Youth News
IESA Launching Major Middle School Chess Event in February
- Published on Tuesday, 16 November 2010 23:22
- Written by Jerry Neugarten
The Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) is launching what organizers believe will become a fixture on the Illinois youth chess calendar: an annual individual/team championship in "Board Swiss" format for middle school students in grades 5-8. The tournament, to be held February 18-19, 2011 in Bloomington, is the middle-school counterpart of the successful Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Team Chess Championship, attended annually by more than 1,000 students.
IESA has 773 member schools from throughout Illinois covering grades 5-8. Its Board of Directors added chess to their roster of athletics and activities in the summer of 2009. Since then, planning for the event has been the work of an Advisory Committee that includes Mike Zacate (USCF National Tournament director and instrumental in starting and continuing the Illinois High School Team Chess Tournament) and Garrett Scott (prominent in central Illinois scholastic chess for decades). The committee is led by IESA'S Associate Executive Director, Nicole Schaefbauer, who is in charge of the tournament.
Illinois Players Shine in New Jersey
- Published on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 16:45
- Written by Andi Rosen
Congratulations to four young players representing Chess Without Borders, who made a splash in New Jersey this weekend at the National Youth Action tournament, winning first place in K6 Blitz, and sixth place in the K6 main event.
Fourth-graders Akhil and Nikhil Kalghatgi and Jonathan Tan, and third-grader Ranadheer Tripuraneni made up the team. Chess Without Borders is the charitable arm of the Yury Shulman International Chess School in Barrington, which combines community service and philanthropic efforts with chess education.
Top Titled Players Endorse ICA’s Proposal for Chicago’s Public Schools
- Published on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 15:05
- Written by Jerry Neugarten
Seven of Illinois’ Grandmasters and International Masters wrote to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley on October 29 to ask him to support ICA’s July proposal to upgrade the chess program within CPS.
Entitled “Why Not Chicago?—A Proposal for a Free Program of Chess Instruction in Chicago’s Title 1 Schools,” the proposal, requested by a top administrator at CPS, outlines the research on how chess benefits kids and details how Chicago lags behind other major U.S. cities with respect to chess instruction in Title I schools. While programs elsewhere reach 60% to 100% of their Title 1 schools, Chicago’s current instructional programs reach only about 10%.
Chicago Poised to Shine at Illinois All-Grade
- Published on Thursday, 14 October 2010 21:15
- Written by Michael Cardinale
Whitney Young High School, the prestigious Chicago public high school that boasts First Lady Michelle Obama and Matrix creators Andy and Larry Wachowski among its many notable alumni, is set to host the 2010 Illinois All-Grade Championship on November 13th, 2010. The three organizers are Chess Education Partners, with a wealth of big tournament experience; Whitney Young, one of the state's top high school chess programs; and the Youth Chess Foundation of Chicago, a leader in organizing free scholastic tournaments. They have pulled out all the stops to ensure a successful tournament with some unique features.
2011 Denker Qualifier Information
- Published on Thursday, 16 September 2010 20:32
- Written by Andi Rosen
The llinois Denker High School Qualifier is an invitational tournament for the state's top high school players sponsored by the ICA Warren Junior Scholar program. The winner of the qualifier is becomes the state's high school champion, and goes on to represent Illinois at the U.S. Denker High School Tournament of champions, to be held in Orlando from July 30 to August 2.
Date: Saturday, March 26 to Monday, March 28
Location: North Shore Chess Center, 5500 W. Touhy Avenue, Skokie, IL
Format: Round robin or 5-round swiss, depending on number of players*
Time Control: G90 plus 30-second increment
Tournament Organizer/Director: North American Chess Association/Sevan Muradian
How Players are Chosen: All eligible players who achieved a peak rating of 2000 or more from games played between Feb. 1, 2010 and Jan. 31, 2011 will be invited. The top-scoring player in the ICCA individual championship tournament, to be held Feb. 5, 2011, who would not have otherwise have been invited will also receive an invitation. If fewer than six players accept their invitations, alternates will be invited in order of peak rating.