Our Activities
Warren Scholars and Chicago Industrial Chess League Summer Match
- Written by Andi Rosen
Twelve Warren Scholars and twelve members of the Chicago Industrial Chess League braved flooded roads and horrendous traffic Saturday, July 24 to play a match at the Wheaton Public Library. Each Warren Scholar played one G90 game with a higher-rated CICL member, with an average rating difference of 143 points per board. Despite being outrated, the Warren Scholars came pretty close to snagging the match, winding up with 5.5 points to the CICL's 6.5 points.
GM Mesgen Amanov was on hand to provide game analysis afterwards, aided by Warren Scholar NM Eric Rosen, and CICL NM Steven Tennant (who also played Board 1 for CICL).
Warren Scholar Back-to-School Seminar
- Written by Andi Rosen
Chicago's Whitney Young High School and its chess coach Paul Kash played host to nineteen talented chess players who came from the city and suburbs to attend an intensive one-day training seminar with Grandmasters Dmitry Gurevich and Nikola Mitkov. The seminar was organized by the ICA Warren Junior Scholar program, whose mission is to provide instruction and support for the state's top youth chess players. Players at the all-day workshop ranged in age from 10 to 17, and in rating from 1500 to over 2200. Thanks to the instructors and to Mr. Kash for making the event a success. More photos can be found here.
Warren Scholars attend GM Seminar
- Written by Andi Rosen
About 25 talented chess players from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area are brimming with new knowledge after participating an intensive day of study on Sunday, Feb. 28, with three of Chicago's grandmasters.
The instructors included grandmasters Nikola Mitkov, Dmitry Gurevich and Mesgen Amanov, the state's second, third, and fourth ranked players respectively, who put together a day of lectures tailored to the students' needs. Students ranged in age from 6 to 17 and in rating from about 1150 to over 2200, and were divided by rating into three groups. The modest tuition fee covered about 60 percent of the cost for the day, and the ICA Warren Junior Program contributed the remainder.
NM Rosen Wins Denker, Xu wins Girls Invitational
- Written by Andi Rosen
Photos: Betsy Dynako
NM Eric Rosen and Penny Xu both emerged as winners in two prestigious events this weekend, Rosen in the Illinois high school Denker qualifier which wrapped up Monday and Xu in the state girls invitational which ended Sunday. Rosen, a sophomore at Niles North High School in Skokie, will go on to be the Illinois representative in the National Denker Tournament of High School Champions in Irvine, California this summer. Xu, a seventh grader from Champaign, would have been named the Illinois representative to the National Polgar invitational, but itʼs been announced that the tournament is being replaced this year by a five-day intensive training session, so she plans to attend both the Kasparov Girls Open in Columbus, Ohio next month and the National Girls Open in Irvine this summer.
Activity Overview
- Written by Andi Rosen
Our year-round activities include:
Recognition: Players who qualify as Warren Scholars are presented with awards at the annual elementary and high school state chess championships, and their school principals are notified of their accomplishment.
Matching funds for private instruction: When funds are available, Warren Scholars who indicate they have financial need are offered matching grants for private instruction with top-level masters and grandmasters. These awards pay half the cost of 12 hours of private instruction.
Subsidized Group Seminars: About twice a year, Warren Scholars are invited to participate in group workshops with top-level masters and grandmasters. These groups provide opportunity for intensive study and learning, and often have the feel of a graduate school seminar. In addition, they foster a sense of community among the players, and serve to motivate them to work harder. Past instructors have included GMs Mesgen Amanov, Dmitry Gurevich, Gregory Kaidanov, Nikola Mitkov, Alex Shabalov, Yury Shulman, and Alex Yermolinsky, and IM Jan van de Mortel. Click here for a short YouTube video of a Warren Scholar seminar.
Chess Camp Scholarships: For the second year in a row, the program is partnering with Yury Shulman's International Chess School to offer partial scholarships for 15 Warren Scholars to had attend the school's summer chess camp, whose instructors included some of the top chess players and teachers in the country.
High School Denker Qualifier Championship: The Warren Program provides all support and funding for the state Denker qualifier tournament, whose winner represents Illinois at the National Denker Tournament of State High School Champions, held each summer. The winner receives a $500 travel stipend to attend the national tournament, as well as $250 towards chess lessons. The runner-up receives $125 towards chess lessons.
Girls’ Invitational Championship: For the second year in a row, the Warren Program has provided all support and funding for a girls invitational championship event. The winner receives a $500 stipend to attend a girls national tournament, as well as $250 towards chess lessons. The runner-up receives $125 towards chess lessons.
Community Outreach: For the last four years, the ICA Warren Scholars have been invited to host a tent at the Taste of Chicago, where they offer informal instruction and drop-in chess play. Warren Scholar players are available to appear at other community events. For more information, contact
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Future Goals
- Written by Andi Rosen
In addition to providing adequate funding for all current activities, the program hopes to provide future funding for two initiatives:
- Establish a series of invitational events for Warren Scholars with a prize of travel to a top-level national or international competition.
- Create a fund to provide support for school chess clubs in underserved areas.
Bring the Warren Scholars to your Community Event
- Written by Andi Rosen
The Warren Scholars are also available to participate in other community events. They are a great attraction at neighborhood festivals, company picnics, business grand openings, or other special events. For information on how you can bring the Warren Scholars to your community event, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .