108 young chess players came from as far away as Texas, Florida, and even India to compete in the 2003 U.S. Junior Open Chess Championship, held June 20-22 at the SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, NY. The Championship was a six round tournament with three separate age-based sections. Thirteen year old Salvijus Bercys of Brooklyn, NY and 20 year old Thomas Bartell of Colts Neck, NJ both scored 5 out of a possible 6 points to tie for first place in the top section, which was open to USCF members under the age of 21. Bercys received the first prize, a four-year, full-tuition-and-fees scholarship donated by the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), by virtue of superior tie-breaks. Bercys must meet UTD�s matriculation standards and maintain a B average in order to use and renew the scholarship.

Bercys is an internationally rated chess player who immigrated to the United States from Lithuania just four weeks ago. Bartell is a National Master who is no stranger to tournament success; in 2001 he won the Denker Tournament of High School Champions, an invitational tournament open only to state high school chess champions. UTD is a rapidly growing research university located in Richardson, TX. As a result of its recruiting and scholarship program, UTD has developed one of the strongest collegiate chess teams in the Americas.

The International Chess Academy took top team honors in the under 21 section with a team score of 11 points. Thirteen year old Sarkis Agaian of New York, NY and 13 year old Allen J. Weiss of Brooklyn, NY both scored 5 � points to tie for first place in the section for players under age 15. Agaian was awarded the first place trophy due to superior tie-breaks. Chess in the Schools took top team honors in the under 15 section with a team score of 10 � points. Ten year old Austin J. Wang of Piscataway, NJ won clear first place in the section for players under age 11 with a score of 5 � points. Teams from Chappaqua, the Hamilton Chess Club, and Bodkin tied for top team honors in the under 11 section with 7 � points each. The Chappaqua team received the first place trophy due to superior tie-breaks. The tournament was sponsored by Hudson Valley Bank and organized by Carole Berman and Beatriz Marinello.

The United States Chess Federation, founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with more than 90,000 members. For more information, please see http://www.uschess.org.