AusJCL Application for Selection for 2011 International events (now closed)_Update on Selections

Dear All Australian Juniors and Chess Parents,

Two things:

1) Selection for World Junior Championships (U\20) Chennai, India (1-16 August)

Due to the deadline for submission of entry imposed by the organisers, a separate selection was conducted and the selections were as follows:

The players are listed in order of selection, the * indicates that this player is the primary selected player in that category (and whose name is also in bold).

World Junior Championships (U20) Girls
1.Emma Guo*
2.Savithri Narenthran
3.Miranda Webb Liddle

World Junior Championships (U20)
1.Moulthun Ly*
2.Junta Ikeda
3.Fedja Zulfic
4.Frank Lekkas

2) World Youth Championships (U\8 – U\18) Caldas Novas, Goias, Brazil (17 Nov–27 November)

The Panel of Selectors have decided in view of the date to delay selection until and after the release of the ACF ratings on 1st June. After the date the following will occur:

Prepare information for Selectors;
Send information to Selectors;
Selectors to revert with selections;
Compile selections;
Draft selection to AusJCL Council and Selectors for final approval;
Release of Final Selection (hopefully by end of June if not earlier).

Please note the following from the WYCC organisers (to allay the fears of Parents and Juniors about possible deadlines):

Deadline
Friday, 29 April 2011 14:02 administrator

Due to Some Continental and National Championship the deadline for Registration was extended from 25 of August till 25 of September (For Example the European Youth Championship will be held in Albena, Bulgaria form September 10 till September 21) [emphasis added]

Brooklyn Castle

Another story of chess as change agent, the catalyst, but one which is quite well-known (the school IS 318 in the USA) and is now a film. But yet again, it is the hunger in the children for change that is equally important.

The website is here and there is a promo:

http://brooklyncastle.com/see-the-film

Chess can change lives!

Watch the video and read the news article for the extended story. Chess can change lives but I think there must be hunger first of all, then chess can make a change.



http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mendota-chess-20110519,0,4978581,full.story

4th KL International Open Chess Championship 2011

For juniors (and parents) intending to have a bit of overseas chess experience without the expense of flying to Europe or South America, here is a tournament nearer to home: 4th KL International Open Chess Championship 2011.

The Kuala Lumpur Chess Association (KLCA) is pleased to be able to announce, once again with sponsorship from the Masterskill Education Group Berhad, the 4th KL International Open Chess Championship for the Raja Nazrin Shah Challenge Trophy from 4th-10th September 2011.

Held under the auspices of the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) at the superior 4 star Swiss Garden Hotel & Residences Kuala Lumpur located between Chinatown and the city's main Bukit Bintang shopping district, the KL Open will be registered with the World Chess Federation (FIDE) as an international title and rated tournament and so be played over 9 rounds using the FIDE Swiss System with the time control used the FIDE time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

We have increased the prize fund to RM 45,000 (approximately USD 15,000), restored the final day blitz event, and for the first time also included prizes for both women and juniors to recognise the huge support we have had from the fairer sex and young talent in previous editions.

Key information as follows:

Prize Fund

Open:
1st - RM 10,000; 2nd - RM 7,000; 3rd - RM 4,000; 4th - RM 2,500; 5th - RM 1,500
6th-10th - RM 1,000 each; 11th-20th - RM 500 each

Girls:
1st -1,500; 2nd - 1,000; 3rd - 500

Juniors:
U-16 - RM 1,000; U-12 – RM 500

Special Prizes:
3 x RM 500 Scholarships

Blitz:
1st - RM 1,000; 2nd - RM 700; 3rd - RM 400; 4th - RM 250; 5th – RM 150
6th-10th - RM 100 each; 11th-20th - RM 50 each

Entry Fees

GMs/>2500 No Entry Fee; IMs/>2400/WGMs RM 150; FMs/>2300/WIMs RM 300; >2200 RM 450; >2000 RM 600; >1800 RM 750; Others RM 900

Entries must be received in writing together with full payment of the applicable entry fee by 31st July 2011, after which a 50% penalty may apply. Participation of unrated players is at the discretion of the organisers who also reserve the right to refuse any entry without explanation.

For enquiries, please email the Tournament Director at peterlong@aol.asia.

Official blog is here for updates etc. Entry form can be found here.

2011 Asian Youth Chess Championship

The 2011 Asian Youth Chess Championship started on Saturday, 14th May 2011 in Subic, Philipines.

Australia is represented by two juniors, Savithri Narenthran from Victoria playing in the U14 Girls and Daniel Lapitan from Queensland playing in U12 Open.

It is a 9-round Swiss with the following schedule:

15th May 11:00 Technical Meeting
15:00 Opening Ceremony
1600-2000 Standard Chess Round 1
16th May 0930-1330 Standard Chess Round 2
1600-2000 Standard Chess Round 3
17th May 0930-1330 Standard Chess Round 4
1600-2000 Standard Chess Round 5
18th May Free Day Organized Tours
19th May 1600-2000 Standard Chess Round 6
20th May 0930-1330 Standard Chess Round 7
1600-2000 Standard Chess Round 8
21st May 0930-1330 Standard Chess Round 9
1600-1900 Blitz Chess 7 Rds
2000 Closing Ceremony

Time control is 90 minutes for the whole game with 30 second increments per move from move 1.

Their results can be followed here: http://chess-results.com/tnr49852.aspx?art=25&fedb=AUS&lan=1&flag=30&wi=1000.

Thus far two rounds have been played and they have either finished or still playing their 3rd round games even as I typed this.

Savithri has managed 0.5/2 losing in the first round whilst Daniel has managed 1/2, drawing two games. However he faces Tin JingYao from Singapore in 3rd round who is an experienced chessplayer.

2011 European Women Chess Championship

This is for all the Girlllzzzz! Look and eat your heart out! See a shooting star and make a wish that you can be there to play chess!!!

The 2011 European Women Chess Championship is presently happening over on the other side of the world in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It runs from the 7th to the 18th May.

The event is open to any female player registered with a federation that is part of the European Chess Union. It is a swiss system with eleven rounds played at 40 moves in 90 minutes followed by 30 KO, with a 30-second increment as of the first move. The top fourteen players will also qualify for the World Cup.

The official website is here, filled with goodies to watch, live games over 26 boards, photos as well as live video feed of the playing hall. BTW, the playing arena is fantastic seeing as the event is held in Tbilisi Sheraton! Check it out!

After Round 4, GM Viktorija Cmilyte is in sole lead with 4/4 with many others either o.5 point or one full point behind. It is still early days. Some favourites are suffering, eg, GM Tatiana Kosintseva (2.5/4 (+1 =3) 33rd placing), GM Nana Dzagnidze (2.5/4 (+1 =3)34th placing, Alexandra Kosteniuk 2.5/4 (+1 =3) 44th placing. Tatiana's sister, Nadezhda who is top seed, lost the critical 3rd Round to Viktorija.

I am cheering on GM Kateryna Lahno (7th placed 3/4 (+2 =2)who is 2010 World Woman Blitz Champion and former European Individual Women's Champion (2005 and 2008). Also, in her younger teenage years, she was touted as the next Judit Polgar (see here) and together with fellow teenager, world's youngest ever grandmaster, Sergey Karjakin (16 days younger), were Ukraine top juniors. Sergey is now playing for Russia. Katryna is married to French GM Robert Fontaine, who nowadays, does a lot of reporting for Europe Echecs. In fact, I am including below the daily video reports which Robert has made for your viewing. Why am I cheering for Kateryna? Well, she plays the Worrall Attack! 'nuff said!

Games are available here for replay. (If I see any game analysis, I will post it.)

Round 1


Round =2


Round 3


Round 4

Do You Have What It Takes To be an IM or GM?

IMs and GMs speak about chess, being a chess player, the nerves and stress (remember that our very own GM Ian Rogers retired because chess became "hazardous" to his health!! and a few chess players has collapsed from heart attack at the board including GM Vladimir Bagirov who died!!), the aesthetic beauty of chess, the humanity of chess, the intuition and the zone (as explained by an expatriate Aussie), chess as simulacrum of life, the rise of the silicon Frankenstein, and learning to cope with losses.

Watch and enjoy; see if you can also spot the Australians (Is that Shaun Press?) Can you identify the interviewees (a younger Levon Aronian?)? Is there a weaker sex in chess?

Chess Me Out - talk on board
by nulli versi

Chess Me Out - talk on board from nulli versi on Vimeo.

Chess Me Out - talk on board -
a 43' documentary about chess

12 professional chess players talk about their job. From the childhood to the feelings on board during the game, we listen to their thoughts mixed in 12 different chapters. This documentary tries to show a portrait of this amazing game called Chess.

12 giocatori di scacchi professionisti parlano della loro professione. Dagli inizi fino alle sensazioni durante un incontro, sentiremo i loro pensieri intrecciati in 12 differenti capitoli. Questo documentario vuole tracciare un ritratto di quel complesso gioco che è gli Scacchi.

Technical Info CHESS ME OUT - 4:3 - pal - 2006/2007 - 43 min - starring ENNIO ARLANDI, LEVON ARONIAN, FABIO BRUNO, MARTHA FIERRO, DANIELE GENOCCHIO, MICHELE GODENA, RUSUDAN GOLETIANI, ANATOLIJ KARPOV, ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK, ELIZABETH PAETHZ, MARK QUINN, ALEX WHOL - produced NULLIVERSI cr2- written, edited & directed DAVIDE FASOLO

IM Bryan Smith Speaks (heartbreak and despair and ...... hope) .......

This series of amazing articles written by US IM Bryan Smith came via a post by Dana Mackenzie's blog. I thought the story is really relevant as we have a group of recently ex-juniors heading overseas to hunt down their various IM and GM norms.

I won't excerpt anything (and if you want a precis and background, read Dana's blog here). But you need to read Bryan's story as it unfolds:

Part 1 here;
Part 2 here; and
Part 3 here.

Hopefully there is a Part 4 and more to follow.

PS, I have to admit that this is a much more beautiful story to read than GM-elect Sam Shankland's spitting the dummy last year. Much much better!

AusJCL Application for Selection for 2011 International events (now closed)

Dear All Australian Juniors and Chess Parents,

I have received the following applications from juniors for the honour to represent Australia in 2011 International chess tournaments (second group of events),

1-16 August World Junior Championships (U\20) Chennai, India

12-23 August FISU University Olympiad Shenzen, China

23 October - 1 November World U/16 Olympiad Sanliurfa, Turkey

17 Nov – 27 November World Youth Championships (U\8 – U\18)
Caldas Novas, Goias, Brazil.

If I have made any mistake inadvertently, please email me to rectify. Application is now closed as the deadline was the 2nd May 2011.

1-16 August World Junior Championships (U\20) Chennai, India

World Junior Championships (U20) Girls
Emma Guo
Savithri Narenthran
Miranda Webb Liddle

World Junior Championships (U20)
Junta Ikeda
Frank Lekkas
Moulthun Ly
Fedja Zulfic

17 Nov – 27 November World Youth Championships (U\8 – U\18)
Caldas Novas, Goias, Brazil

World Youth Chess U8
Kevin Willathgamuwa

World Youth Chess U10
Glen Qi
Rowan Willathgamuwa

World Youth Chess U12
Daniel Lapitan
Jamie-Lee Guo
Karl Zelesco

World Youth Chess U14 Girls
Clarise Koh
Savithri Narenthran

World Youth Chess U14
Ari Dale
Cedric Koh
Andrew Pan
Justin Tan
Karl Zelesco

World Youth Chess U16 Girls
Abbie Kanagarajah
Savithri Narenthran
Leteisha Simmonds

World Youth Chess U16
Ari Dale
Justin Tan
Karl Zelesco

World Youth Chess U18 Girls
Emma Guo
Miranda Webb Liddle
Sally Yu

World Youth Chess U18
Ari Dale
Justin Tan
Karl Zelesco

Schedule of Steps to be Taken:
Prepare information for Selectors;
Send inforamtion to Selectors;
Selectors to revert with selections;
Compile selections;
Draft selection to AusJCL Council and Selectors for final approval;
Release of Final Selection (hopefully by end of May).

No email or queries prior to end of May will be entertained.