Duif's Kids and Chess Page: US Junior

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Scholastic Chess Information from Duif's Place:

NEW US JUNIOR CHAMPION!

Information courtesy of chess.net ("Play where the Grandmasters Play!")

While Gata Kamsky may have skipped junior events, some of America's best, including a grandmaster, are playing in this year's Junior Championship.
Final Round:
Zamora-Shaked DRAW
Klein-SCHWARTZMAN
Mullyar-Arnett DRAW
KREIMAN-Shliperman
PERELSHTEYN-Ippolito
Waitzkin-Manion DRAW

Final Round Highlights:

After drawing with Tal Shaked (the 1995 Jr. Champion), Jorge Zamora of Rhode Island had to wait for the results of the remaining games to see if he was the new Jr. Champion. When International Master Boris Kreiman defeated Shliperman, Kreiman was tied at 7.5 points with Zamora. The two played a four round speed chess playoff for the title, and Zamora won. Congratulations to the new US Jr. Champion! The youngest player, Eugene Perelshteyn, who will represent the US in the 16 & Under World championship later this year, scored a last round knockout over Ippolito, to finish in third place.

Final Standings:
7.5 Zamora (earns title in play-off), Kreiman
7.0 Perelshteyn
6.5 Shliperman, Waitzkin
5.5 Schwartzman
5.0 Klein
4.5 Ippolito, Shaked
4.0 Arnett, Mullyar
3.0 Manion

Tournament Format
This is an all-play-all ("round robin") format of 12 rounds. Players get one point for a win, a half point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. There are no eliminations: each player gets to play all 11 of the other players. This is the official 1996 Jr. (Under Age 20) Championship of the US Chess Federation. The event is being held in New Jersey. The 1996 Interplay U.S. Junior Championship will be held from June 21-July 2 at the Parisppany Hilton Hotel in Parsippany, N.J. This event is cosponsored by the US Chess Federation, the New Jersey State Chess Federation, and Interplay Productions.

The winner receives an invitation to the regular US Championship later this year.

Featured Players

(Ratings shown are as of the time of the invitations: GM Schwartzman is currently rated over 2600, and is the highest rated US Jr. under 21. Remember, though, ratings are like batting averages: they tell you how the player has been doing, but they adjust with every game, and even pitchers hit a home run once in awhile!)

Grandmaster Gabriel Schwartzman, Florida, 2562, age 19
GM Schwartzman, only 19, already has his own business: Internet Chess Academy and is a licensed chess coach as well as an active player. He is expected to do well at the championship. (He also recently won the Internet World Student Championship held online at the ICC.) He is a sophomore at the University of Florida, and is the youngest Grandmaster in the United States. Schwartzman barely missed winning the US Jr. title last year when he lost in a play-off round to then 16-year old Tal Shaked.
International Master Josh Waitzkin, New York, 2531, age 19
Josh Waitzkin is probably best known as the real-life junior championship on whom the movie SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER was based. He won the US Jr. Championship in 1994, and has made the Pressman All American team for each of the last 10 years. Josh has been focusing much of his energy on adult events recently, as this is his last year of junior eligibility.
International Master Boris Kreiman, New York, 2567, age 19
IM Kreiman has played in many important events in the last two years, including two US Championships (the regular championship, not the Jr. event). He was the US Jr. Champion in 1993.
International Master Tal Shaked, Arizona, 2530, age 18
Only 18, Tal Shaked is the returning Jr. Champion. It is rare that a player wins this event at a young enough age to repeat, yet this year's event includes Shaked, the current titleholder, Waitzkin, the 1994 winner, and Kreiman, the 1993 winner.. Are the best players getting younger?
Igor Shliperman, New York, 2463, age 16
Shliperman won the 1995 US Chess Federation "Cadet Championship" (for players aged 16 and under) with a score of 5.5 out of 7.
Michael Mulyar, Colorado, 2444, age 17 Both Mulyar and Ippolito made the Pressman All-America team in the 16 year old category this year. A very strong young player.
International Master Josh Manion, Wisconsin, 2464, age 19
This Wisconsin player scored 50% in last year's event, placing even with IM Boris Kreiman.
Jorge Zamora, Jr., Rhode Island, 2427, age 17
You may have seen this rapidly rising young player featured on ESPN last fall.
David Arnett, New York, 2410, age 19
This may or may not be "Are not, Are too" Arnett: would anyone like to confirm the rumor?
Erez Klein, New York, 2391, age 19
Eugene Perelshteyn, Massachusetts, 2370, age 16
Perelshteyn is a student of GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, who will be providing live commentary on the event at the chess.net telnet site. Perelshteyn will be representing the United States at the 16 and Under World Junior Championship later this year.
Dean Ippolito, New Jersey, 2354, age 17
Ippolito, from New Jersey, qualified for the 1995 event as a replacement when he was only 16, but this year enters on his own merits. He was only half a point behind the winners (including Josh Waitzkin) at the 1995 Class Championship, and has shown strong improvement in the last 18 months. He recently took first place at the National High School Championship with an undefeated 6-0 score.