The U.S. Junior Invitational Chess Championship and the U.S. Cadet Chess Championship will both be held at the World Chess Hall of Fame and Sidney Samole Chess Museum in Miami, Florida July 26-31. The event will begin with a reception for players and media at 6PM on July 25. Games will be played at 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM on July 26, 5:00PM on July 27, 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM on July 28, 2:00 PM on July 29, 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM on July 30, and 10:00 AM on July 31. Both tournaments are invitational tournaments. The 2003 U.S. Junior Chess Championship is open to the top American chess players under the age of 20 as of January 1, 2003. Games from the U.S. Junior Championship will be broadcast live via internet on USChessLive.

The following ten players have accepted their invitations to the U.S. Junior Championship: 15 year old Women�s FIDE Master (WFM) Tatev Abrahamyan of Glendale, CA; 19 year old International Master (IM) Varuzhan Akobian of Glendale, CA; 16 year old National Master (NM) Josh Friedel of Goffstown, NH; 19 year old FIDE Master (FM) Matthew Hoekstra of Charlotte, NC, 18 year old FM Bruci Lopez of Miami, FL; 15 year old FM Lev Milman of Woodbury, NY; 19 year old NM John Rouleau of Rockville, MD; the reigning Pan-American Junior Chess Champion, 18 year old Dmitry Schneider of New City, NY; 18 year old NM A.J. Steigman of Parkland, FL; and 20 year old FM Philip Wang of Zephyr Cove, NV. For more information about these players, please see below.

The U.S. Cadet Championship is open to the top American chess players under the age of 16 as of January 1, 2003. Players who have accepted their invitation include the reigning Pan-American boys under 12 champion, 10 year old FM Fabiano Caruana of Brooklyn, NY; the 2001 Pan-American boys under 14 champion, 16 year old FM Ruixin Yang of Annandale, VA; and the 2002 Pan-American boys under 14 silver medalist, 15 year old NM Igor Schneider of New City, NY.

The World Chess Hall of Fame & Sidney Samole Museum�whose landmark building, sporting a 45-foot rook-tower, is located just off the Florida Turnpike near 152nd St. S.W. in Miami�is the official museum for both the World Chess Federation and the U.S. Chess Federation, the governing bodies of the game of chess for the world and the United States. The Museum�s interactive displays, theatre and collection of personal artifacts from the world�s greatest players tell the story of chess and its masters from its beginnings to modern times.

Tatev lives in Glendale, CA where she is entering her sophomore year at Clark Magnet High School. She is one of the top ten rated women chess players in the United States, and she is the youngest player in the 2003 U.S. Junior Championship. She is the reigning national 9th grade chess champion, and she also won the national 8th grade chess championship in 2001. In 1999 she tied for first place in the European girls under 12 championship, and in 2002 she tied for first place in the Pacific Southwest Open and the Southern California Open. Tatev enjoys music, movies, and reading.

Varuzhan is the winner of the prestigious 2002 Samford Fellowship. He has won many tournaments including the John Rowell Invitational, the Imre Koenig Memorial, and the 2002 Western Class Championship. He tied for first place in the 2002 World Open, and he is only one norm shy of the International Grandmaster title. Varuzhan lives in Glendale, CA, where he enjoys football and fishing when he is not playing chess.

Josh lives in Goffstown, NH and attends Goffstown Area High School. He is a member of the Pressman All-America Chess Team and has represented the United States in both the Pan-American Youth Chess Championship and the World Youth Chess Championship. He won the National Elementary Chess Championship in 1996 and was New Hampshire state co-champion in 2000 and 2002. Josh enjoys tennis, sailing, and reading.

Matthew has just graduated from Providence High School in Charlotte, NC. He won 1st place in the 2003 National Scholar Chess Player competition. He was the national 7th grade chess champion in 1997, and he tied for first place in the 2000 Denker Tournament of High School Champions. He finished in first place in the North Carolina State accounting competition, and he finished in fourth place in the national accounting competition. He is a member of the National Honor Society and a five-time member of the Pressman All-America Chess Team. Matthew is interested in baseball, basketball, journalism, and philosophy, as well as chess.

Bruci is a student at Miami Dade Community College. His tournament victories include first place in the 2002 Denker Tournament of High School Champions and first place in the 4th Annual Junior Orange Bowl International Chess Tournament. He also tied for second place in the 2002 National High School Chess Championship and scored a very impressive seven out of nine at the 2002 U.S. Open. Bruci�s favorite subjects are math and computers.

Lev lives in Woodbury, NY and attends Syosset High School. He has represented the United States in the World Youth Chess Championship, and in 2002 he won a silver medal in the boys under 16 division of the Pan-American Youth Chess Championship. Lev is coached by Rafail Klovsky, and he enjoys baketball and tennis.

John is a resident of Rockville, MD and a President�s Scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He earned a full scholarship to UMBC by winning the 2002 Maryland High School Chess Championship. He is also the 1999 Maryland Junior Chess Champion and the 2002 Maryland Action Chess Champion. In 2002 he won a board prize for a perfect score in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship. John enjoys basketball and golf, as well as chess.

Dmitry is a student at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he has a full chess scholarship and is a Student Government Association Senator. He is the 2003 Samford fellow and the reigning Pan-American Junior Chess Champion. He has been a member of the Pressman All-America Chess Team for ten years, and he has represented the United States in both the World Youth Chess Championships and the World Junior Chess Championship. He has won a gold medal and two bronze medals in Pan-American Youth Chess Championships. He became the youngest Marshall Chess Club Champion in 1999, and he earned his first International Grandmaster norm earlier this year. Dmitry enjoys basketball, music, and ping-pong, as well as chess.

A.J. lives in Parkland, FL and attends the University School of NOVA Southeastern University. He is a member of the National Honor Society, an All-American Scholar, and a National Merit Commended Scholar. He finished third in the 2003 National Scholar Chess Player Competition, and he is the 2002 U.S. Junior Open Champion. He has been a member of the Pressman All-America Chess Team for nine straight years and has represented the United States in international competition seven times. On December 4th, 2002, the mayor of Parkland gave A.J. a key to the city in recognition of his chess achievements. A.J.�s hobbies include photography, ornithology, satellite tracking, and basketball.

Philip calls Zephyr Cove, NV home. He is a graduate of Stanford University, where he has earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. He is a National Merit Scholar, a Gates Millennium Scholar, and the winner of the 1999 National Scholar Chess Player competition. He has been named a member of the Pressman All-America Chess Team ten times. Philip�s hobbies include tennis, ping-pong, weight lifting, running, pool, and cooking.

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.