Bay Area Chess Players of the Month
October 2009
Chinguun Bayaraa is a giant or so you would expect when you look at the determination with which he plays the game. He is a giant in chess and his achievements are a harbinger of a great future. However, he is 3 years old diminutive chess player who has to stand on his chair to get a good view of the chess board.
Chinguun most interesting game came in Walnut Creek when a unknowing District Manager from Taco Bell played and lost a friendly game with Chinguun. He was embarrassed by the result but also impressed by the quality of Bay Area players.
Chinguun is now a regular in Bay Area Chess tournaments. He also played in the Grade Level and Class Level State Championships and gained rating points in both.
Chinguun has become the youngest player to play in a Bay Area Chess tournament and is likely the highest rated three-year-old in the nation. And, he has earned that!
Chinguun is coached by his father Chinguun Bayaraa who won the CalChess Class Championship for his Class in 2004 in a section that included National Master Rohan Agarwal and Expert Alan Naroditsky, He has also taken shots at World Open and North American Open.
There is no question that Chinguun deserves the honor of the player of the month. The only question that remains is if Bay Area Chess should change its name to Bayaraa Chess?
September 2009
September's honors are shared between James Wang and
Yousef Azhar for two different reasons.
James was the lowest rated player in his section on September 13th but that did not stop him from dominating the field with 5 wins and 1 draw in 6 games. His draw did not come until the 5th round.
He topped in his section and gained 321 rating points.
James started playing tournament chess in February 2009 at Kirshner Vinerts Azhar Age Level Championship and had played only three tournaments entering the Bay Area Chess Champions 93. He lives in Fremont's 94539 zip code which is famous for great chess players and amazing programs like Mission San Jose and Weibel Elementary.
Yousef Azhar wanted to go home after he got hammered in a different section of the same event that James Wang dominated on September 13th. However, he decided to play for redemption and redeemed himself going 3-0 in the quads later the same day and gaining back over 100 rating points.
Yousef also gets recognition for all his help in setting up the facilities for the tournament and volunteering as a TD when he is not playing. He has help direct 66 sections in 30 events when this was written.
Yousef and James are the same age and some people say they look the same as well. For their accomplishments and achievements, Bay Area Chess congratulates both James and Yousef for earning the Player Of The Month Award.
August 2009
Joe Emole started out playing chess at Central Junior High in Steger, IL. There was no coaching or lessons. It was just a some strong players playing two hours a day after school. In his seventh grade, four of them posted initial ratings over 1400. Joe won almost all of his unrated match games in eighth grade, finishing 8-0 in the Chicago south suburban team championship and finishing first in 8th grade at the state tournament with a score of 5.5-1.5.
That summer Joe moved to California to live with his father and attend high school. His high school had no chess program and playing tournaments became exceedingly difficult. So he quit for three years. I went back to Chicago for his senior year of high school, where I went 31-1 in school play and tied for second in the 1996 High School State title.
After that Joe started college and played only one rated game in 8 years until he discovered Santana Row in 2004, where I've had the chance to play against such fine players as Mike Splane, George Mandrusov and Bob Sferra.
Joe decided to return to chess this year at Bay Area Chess $uperSwiss, he knew his rating of 1518 did not reflect his strength because he had become stronger by playing against strong players. He walked into started slowly by going undefeated in class C in your class tournament, and then I took 3rd place in the July tournament before finishing 6th overall in the Kolty Open. This year I am 13-4-4 in tournament play, and my rating has gone up to 1767. In my last 9 games, all against players rated 1635 and above, I am 7-1-1, with my only loss coming to Samuel Sevian. I think my goal of reaching 2200 in the next 2 years is attainable and I have to thank the Kolty Club and Bay Area Chess for making it convenient and possible for me to attack that goal.
June 2009
International Master Emory Tate takes the game to his opponent with the elegance of an artist, the wizardry of a magician, and a execution of a surgeon.
Emory Tate is globally known as one of the most enigmatic chess players for his clinical execution of so many grandmasters, lucid coaching sessions, and brilliant analysis sessions.
IM Emory Tate's every move is a threat and the best hope for his opponent is that the threat is not well-disguised. Bay Area Chess is honored to have someone of his caliber to walk our halls.
On June 27, 2009, IM Tate did a little more than walking. He took the field exhausted from a long week ordeal and achieved a performance rating of 2638, one of the highest performance rating achieved in any tournament by anyone in California and perhaps the clear highest in a dual-rated tournament. For that feat and for total and utter domination of the open field, with a smile, International International Emory Tate is Bay Area Chess Player of the month.
May 2009
Hunter Klotz-Burwell gets the award not just for gaining nearly 200 rating point in the California Chess State Scholastic Championship, but the class with which he did it. In his second round, he had a clear win against a player rated more than 500 points higher than him. However, the win would have been due to his opponent running out of time in a position which would have likely ended in a draw if his opponent was not in time trouble, So, Hunter did something that oozed class - he offered his opponent and draw because he did not want to win on time.
Hunter finished the tournament tied for 5th position after winning the last two rounds against opponents rated much higher than him.
Bay Area Chess Player of the Month award is generally given based on a player based on his/her class of play. However, this time it is based on the class of the player and his play.
April 2009
Daniel Steiner is silent as the wind but quietly he has been raising his game to new levels. He won all his games and the B/C/D section at the Bay Area Chess 79 (Open).
Daniel has also been a tournament director and a dedicated volunteer for Bay Area Chess tournaments. He arrives early to help set up everything and helps direct between his games. He has directed 39 sections at 19 events in about one year.
For his all round skills and contributions, Daniel earns April's player of the month award.
March 2009
Arjoe Barros Loanzon came, he saw, and he conquered! And, he is back as player of the month. Arjoe becomes the first player to win the Bay Area Chess player of the month twice! Why? The United States Chess Federation tells Arjoe:
"I see you have a master rating and it is now established. It will take us a couple of weeks to get out the certificate but you should have one after the middle of April."
Bay Area Chess Player of the Month award is generally not given twice but it is highly unusual when one of our players wins the National Master (NM) title.
NM Arjoe remains the highest or Richter scale for longest non-losing streak. However, he remains humble through his fame and success. He is always wiling to stop and give advice to the beginners or set up Bishop-Queen mate-in-three that baffles the other Masters.
February 2009
Samuel Sevian is our latest expert. An eight-year-old at school and school is now rated over 2000 on the chess board. Samuel won that distinction by defeating a player rated 1940 in a bishop-pawn endgame that ended under time pressure.
Samuel started his chess career about 2 1/2 years ago in Orlando, Florida in an uneventful small scholastic tournament with 19 players. He won 2 out of 5 games. He played in Southern California over the summer of 2008 before becoming a regular star at Bay Area Chess in August 2008.
During the last two years, Samuel's rating has grown steadily with almost every tournament as he has tamed players with increasingly higher chess ability.
Samuel is now #2 in US Chess Federation's National Age 8 category and top in California.
We wish Samuel a long and successful career and await him reaching out for National Master title with his matchless tournament play.
January 2009
Arjoe Barros Loanzon came, he saw, and he conquered!
Arjoe started in 12/20 with 4-0 record and then returned in January to repeat another 4-0 performance. He is yet to lose or draw a game at a Bay Area Chess event!
Arjoe's record outside Bay Area Chess is equally impressive including draw against IM Ricardo De Guzman and wins against numerous others.
In his work life, Arjoe knows electrons like he knows pawns and is an Electronics Engineer with international experience. He is taking some time off work to play chess and volunteer as a coach at Bay Area Chess. He is easily one of the most versatile coaches and he finds himself equally comfortable with Kindergartners and advanced adults. He plans on starting his search for paid positions in March but is committed to contributing to the local chess community.
Some of you may remember Richter scale a standard set by Paul Richter. Now, be ready for Arjoe to establish the Loanzon scale, the number of games before the first loss.
December 2008
The Vendrow brothers are three brothers from Redwood City who are Bay Area Chess regulars. David Vendrow is ten years old while Edward Vendrow and Joshua Vendrow are twin eight year olds. All three of them attend Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School.
Edward has won back to back first place in the Booster section of the December 2008 and January 2009 Bay Area Chess tournaments. In the December Bay Area Chess tournament Edward gained about 300 rating points.
Joshua tied for second place in the same section. Together the two brothers won the first the first place team trophy in the Booster section of the December tournament. Previously, Edward and Joshua, along with their brother David, have earned three first place team trophies as well as numerous other team trophies for their school.
David Vendrow tied for fourth place in the Champ section and also took home a trophy. Together, the three brothers took four trophies home. And, I think taking home more trophies than the number of players in the family should earn the players the right to be called the Bay Area Chess players of the month
November 2008
It is not easy being a highest rated player who is expected to win every time. Regardless of how easy a master class player may make it look, each game has to be won on the board against players who would love to boast to their friends on how they toasted you at Bay Area Chess tournament. To honor him and all masters, this month's Player the month goes to IM Ricardo De Guzman.
The month's award would not being complete without adding Julian Lin to the recipients. Julian also won all his games in the C/D section to capture a perfect score. The Julian Lin who came to his first tournament in June's Bay Area Chess tournament, has also proven himself to be an exceptional chess player.
In honor of their perfect scores, this month's player of the month award is shared between IM Ricardo De Guzman and Julian Lin.
October 2008
A family that plays chess together, stays close together. That is what Hui family knows and practices.
This is the second tournament reunion in October for them and a great one as three of the four Huis won the top place in their section. Ken Hui and Kyle Hui tied for top position with 3.5/4.0 in the Star (1400-1699 section). Kevin Hui won the Elite section with a perfect score. Little Kory Hui tied for 9th position gaining 58 rating points.
I am fascinated by the father-son rating point rivalries including the one between Ken and Kevin. Reminds me of healthy rivalry between the Azhars, Garbes, and Kalyanpurs... I say reminds because the sons are outpacing the dads.
Daniel Zheng and Armete Mobin also deserve special mention as they narrowly missed the award. Daniel put together another perfect tournament to match the last one and Armete scored 3.5/4.0 to tie for first in her section.
September 2008
Daniel Zheng won all his games in the open section to dominate the open section in Bay Area Chess 50. Before that he won CalChess State Championship's Section A as well as the top B player in Kolty Championship.
When his opponents zig, Daniel zhengs. On October 4th, Daniel zhenged four times in a row. After the third round, with one round to go, he had 3 points and was a full point ahead of everyone else. He had already won against two of the four players you were trailing him by a point. He finished the day in style by winning against a third person who was one point behind. For his performance, Daniel took him $200, the highest prize in the tournament.
Note: The October 4th tournament was a replacement for September Bay Area Chess tournament. Hence Daniel's performance earns him the player of the month for September.
August 2008
Arvind Sankar and Thomas Weber "played up" and won their sections.
On August 3rd, Arvind Sankar took a 745 rating into the Champ section (800-1099) and won all his games including victories against player 200-300 points higher than him.
Arvind's rise is no coincidence. He is a 5th grader who started tournament chess in January. He ended one heartbreaking loss away from the K-6 novice title. That was enough motivation for him to get better. He signed up for Coach Ted Castro's Private Group Lessons in San Jose and became a Bay Area Chess annual pass member. Training and tournament play combined have made him a better player.
Arvind returned on August 23rd to play in the Elite section (1100-1399) and establish an unusual record of playing in three successively higher sections in the space of forty days.
This brings us to the to the August 23rd tournament and Thomas Weber, a chess dad (father of William Weber who was the player of the month in June 2007). In his other life he is a Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford. He took a rating of 744 to the Champ section (800-1099) and won all his games, consistently winning against players rated 200 points over him.
I am honored to be a very small part of the lives of Arvind, Thomas, and his son William.
July 2008
Jessica Zhu came, she played "up", she conquered, and then left. Her last two games included a win and a draw against players rated about 200 points above her.
Jessica makes follows Brian to continue a tradition of players who win the award without winning their section. Jessica also becomes the first female chess player to win the player of the month award.
One of the factors that tipped the award in Jessica's favor was the quiet determination with which she had been dismantling veteran chess players.
I am honored to be a very small part of this Jessica's rise.
June 2008
Brian Wai played "up" in the SuperStar (1700+) section and was on a three game winning streak including two players rated 1901 and 1991 points, respectively.
It finally took an International Master to finally stop him.
Brian becomes one of the few players to win the Player of the month award without winning his section so it is natural to ask, "Why Brian?"
Brian has gained 606 rating points (1176 to 1784) during about 18 months since started playing including the recent gain. Players like Brian is Wai I do what I do.
I am honored to be a very small part of this Brian's rise.
May 2008
Yian Liou is May's player of the month for performance and endurance. He won the K-6 State Championship and then came back the next weekend and played in the Expert and Masters section of the Memorial Day Festival drawing against a 2044 and 2200.
It is not easy being Yian for he is a good player and a good friend to many of his fellow players. He had to play the last two rounds against his good friends James Kwok and Aamir Azhar. His 5.5 out of 6 points earned him a clear first while his friends Aamir and James tied for second with Jerry Wu.
Notes:
1. Steven Zierk deserves an honorable mention for being honored as CalChess Denker representative,winning K-12 Championship, and winning Expert//Masters section as Bay Area Chess Memorial Day Festival. However, he is ineligible for the award since he has already won it in March 2007.
2. Since all regular Bay Area Chess directors and volunteers were involved with the State Championship, the performance at the States was taken into account for awarding the Bay Area Chess Player of the Month.
April 2008
Sterling Engle has been playing chess since for about three years but his meteoric rise did not start until this winter (2007-08). After hovering around 900 for some time, he went from 899 (on 11/17/07) to 1371 (on 4/26/08) gaining about 500 points in five months.
In April's Elite section, Sterling achieved a perfect record beating two adults and two juniors on his way to a clear first.
For his achievements in April, Sterling earns the Bay Area Chess player of the month award.
March 2008
Aamir Ali Azhar and Neel Apte tied for first place in the Star section (1440-1699) winning all their games except the draw they gained.
Neel has been a one of my favorites for a long time and is currently the highest rated 9 year old in the State (and Bay Area Chess). Neel has a classic style of towering over the board while playing (see picture).
On the other hand, Aamir peaked in 3rd grade when he shared the State Championship with Alex Grossman (2004). However, his contribution to chess has come more in the form of service. As a certified TD, Aamir has directed at 41 events and has been the motivation behind Bay Area Chess as well as Granada chess and at least two players (Muhammed Mohideen and Yousef Azhar) in the National Top 100.
February 2008
Michael "fpawn" Aigner took the People's Replacement tournament like a tornado and blew everyone away. In the final round he met IM Ricardo De Guzman, against whom he had played 27 times for 7 draws and 20 losses. He broke the curse and won this time in the fading moments of the tournament. For that he got $400 and the Player of the Month Award! Congrats fpawn for fpwning the Expert/Masters section.
January 2008
Paul Richter looks like another 10-year old who debuted at the Bay Area Chess's "Last Saturday of the Month" tournaments on his road to USCF Top 100, but Paul
is more than that!. He won all 5 games in the Premier (u900) section and became the first one to qualify to play in the Elite (Open) section in his second attempt. As of 1/26,
Paul had played 9 games, all of them at Bay Area Chess tournaments. Many others have done that, but Paul is the only one who has won all of them! In Paul's recognition Bay Area Chess offers free entries to Paul for Last Saturday tournaments until someone wins against him. Paul is now rated 2211 and measures 9 on the Richter scale. Let us see how far he can take it.
He is one of the hottest prodigies in the area. Can you wait to play him in the next tournament?
December 2007
Andrew Chen, Ted Xiao, and Isaac Zhang,
came, they saw, and they conquered a strong Elite section with 3.5/4.0. In their path, they collectively scored 2.5/3.0 against players rated over 2000 and did not concede even a draw to anyone else (Xiao and Zhang drew in their last round).
November 2007
Minjian Wang came and dominated the Reserve Section with a perfect score taking home $200 as prize money. Wang gained 81 rating points and established himself as one of the rising stars even though he is relatively new to the tournament arena.
October 2007
I started the Elite section so that our up and coming children can get some deep practice with strong adult players even if they lose. Instead, Andrei Whaley, knocked off the 1st seed in the 1st round, and then Sankash Shankar knocked of the second seed in the second round. Steven Hao finished tied at the top with Sankansh. All three left me no choice but to present the Bay Area Chess October awards to Andrei Whaley, Sankash Shankar, and Steven Hao for they are learning and winning!
September 2007
This month's CalClassic kids may not look like kids but they are at heart. Zachi Baharav and G Neelakantan shared the top place in the first Elite section that was meant to give our top kids exposure to playing tougher tournaments under adult rules. They did what Frisco Del Rosario would say is their obligation... to show the young kids that there are no easy wins. Both finished with 3.5/4.0 ahead of the top three juniors (Aamir Azhar, Gabriel Lee, Sankash Shankar) who finished with 3 points each. They also share many other things in common, such as being born again chess players due to their children taking up chess. Maybe we can have parent-child competition sometime in the future.
August 2007
Eric Xu played his first rated game in Cal Classic Chess Rules Quads on 3/18/2007. He won his quad. He went to National Junior HS Championship and came and tied for 6th place. He tied for Cal Classic 12 Premier, tied for second in CalChess Regional Grade Level Championship (6th grade), tied for second in Cal Classic 14 Championship section, won Quad 3 at Weibel, second in Quad 3 at Cal Classic 15 and tied for first at Cal Classic 15 Championship and tied in Quad 3 at Weibel. His rating in less than five months with thirty-eight games is 1355. Eric Xu is our Classic child for August 2007.
July 2007
Well, well, well! So many choices so little time. Does this month's kudos go to Kyle Shin for defeating some A players at Cal Classic or Rohan Agarwal for scoring 5.5/6 in the A section in the National Open (and sharing second place and earned $1400) or Gregory Young and Nicholas Nip for scoring 4.0/6 in the Expert section, winning about $40 each or to Kevin F. Zhu for beating Kyle Shin. In final analysis, I decided to go closer to home and give the Kudos award to a giant-killer kids who is growing on steady California Classic diets... Ramie Salem, 4. He has shown remarkable improvement from game to game and one day we will be taking coaching lessons from them.
June 2007
June's kudos goes to Allan Beilin and William Weber. Both are relatively new to the chess scene but have shown phenomenal development. It was just a few months ago they were battling it out in the novice division. Now they are playing in the Championship division. William gained 274 in the May Cal Classic and Allan won the championship division drawing with a Class C player.
May 2007
May's kudos goes to National Champion Michael
Zhong and Daniel Naroditsky. Michael won the HS National Championship and Daniel the State High School Championship. There is something special about both players. Michael is self-coached and first CalChess player to win since Larry Christiansen and Daniel is only in fifth grade!
April 2007
April's kudos goes to National Champion Gregory
Young (a Californian sixth grader) who won the National Junior
High's K-9 Championship section. Gregory won six out of his seven games
during his run to National Championship. Gregory is just getting
started!
March 2007
March's kudos goes to Steven
Zierk (an eighth grader) who won the A section of People's
Tournament. Steven gained 311 rating points in 36 days. He started the
year rated 1549 and has beaten two players over 2000 in Silicon Valley
Challenge. Way to go Steven!
February 2007
February's kudos goes to Tanuj
Vasudeva (a Kindergartner) who beat many older kids to win the
Booster section of the California Classic Championships. I have seen his games and don't
let the diminutive Tanuj lull you into a false sense of security. This
kid is here to stay.
January 2007
This month's kudos goes to Ojas
Chinchwadkar,
a sixth
grader at Forest Park for his performance in Jim Hurt (U1800) Amateur
Tournament. Ojas was rated 1308 before the tournament, and he scored 2.5/3
against 1600s and 1/2 against 1700s. Ojas gained 242 USCF rating points to take
his rating from 1308 to 1550.
Chinguun Bayaraa is a giant or so you would expect when you look at the determination with which he plays the game. He is a giant in chess and his achievements are a harbinger of a great future. However, he is 3 years old diminutive chess player who has to stand on his chair to get a good view of the chess board. Chinguun most interesting game came in Walnut Creek when a unknowing District Manager from Taco Bell played and lost a friendly game with Chinguun. He was embarrassed by the result but also impressed by the quality of Bay Area players.
Chinguun is now a regular in Bay Area Chess tournaments. He also played in the Grade Level and Class Level State Championships and gained rating points in both.
Chinguun has become the youngest player to play in a Bay Area Chess tournament and is likely the highest rated three-year-old in the nation. And, he has earned that!
Chinguun is coached by his father Chinguun Bayaraa who won the CalChess Class Championship for his Class in 2004 in a section that included National Master Rohan Agarwal and Expert Alan Naroditsky, He has also taken shots at World Open and North American Open.
There is no question that Chinguun deserves the honor of the player of the month. The only question that remains is if Bay Area Chess should change its name to Bayaraa Chess?
September 2009
September's honors are shared between James Wang and
Yousef Azhar for two different reasons.James was the lowest rated player in his section on September 13th but that did not stop him from dominating the field with 5 wins and 1 draw in 6 games. His draw did not come until the 5th round.
He topped in his section and gained 321 rating points.
James started playing tournament chess in February 2009 at Kirshner Vinerts Azhar Age Level Championship and had played only three tournaments entering the Bay Area Chess Champions 93. He lives in Fremont's 94539 zip code which is famous for great chess players and amazing programs like Mission San Jose and Weibel Elementary.
Yousef Azhar wanted to go home after he got hammered in a different section of the same event that James Wang dominated on September 13th. However, he decided to play for redemption and redeemed himself going 3-0 in the quads later the same day and gaining back over 100 rating points.
Yousef also gets recognition for all his help in setting up the facilities for the tournament and volunteering as a TD when he is not playing. He has help direct 66 sections in 30 events when this was written.
Yousef and James are the same age and some people say they look the same as well. For their accomplishments and achievements, Bay Area Chess congratulates both James and Yousef for earning the Player Of The Month Award.
August 2009
Joe Emole started out playing chess at Central Junior High in Steger, IL. There was no coaching or lessons. It was just a some strong players playing two hours a day after school. In his seventh grade, four of them posted initial ratings over 1400. Joe won almost all of his unrated match games in eighth grade, finishing 8-0 in the Chicago south suburban team championship and finishing first in 8th grade at the state tournament with a score of 5.5-1.5.That summer Joe moved to California to live with his father and attend high school. His high school had no chess program and playing tournaments became exceedingly difficult. So he quit for three years. I went back to Chicago for his senior year of high school, where I went 31-1 in school play and tied for second in the 1996 High School State title.
After that Joe started college and played only one rated game in 8 years until he discovered Santana Row in 2004, where I've had the chance to play against such fine players as Mike Splane, George Mandrusov and Bob Sferra.
Joe decided to return to chess this year at Bay Area Chess $uperSwiss, he knew his rating of 1518 did not reflect his strength because he had become stronger by playing against strong players. He walked into started slowly by going undefeated in class C in your class tournament, and then I took 3rd place in the July tournament before finishing 6th overall in the Kolty Open. This year I am 13-4-4 in tournament play, and my rating has gone up to 1767. In my last 9 games, all against players rated 1635 and above, I am 7-1-1, with my only loss coming to Samuel Sevian. I think my goal of reaching 2200 in the next 2 years is attainable and I have to thank the Kolty Club and Bay Area Chess for making it convenient and possible for me to attack that goal.
June 2009
International Master Emory Tate takes the game to his opponent with the elegance of an artist, the wizardry of a magician, and a execution of a surgeon.
Emory Tate is globally known as one of the most enigmatic chess players for his clinical execution of so many grandmasters, lucid coaching sessions, and brilliant analysis sessions.IM Emory Tate's every move is a threat and the best hope for his opponent is that the threat is not well-disguised. Bay Area Chess is honored to have someone of his caliber to walk our halls.
On June 27, 2009, IM Tate did a little more than walking. He took the field exhausted from a long week ordeal and achieved a performance rating of 2638, one of the highest performance rating achieved in any tournament by anyone in California and perhaps the clear highest in a dual-rated tournament. For that feat and for total and utter domination of the open field, with a smile, International International Emory Tate is Bay Area Chess Player of the month.
Hunter Klotz-Burwell gets the award not just for gaining nearly 200 rating point in the California Chess State Scholastic Championship, but the class with which he did it. In his second round, he had a clear win against a player rated more than 500 points higher than him. However, the win would have been due to his opponent running out of time in a position which would have likely ended in a draw if his opponent was not in time trouble, So, Hunter did something that oozed class - he offered his opponent and draw because he did not want to win on time.Hunter finished the tournament tied for 5th position after winning the last two rounds against opponents rated much higher than him.
Bay Area Chess Player of the Month award is generally given based on a player based on his/her class of play. However, this time it is based on the class of the player and his play.
April 2009
Daniel Steiner is silent as the wind but quietly he has been raising his game to new levels. He won all his games and the B/C/D section at the Bay Area Chess 79 (Open).Daniel has also been a tournament director and a dedicated volunteer for Bay Area Chess tournaments. He arrives early to help set up everything and helps direct between his games. He has directed 39 sections at 19 events in about one year.
For his all round skills and contributions, Daniel earns April's player of the month award.
Arjoe Barros Loanzon came, he saw, and he conquered! And, he is back as player of the month. Arjoe becomes the first player to win the Bay Area Chess player of the month twice! Why? The United States Chess Federation tells Arjoe: "I see you have a master rating and it is now established. It will take us a couple of weeks to get out the certificate but you should have one after the middle of April."
Bay Area Chess Player of the Month award is generally not given twice but it is highly unusual when one of our players wins the National Master (NM) title.
NM Arjoe remains the highest or Richter scale for longest non-losing streak. However, he remains humble through his fame and success. He is always wiling to stop and give advice to the beginners or set up Bishop-Queen mate-in-three that baffles the other Masters.
Samuel Sevian is our latest expert. An eight-year-old at school and school is now rated over 2000 on the chess board. Samuel won that distinction by defeating a player rated 1940 in a bishop-pawn endgame that ended under time pressure. Samuel started his chess career about 2 1/2 years ago in Orlando, Florida in an uneventful small scholastic tournament with 19 players. He won 2 out of 5 games. He played in Southern California over the summer of 2008 before becoming a regular star at Bay Area Chess in August 2008.
During the last two years, Samuel's rating has grown steadily with almost every tournament as he has tamed players with increasingly higher chess ability.
Samuel is now #2 in US Chess Federation's National Age 8 category and top in California.
We wish Samuel a long and successful career and await him reaching out for National Master title with his matchless tournament play.
Arjoe Barros Loanzon came, he saw, and he conquered!Arjoe started in 12/20 with 4-0 record and then returned in January to repeat another 4-0 performance. He is yet to lose or draw a game at a Bay Area Chess event!
Arjoe's record outside Bay Area Chess is equally impressive including draw against IM Ricardo De Guzman and wins against numerous others.
In his work life, Arjoe knows electrons like he knows pawns and is an Electronics Engineer with international experience. He is taking some time off work to play chess and volunteer as a coach at Bay Area Chess. He is easily one of the most versatile coaches and he finds himself equally comfortable with Kindergartners and advanced adults. He plans on starting his search for paid positions in March but is committed to contributing to the local chess community.
Some of you may remember Richter scale a standard set by Paul Richter. Now, be ready for Arjoe to establish the Loanzon scale, the number of games before the first loss.
The Vendrow brothers are three brothers from Redwood City who are Bay Area Chess regulars. David Vendrow is ten years old while Edward Vendrow and Joshua Vendrow are twin eight year olds. All three of them attend Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School.Edward has won back to back first place in the Booster section of the December 2008 and January 2009 Bay Area Chess tournaments. In the December Bay Area Chess tournament Edward gained about 300 rating points.
Joshua tied for second place in the same section. Together the two brothers won the first the first place team trophy in the Booster section of the December tournament. Previously, Edward and Joshua, along with their brother David, have earned three first place team trophies as well as numerous other team trophies for their school.
David Vendrow tied for fourth place in the Champ section and also took home a trophy. Together, the three brothers took four trophies home. And, I think taking home more trophies than the number of players in the family should earn the players the right to be called the Bay Area Chess players of the month
November 2008
It is not easy being a highest rated player who is expected to win every time. Regardless of how easy a master class player may make it look, each game has to be won on the board against players who would love to boast to their friends on how they toasted you at Bay Area Chess tournament. To honor him and all masters, this month's Player the month goes to IM Ricardo De Guzman.The month's award would not being complete without adding Julian Lin to the recipients. Julian also won all his games in the C/D section to capture a perfect score. The Julian Lin who came to his first tournament in June's Bay Area Chess tournament, has also proven himself to be an exceptional chess player.
In honor of their perfect scores, this month's player of the month award is shared between IM Ricardo De Guzman and Julian Lin.
October 2008
A family that plays chess together, stays close together. That is what Hui family knows and practices.
This is the second tournament reunion in October for them and a great one as three of the four Huis won the top place in their section. Ken Hui and Kyle Hui tied for top position with 3.5/4.0 in the Star (1400-1699 section). Kevin Hui won the Elite section with a perfect score. Little Kory Hui tied for 9th position gaining 58 rating points. I am fascinated by the father-son rating point rivalries including the one between Ken and Kevin. Reminds me of healthy rivalry between the Azhars, Garbes, and Kalyanpurs... I say reminds because the sons are outpacing the dads.
Daniel Zheng and Armete Mobin also deserve special mention as they narrowly missed the award. Daniel put together another perfect tournament to match the last one and Armete scored 3.5/4.0 to tie for first in her section.
September 2008
Daniel Zheng won all his games in the open section to dominate the open section in Bay Area Chess 50. Before that he won CalChess State Championship's Section A as well as the top B player in Kolty Championship.When his opponents zig, Daniel zhengs. On October 4th, Daniel zhenged four times in a row. After the third round, with one round to go, he had 3 points and was a full point ahead of everyone else. He had already won against two of the four players you were trailing him by a point. He finished the day in style by winning against a third person who was one point behind. For his performance, Daniel took him $200, the highest prize in the tournament.
Note: The October 4th tournament was a replacement for September Bay Area Chess tournament. Hence Daniel's performance earns him the player of the month for September.
August 2008
Arvind Sankar and Thomas Weber "played up" and won their sections. On August 3rd, Arvind Sankar took a 745 rating into the Champ section (800-1099) and won all his games including victories against player 200-300 points higher than him.
Arvind's rise is no coincidence. He is a 5th grader who started tournament chess in January. He ended one heartbreaking loss away from the K-6 novice title. That was enough motivation for him to get better. He signed up for Coach Ted Castro's Private Group Lessons in San Jose and became a Bay Area Chess annual pass member. Training and tournament play combined have made him a better player.
Arvind returned on August 23rd to play in the Elite section (1100-1399) and establish an unusual record of playing in three successively higher sections in the space of forty days.
This brings us to the to the August 23rd tournament and Thomas Weber, a chess dad (father of William Weber who was the player of the month in June 2007). In his other life he is a Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford. He took a rating of 744 to the Champ section (800-1099) and won all his games, consistently winning against players rated 200 points over him.
I am honored to be a very small part of the lives of Arvind, Thomas, and his son William.
July 2008
Jessica Zhu came, she played "up", she conquered, and then left. Her last two games included a win and a draw against players rated about 200 points above her.Jessica makes follows Brian to continue a tradition of players who win the award without winning their section. Jessica also becomes the first female chess player to win the player of the month award.
One of the factors that tipped the award in Jessica's favor was the quiet determination with which she had been dismantling veteran chess players.
I am honored to be a very small part of this Jessica's rise.
June 2008
Brian Wai played "up" in the SuperStar (1700+) section and was on a three game winning streak including two players rated 1901 and 1991 points, respectively.
It finally took an International Master to finally stop him. Brian becomes one of the few players to win the Player of the month award without winning his section so it is natural to ask, "Why Brian?"
Brian has gained 606 rating points (1176 to 1784) during about 18 months since started playing including the recent gain. Players like Brian is Wai I do what I do.
I am honored to be a very small part of this Brian's rise.
May 2008
Yian Liou is May's player of the month for performance and endurance. He won the K-6 State Championship and then came back the next weekend and played in the Expert and Masters section of the Memorial Day Festival drawing against a 2044 and 2200. It is not easy being Yian for he is a good player and a good friend to many of his fellow players. He had to play the last two rounds against his good friends James Kwok and Aamir Azhar. His 5.5 out of 6 points earned him a clear first while his friends Aamir and James tied for second with Jerry Wu.
Notes:
1. Steven Zierk deserves an honorable mention for being honored as CalChess Denker representative,winning K-12 Championship, and winning Expert//Masters section as Bay Area Chess Memorial Day Festival. However, he is ineligible for the award since he has already won it in March 2007.
2. Since all regular Bay Area Chess directors and volunteers were involved with the State Championship, the performance at the States was taken into account for awarding the Bay Area Chess Player of the Month.
April 2008
Sterling Engle has been playing chess since for about three years but his meteoric rise did not start until this winter (2007-08). After hovering around 900 for some time, he went from 899 (on 11/17/07) to 1371 (on 4/26/08) gaining about 500 points in five months. In April's Elite section, Sterling achieved a perfect record beating two adults and two juniors on his way to a clear first.
For his achievements in April, Sterling earns the Bay Area Chess player of the month award.
March 2008
Aamir Ali Azhar and Neel Apte tied for first place in the Star section (1440-1699) winning all their games except the draw they gained.
Neel has been a one of my favorites for a long time and is currently the highest rated 9 year old in the State (and Bay Area Chess). Neel has a classic style of towering over the board while playing (see picture).On the other hand, Aamir peaked in 3rd grade when he shared the State Championship with Alex Grossman (2004). However, his contribution to chess has come more in the form of service. As a certified TD, Aamir has directed at 41 events and has been the motivation behind Bay Area Chess as well as Granada chess and at least two players (Muhammed Mohideen and Yousef Azhar) in the National Top 100.
February 2008
Michael "fpawn" Aigner took the People's Replacement tournament like a tornado and blew everyone away. In the final round he met IM Ricardo De Guzman, against whom he had played 27 times for 7 draws and 20 losses. He broke the curse and won this time in the fading moments of the tournament. For that he got $400 and the Player of the Month Award! Congrats fpawn for fpwning the Expert/Masters section.January 2008
Paul Richter looks like another 10-year old who debuted at the Bay Area Chess's "Last Saturday of the Month" tournaments on his road to USCF Top 100, but Paul
is more than that!. He won all 5 games in the Premier (u900) section and became the first one to qualify to play in the Elite (Open) section in his second attempt. As of 1/26,
Paul had played 9 games, all of them at Bay Area Chess tournaments. Many others have done that, but Paul is the only one who has won all of them! In Paul's recognition Bay Area Chess offers free entries to Paul for Last Saturday tournaments until someone wins against him. Paul is now rated 2211 and measures 9 on the Richter scale. Let us see how far he can take it.
He is one of the hottest prodigies in the area. Can you wait to play him in the next tournament? December 2007
Andrew Chen, Ted Xiao, and Isaac Zhang,
came, they saw, and they conquered a strong Elite section with 3.5/4.0. In their path, they collectively scored 2.5/3.0 against players rated over 2000 and did not concede even a draw to anyone else (Xiao and Zhang drew in their last round).November 2007
Minjian Wang came and dominated the Reserve Section with a perfect score taking home $200 as prize money. Wang gained 81 rating points and established himself as one of the rising stars even though he is relatively new to the tournament arena.
October 2007
I started the Elite section so that our up and coming children can get some deep practice with strong adult players even if they lose. Instead, Andrei Whaley, knocked off the 1st seed in the 1st round, and then Sankash Shankar knocked of the second seed in the second round. Steven Hao finished tied at the top with Sankansh. All three left me no choice but to present the Bay Area Chess October awards to Andrei Whaley, Sankash Shankar, and Steven Hao for they are learning and winning!September 2007
This month's CalClassic kids may not look like kids but they are at heart. Zachi Baharav and G Neelakantan shared the top place in the first Elite section that was meant to give our top kids exposure to playing tougher tournaments under adult rules. They did what Frisco Del Rosario would say is their obligation... to show the young kids that there are no easy wins. Both finished with 3.5/4.0 ahead of the top three juniors (Aamir Azhar, Gabriel Lee, Sankash Shankar) who finished with 3 points each. They also share many other things in common, such as being born again chess players due to their children taking up chess. Maybe we can have parent-child competition sometime in the future. August 2007
Eric Xu played his first rated game in Cal Classic Chess Rules Quads on 3/18/2007. He won his quad. He went to National Junior HS Championship and came and tied for 6th place. He tied for Cal Classic 12 Premier, tied for second in CalChess Regional Grade Level Championship (6th grade), tied for second in Cal Classic 14 Championship section, won Quad 3 at Weibel, second in Quad 3 at Cal Classic 15 and tied for first at Cal Classic 15 Championship and tied in Quad 3 at Weibel. His rating in less than five months with thirty-eight games is 1355. Eric Xu is our Classic child for August 2007.July 2007
Well, well, well! So many choices so little time. Does this month's kudos go to Kyle Shin for defeating some A players at Cal Classic or Rohan Agarwal for scoring 5.5/6 in the A section in the National Open (and sharing second place and earned $1400) or Gregory Young and Nicholas Nip for scoring 4.0/6 in the Expert section, winning about $40 each or to Kevin F. Zhu for beating Kyle Shin. In final analysis, I decided to go closer to home and give the Kudos award to a giant-killer kids who is growing on steady California Classic diets... Ramie Salem, 4. He has shown remarkable improvement from game to game and one day we will be taking coaching lessons from them. June 2007
June's kudos goes to Allan Beilin and William Weber. Both are relatively new to the chess scene but have shown phenomenal development. It was just a few months ago they were battling it out in the novice division. Now they are playing in the Championship division. William gained 274 in the May Cal Classic and Allan won the championship division drawing with a Class C player.May 2007
May's kudos goes to National Champion Michael
Zhong and Daniel Naroditsky. Michael won the HS National Championship and Daniel the State High School Championship. There is something special about both players. Michael is self-coached and first CalChess player to win since Larry Christiansen and Daniel is only in fifth grade!April 2007
April's kudos goes to National Champion Gregory
Young (a Californian sixth grader) who won the National Junior
High's K-9 Championship section. Gregory won six out of his seven games
during his run to National Championship. Gregory is just getting
started! March 2007
March's kudos goes to Steven
Zierk (an eighth grader) who won the A section of People's
Tournament. Steven gained 311 rating points in 36 days. He started the
year rated 1549 and has beaten two players over 2000 in Silicon Valley
Challenge. Way to go Steven! February 2007
February's kudos goes to Tanuj
Vasudeva (a Kindergartner) who beat many older kids to win the
Booster section of the California Classic Championships. I have seen his games and don't
let the diminutive Tanuj lull you into a false sense of security. This
kid is here to stay. January 2007
This month's kudos goes to Ojas
Chinchwadkar,
a sixth
grader at Forest Park for his performance in Jim Hurt (U1800) Amateur
Tournament. Ojas was rated 1308 before the tournament, and he scored 2.5/3
against 1600s and 1/2 against 1700s. Ojas gained 242 USCF rating points to take
his rating from 1308 to 1550.
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