Karagianis' "The Struggle" Wins Best Story from Chess Journalists; ICA Site Named Best Of USCF State Affiliates

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Pete Karagianis wrote an amazing set of articles for the March 2016 edition of Chess Life, the US Chess monthly publication. "The Struggle" was a profound depiction of the sacrifices it takes to improve one's ratings and skills, and the vital role played by regional tournaments such as the Iowa Open.

The Bloomington-Normal area chess coach was rewarded for his efforts, not with rating points, but with the Chess Journalists of America's Award for Best Story of the Year... one of the top four prizes it selects annually.

The Chess Journalist awards were announced at the annual CJA meeting in Indianapolis on August 7, in conjunction with the US Open and the US Chess Delegates Meeting.

Karagianis -- while playing in the US Open -- also managed to cover the tournament for Chess Life Online and his write up appears here.

David Llada's memorable depiction of a prominent grandmaster's face buried in his hands while at the board (a familiar pose for many) was the cover art for "The Struggle" and it was awarded the prize for "Best Single Photo".

The Illinois Chess Association website was given top honors among all state US Chess affiliate websites. This editor would like to thank Bill Buklis (webmaster), Maret Thorpe (site design, advertising, calendar and Joomla support) and Tom Sprandel (database elements and technical support) for their contributions in shaping the site -- and keeping it running.

The Maine website was Illinois' chief competition and it was given an honorable mention. The Maine site had received top honors the two previous years in 2015 and 2014.

In addition to the top four awards which saw IM Jeremy Silman win "Best Column" for his piece "Why Do Grandmasters Blunder?" (appearing on Chess.com), honors were bestowed for Best Book (3 awards), Visual Arts (4 awards), Newspaper Media (two awards), News or Features (9 awards) and Electronic Media (3 awards).

NM Dan Heisman's "Is Your Move Safe?" was tabbed as the top Instructional Book for the year. It has been published by Mongoose Press. FM Charles Hertan's "Basic Chess Openings for Kids" received an honorable mention from the CJA.