114th Annual United States Open Chess Championship from July 27 in Wisconsin

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

A photo from the Wisconsin Chess Association Website

The 114th Annual United States Open Chess Championship will take place on 27 July - 4 August 2013 at the Madison Marriott West, 1313 John Q Hammons Drive, Middleton, Wisconsin 53562.

Prize Fund
$50,000 based on 500 paid entries - else proportional - $40,000 Guaranteed!! [80% of each prize]. Top US player not otherwise qualified will qualify for the 2014 US Championship!
A one section tournament with Class prizes.

Prizes [Projected]
Top Places: $8000-4000-2000-1500-1000-700-500-400. Clear winner - $200 bonus.
If tie for first, top two on tiebreak play speed game [W - 5 min, B - 3 min and draw odds] for bonus and title.

Class Prizes:
Top Master[2200-2399]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Top Expert[2000-2199]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Class A[1800-1999]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Class B[1600-1799]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Class C[1400-1599]: $2000-1000-500-300.
Class D[1200-1399]: $1500-700-400-200.
Class E & Below[<1200 br="">Unrated: $700-400-200.

Special Prizes for Life Titles:
Special Prizes may be won in addition to a Place prize or a Class prize.

Top Life Senior Master U2500: $600
Top Life Master or Original Life Master U2300: $600
Top Candidate Master (or higher title) U2100: $500
Top First Category (or higher title) U1900: $500
Top Second Category (or higher title) U1700: $500
Top Third Category (or higher title) U1500: $400
Top Fourth Category (or higher title) U1300: $300

Note: Life Titles must be established by 1 July 2013. Special Life Title Prizes will be calculated and awarded by 23 August 2013.

Special Prizes for Mixed Doubles: [per couple]Special Prizes may be won in addition to a Place prize or a Class prize.

First Place - $800
Second Place - $600
Third Place - $400
Fourth Place - $200

A 'Couples' team is composed of a male and a female player. The average rating of the team must be under 1800. [A player may be rated over 1800 as long as the team's average rating is under the limit. Team composition must be submitted to the tournament staff prior to the start of the first game of the Four Day schedule.

Tournament Registration Desk in the Conference Center Foyer.
Report corrections, byes, membership payments etc. at the Registration Desk.
Phone: (931) 933-8251
This phone line is only active during the tournament...

Three different schedules for the first six rounds:

Traditional: 
40/2, SD/1; d5. [7/27] - [8/3] One round daily at 7 pm then the final round [8/4] at 3 PM.
6-Day Option: 40/2, SD/1 d5. [7/30] 7 pm; [7/31] to [8/2] Two games per day - one at 12 noon and the second at 7 PM.
4-Day Option: G/60; d5. [8/1] 12 NOON, 3 PM, 7 PM & 10 PM; [8/2] at 12 NOON, & 3 PM.

All schedules merge after Round 6 and compete for the same prizes.
Round Seven [ALL sections]: [8/2] 7 PM.
Round Eight [ALL sections]: [8/3] 7 PM.
Round Nine [ALL sections]: [8/4] 3 PM.

Half Point Byes: 
Must commit before round 4; Must be submitted AT LEAST two hours before the round[s] in question. Number of half-point byes available:
2000/up:: Up to 3 half-point byes
1400-1999:: Up to 2 half-point byes
Under 1400/Unrated:: Up to 1 bye
Notes:
Zero point byes are always available in any round if requested at least two hours before the start of the desired round!
Limit of one half-point bye in the last two rounds!

Entry Fee: Online, $145 by 6/16, $165 by 7/14, $185 after 7/14.
By mail, $147 postmarked by 6/16, $167 postmarked by 7/14; $187 postmarked by 7/21; Do not mail after 7/21!
By phone, $150 by 6/16, $170 by 7/14; $185 by 7/26. No phone entries after 7/26 [close of business at the Office]!
At site, all $190
GMs and WGMs are free.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal chess blog 

at www.chessqueen.com

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61-Year-Old Chess Addict Teacher Spreading Love of the Game in Sheboygan

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone,

 

A chess-addicted teacher tries to spread the love of chess - we love such stories. By the way, this teacher is 61 years old. All the more we had to take a look. Here's sharing this nice feature by Kali Thiel.

SHEBOYGAN — If you see a car around town with a “Chess Nut” vanity plate, it’s likely Ellen Wanek’s.

Wanek, 61, devotes much of her retired life to the game of chess. She’s a coach at four Sheboygan schools, she privately teaches about 10 students every week and she helps out at many of the area’s weekend chess tournaments.

“The woman is addicted to chess,” said Al Wanek, Ellen’s husband.

Wanek isn’t alone. There’s a growing interest in chess that’s sweeping across Sheboygan County schools, the Sheboygan Press reported. Nearly 200 area youth competed in the annual Acuity Chess Invitational in late February put on by Acuity and the Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation.

Shawn Chrisman, director of the Acuity tournament, said more than 15 Sheboygan County schools were represented at the weekend tournament and he estimated around 400 youth in Sheboygan County are active in chess in some fashion.

The Acuity Invitational is one of about 10 tournaments offered in Sheboygan County from November to March each year. A few years ago, there weren’t even half that many though, said Katie Delahunt, WSCF board member.
Missing the game

When Delahunt moved to the Sheboygan area about eight years ago from Milwaukee, she said she was amazed that Sheboygan didn’t have many chess tournaments. Her children had been active in chess at their previous school and she missed having that opportunity for them.

“In Milwaukee, chess was a huge thing,” Delahunt said. “You played chess during the lunch hour or after school. Some schools were very elaborate and they even hired experts to coach. They’d bring in experts from Russia that are top players worldwide.”

Delahunt, the Sheboygan/Kohler Municipal Court judge, said she was instrumental in getting tournaments started in Sheboygan about six years ago and ever since then, chess has really taken off.

“The thing with tournaments is it motivates (the students),” Delahunt said. “The kids who are in a club then have a purpose.”

Wanek said she became involved with chess tournaments after volunteering for one at what was then Holy Name School about four years ago, and she’s been hooked ever since.


Read further at the fldreporter and if you have an inspiring chess story to share, do send it to us.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel