Under 13:
Yue Xu, Champaign
Victoria Bian, Lincolnshire
Rachel Ulrich*, Grayslake
Shayna Provine*, Plainfield
Caeley Harihara, Chicago            

Girls under 16:
Sonya Vohra, Wilmette