Youth News
300-plus Compete at Lane Tech YCFC Tournament
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Published: 17 November 2016 17 November 2016
310 junior players representing 45 teams competed at the initial Youth Chess Foundation of Chicago (YCFC) tournament of the 2016-2017 school year.
The five-round event was conducted at Lane Tech College Prep High School on the northside of Chicago November 12.
In true democratic fashion all five sections were won by different teams!
Andy Cao of Skinner North was the victor in the Novice K-2 section with a perfect 5-for-5.
Decatur "edged" Edgebrook 13.0 to 12.5 to win the top team trophy in the K-2.
50 Illinois Youth in November US Top 100's including Seven Masters and A Whopping 19 Experts
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Published: 17 November 2016 17 November 2016
Led by 16-year old George Li and 13-year old David Peng, Illinois boasts seven junior USCF Masters as of the November 2016 published ratings. 12-year old Aydin Turgut, along with Jacob Furfine, Alex Bian, Spencer Lehmann, Jonathan Hrach fill out the magnificent seven.
Seven is also the magic number for 13-year olds and 16-year olds in the top 100 (whereas one might expect only four based on population). Our class of 15-year olds goes one better with eight, led by Furfine.
New names in the top 100's this month include 7-year olds Michael Li and Liam Murray who have both broken the 1000-mark.
400-plus Play at Naperville All-Grade State Championship
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Published: 06 November 2016 06 November 2016
For the first time in six years, the Illinois All-Grade state championship attracted over 400 players. 404 played in the November 5 event at Naperville North High School. Jeff DiOrio, the Huskie chess team and Coach DiOrio's Elite Chess were awarded the right to the event after a call for bids from the Illinois Chess Association.
Pre-event ratings were not always predictive of outcome but some familiar faces did return the winner's circle.
After competing last year as a Pre-K (and placing third), Hudson Lutfiyya won the Kindergarten state championship with a perfect 5.0/5 score. Along the way he had to face his younger brother Ren who managed to place third. Four-year-old Ren took it in stride.
Illinois Now Boasts Eight Junior Masters: Oct '16 Top 100's
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Published: 24 October 2016 24 October 2016
50 Illinois youth find themselves in the top 100's nationwide by age group, three of whom are in the top five. Dimitar Mardov and Aydin Turgut are both ranked fifth, David Peng is third.
Four more are in the top 10: Aren Emrikian, George Li, Arthur Xu and Jacob Furfine.
Illinois' list includes two pairs of brothers and four females. Illinois' impressive junior roster includes an amazing eight Masters and 18 Experts.
With 20% more combined population than our state, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin have only three junior Masters and seven Experts. See table after Illinois' top 100's.
See the impressive October list below:
2016 IL All-Grade Advance Registrations Surpass '15
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Published: 24 October 2016 24 October 2016
[Updated] November 5th is still a week away and already registrations have surpassed the numbers from its predecessor.
The Naperville North High School site in the western suburbs of Chicago promises easy access for many schools making this a wonderful team-building exercise -- and test of skills -- for many clubs just getting started during the 2016-2017 school year.
Already, advance registration for 1st Grade, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 8th Grade sections have eclipsed the entries seen in Peoria in 2015. There are 39 high school entrants already versus 11 in 2015.
Defending champions who have already signed up include Aidan Carey, William Cahill, Nicholas Ladan and Ishaar Ganesan.