How odd, I thought, scrolling past this year's US Girls Junior Championship player list. Many of the familiar names I had seen on television over and over again in the past were absent this year. Instead, I saw more young friends, attending this prestigious event for the first time. Last year,…
Over President's Day weekend, I played at the annual Oregon Closed chess championship. "Closed" refers to the fact that it is an invitational tournament, with only players winning certain tournaments or with a high enough rating qualifying. Besides possibly the Oregon Open, the Oregon Closed is the most prestigious chess tournament…
This Saturday, the Puddletown team came together at Hope Chinese Charter School to help with the annual MLK day chess tournament. It was nostalgic to see so many young chess enthusiasts come together in the environment that I myself once spent so much time in. The cafeteria-table-turned-tournament-tables, the classrooms used as…