2008 Junior Grand Prix Winners Win Big!

The United States Chess Federation has issued the Final Standings for the 2008 Junior Grand Prix, which you can find on our 2008 Grand Prix page just under the regular Grand Prix Standings. Looking at the list of cash prize winners, it's clear that the winners of the Junior Grand Prix have won big! Joel Pena, an 11-year-old student of the 2008 "regular" Grand Prix runner-up GM Sergey Kudrin, will be cashing in a check of $1,000! Combined with Kudrin's $2500 check from the traditional Grand Prix event, this student-coach team will be reeling in $3500!

In addition to his cash prize, Pena was also featured as the cover story in the February 2008 Chess Life for Kids. If you're a USCF member, you can log in to the USCF website and read all about this young man and his incredible talent. Meanwhile, plenty of other talented juniors were able to convert their points to cash, and top performers from all fifty states across the country received $20 gift certificates to the WCL Store, 1-year WCL junior memberships, and 1-year USCF Young Adult memberships as prizes. That makes for well over seventy prizes, far more than even the regular Grand Prix. It's part of our mission to encourage young players across the country to get out there and play for the win. This year's list reflects the immense talent of the youngsters who are the future of chess in the U.S. Congratulations to all!

This Weekend Only: Amateur Team Championships!

The U.S. Amateur Team Championships are coming up this weekend, and the excitement level across the chess nation is on the rise. The Team Championships will be held the 13-15 of February, and across the country, American chessplayers are practicing with their teams, all of which have a combined rating under 2200. The Team North championship is in Wisconsin, the Team South in Florida, and the Team West in Southern California. I'll be playing in the Team East event--in Parsippany, New Jersey--and will be "blogging" for Chess Life Online along with WFM Abby Marshall. I have laryngitis and haven't been able to say a single word since last Sunday, too, so I'm sure I will have some interesting stories and a great angle on the event! Perhaps I'll even try wearing a mime costume, as many of the teams dress up for matches.

KibBlitzing with GM Alejandro Ramirez

This week, our KibBlitz features GM Alejandro Ramirez! At age 15, Alejandro Ramirez-Alvarez became the first Grandmaster from Central America. Considering his early success, Alejandro told me, a lot of players in his position would have chosen not to go to college, and instead become professional players. Yet Alejandro now attends the University of Texas at Dallas and is studying software design with the hope of one day soon programming video games. He doesn't just have a chess scholarship, either--he's part of a special leadership scholarship program known as the Eugene McDermott Scholars Program, and in addition to having all his tuition paid and receiving a stipend for other expenses, he also has his study abroad paid for, too. When asked if he would rather have been a full-time player, the GM responded, "No, this is better!"

Alejandro edits the UTD Chess Blog and has a long career of leadership and service. Read the KibBlitz and learn about how he was a motivational speaker in his native Costa Rica! If you want to hear even more about Alejandro's younger days, check out this in-depth interview at Grandmaster Square.

Chess.FM Update

This Week:
"Game of the Week" with GM Joel Benjamin

GM Varuzhan Akobian
GM Giorgi Kacheishvili

North American Open
ECO: D15, Queen's Gambit Declined: Slav Defense