The Program-Tu's Photo

The 32^nd Annual CalChess Scholastics, April 27-29, 2007

by Alan M. Kirshner, Ph.D.

Frisco del Rosario, author of the acclaimed chess book A First Book of Morphy and who has been a tournament director at the CalChess State Scholastics for many years, said to me after the tournament that he felt this was the most successful one too date. While, after some thought, I decided from my perspective that the 2000, 25^th Anniversary CalChess Scholastics States, was the most successful. Certainly the 2007 competition comes in a close second. Almost everything went off like clockwork. The San Mateo Expo Center was children friendly and the weather was quite pleasant. We had a great volunteer staff—the largest ever. Nuzhath Quadri, the Volunteer Coordinator, did an amazing job seeing that everyone carried out their jobs as well as handling many other tasks to numerous to list. We had US Chess Federation licensed tournament directors from both ends of the Northern California State, from many of the major chess schools in the Bay Area with most not attached to any scholastic program or club. John Mc Cumiskey, an Associate National TD and soon to be a National TD, took charge of the officials. The results show that 1172 players played with over 1200 registering for the competition. Not the largest number of players we have had, but a very respectable turnout and the largest chess event of the year on the West Coast.

To many, the highlights of an event like this one are the tournament games. From my perspective, what made this event successful was seeing so many children having fun and making new friends. I loved looking out on the lawn and seeing a fair size group of players from Mendota playing touch football with their coaches out on the lawn. This team, via school bus, drove all the way here and back three plus hours on both Saturday and Sunday—right, they did not sleep over. Even the older “kids” from Berkeley High School got outside in the sun and played some baseball and Frisbee between rounds. Granted, when they wandered off towards the antique show area, they had to put their ball and gloves away at the orders of the Expo Center’s staff. And yes, no matter where I walked outside I saw children playing chess, bughouse and even that dastardly sack city—the game where the winner is the one who loses the most pieces.

High School State Champion Daniel Naroditsky.

By NM Michael Aigner

(Webmaster note) A larger story will follow in the next week.

Pins, skewers, forks and smothered mates were featured at the 32^nd Annual CalChess State Scholastic Championships held on April 28-29 at the San Mateo County Expo Center. A total of over 1100 players and an even larger number of parents, family members, coaches, directors and volunteers descended on the fairgrounds next to the Bay Meadows race track to play the royal game. Considering the size of the event, the tournament ran smoothly with most of the rounds beginning within minutes of the scheduled time. The winners in each of 11 sections ranging from Kindergarten to the incredibly difficult High School Varsity were awarded trophies with the title of State Champion.

The High School Varsity section made history for California and perhaps for the entire nation. In a field of two teenage masters and six experts, a fifth grader took the top honors at 5.5 out of 6. Of course, Daniel Naroditsky, ranked #1 in the nation for age 11, is already experienced to being first in chess. On the second day of the tournament, he faced three of the five players tied for second place: reigning National High School Champion Michael Zhong, Saratoga High School captain David Chock and finally National Master Sam Shankland. Perhaps this was Daniel’s first of maybe many more High School state championship trophies.