Across the Board / Message from the USCF President
American Chess Continues to Grow
The following is adapted from remarks given to kickoff the board meeting held in St. Louis during the U.S. Championships.
Welcome to the Spring 2013 board meeting. We are happy to be in St. Louis once again coinciding with the exciting conclusions to the U.S. Championships. The USCF is delighted that the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis continues to sponsor and hold our premier championship events. This is the fifth consecutive year that the nation’s top players have come to Missouri to compete in the national championships. Recently, in recognition of just how important the St. Louis chess scene has become to our chess activities, the U.S. Congress paid tribute to St. Louis’ efforts by naming it as the nation’s chess capital.
With all of the fantastic talent in the U.S. Championships, it is notable that the youngest-ever competitor played this year, 12- year-old FM Sam Sevian. But he’s not the only young player garnering notice: Congratulations to Awonder Liang, who at the tender age of nine became the youngest master in U.S. history during the Midwest Open Chess Festival in March by the slim margin of only 10 days (nine years, 11 months, and 24 days versus nine years, 11 months, and 14 days). The previous title holder was none other than Sam Sevian himself.
Anupama Rajendra, age 12, continued her roll, making history this year by winning the Under 20 section at the All-Girls Nationals in Chicago. You may recall that last year Anupama became the youngest girl to win the event when she was 11. The All-Girls Nationals broke attendance records again this year as 283 girls competed for the title in the Windy City (see Chess Life’s photo essay from this event beginning on page 26).
I’d like to take a minute to recognize our top talents and acknowledge their standing on the world stage. As of the May 2013 FIDE rating list (Top 100 list), U.S. players include:
THE USCF MISSION
USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. USCF promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, but also as a means for the improvement of society. It informs, educates, and fosters the development of players (professional and amateur) and potential players. It encourages the development of a network of institutions devoted to enhancing the growth of chess, from local clubs to state and regional associations, and it promotes chess in American society. To these ends, USCF offers a monthly
magazine, as well as targeted publications to its members and others. It supervises the organization of the U.S. Chess Championship, an open tournament held every summer, and other national events. It offers a wide range of books and services to its members and others at prices consistent with the benefits of its members. USCF serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and as a participant in international chess organizations and projects. It is structured to ensure effective democratic procedures in accord with its bylaws and laws of the state of Illinois.
www.uschess.org 11
#7 Hikaru Nakamura 2775 #18 Gata Kamsky 2741 #70 Timur Gareev 2674 #78 Alex Onishuk 2666
On the FIDE Top 100 Women’s list at #28 is Irina Krush 2470 and #31 Anna Zatonskih 2466. The Top 100 Junior’s list includes #11 Ray Robson 2620, #40 Conrad Holt 2513, #54 Darwin Yang 2485, and #55 Steven Zierk 2485. Alena Kats is #90 on the Top 100 Girl’s list at 2144.
We are looking forward as the USCF comes off of the record- breaking SuperNationals tournament. With 5,335 participants, our SuperNationals was the largest rated chess tournament in history. Thank you to Pat Smith, USCF’s Chief Operation Officer and Director of National Events, and the USCF staff for their hard work in so successfully producing this historic event. With the SuperNationals as a backdrop it is easy to understand why USCF again had membership growth during the first quarter. Going into the summer season we will need to mind the cash flow since our revenues are seasonal, and the summer months are usually our slow months.
Speaking of the summer months, I hope to see you at the U.S. Open in Madison, Wisconsin from July 27-August 4. I will of course be playing in the U.S. Open and hope to manage to take only one bye since I also will be participating in committee meetings, the annual delegates meeting and executive board meetings. I am looking forward to productive discussions with executive board members, USCF staff and others who join us in Madison.
In the coming year, the board will be seeking to keep the organi- zation on track financially, while at the same time working to grow organized chess in America.
By USCF PRESIDENT RUTH HARING
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76