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Chess Life Online 2012 August US Masters Headlines Labor Day Chess Madness
Chess Life Online 2012 August US Masters Headlines Labor Day Chess Madness | US Masters Headlines Labor Day Chess Madness |
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| August 29, 2012 | |
 As the Olympiad heats up in Istanbul, "Labor Day Chess Madness" approaches closer to home. The late journalist and chess promoter Jerry Hanken
first coined the term, "Labor Day Chess Madness" to refer to the
coast to coast flourishing of local chess events, including many State Championships. Last year's Labor Day coverage was in three parts and included dispatches from California to Florida from North Carolina to Texas.
Find info on some holiday weekend events below. If you're playing this holiday weekend, send your thoughts, photos and/or games to [email protected] for possible publication in a CLO series of round-up articles.
US Masters in North Carolina
A national event headlines this Labor Day weekend's chess festivities: The US Masters in North Carolina. Look for a post-tourney wrap-up by FM Todd Andrews and a story by popular CLO writer and "chess mom" Melinda Matthews.
Organizer Gary Newsom previews the event:
The Gate City of Greensboro plays host to the popular North Carolina Open. After unprecedented growth in each of the past two years due in no small part to its low entry fee and unconditionally guaranteed prize structure, the stakes have been raised at this year's event. A major sponsor has entered the scene and the US Masters has been added to the mix. The event promises a total unconditionally guaranteed payout of $30,000!
At least nine GM's are heading an international field in the Masters, where elite players will be fighting it out for the $5000 first prize, along with the possibility of international title norms. The pre-entry list,
which can be found here includes GM's Alexander Shabalov, Sergei Azarov, and Tamaz Gelashvili (pictured above).
In the NC Open (pre-entry list is here), everyone else will be playing in four separate sections; Open/U2000/U1700/U1400.
The organizers expect upwards of 350 total for the weekend. The event will be held at the comfortable and convenient Embassy Suites Airport in Greensboro. Here is more information on the US Masters and NC Open.
Follow the tournament in progress at http://www.ncchess.org.
2012 Illinois Open State Championship
Grandmasters Gurevich and Mitkov, as well as former state champions Aung Thant Zin, Albert Chow, and Angelo Young not to mention many strong young masters, are pre-registered at the Illinois State Champs in Oakbrook from September 1-3. Look for coverage by Bill Brock and find more information at chicagochess.blogspot.com.
Saint Louis District Championship
As GM Yasser Seirawan enters his new post at the Saint Louis Chess Club, the District Championship goes down from September 1-2nd. Find out more information on saintlouischessclub.org.
34th Annual Southern California Open
Look for coverage of this major Grand Prix event in San Diego (150 points up for grabs!), by frequent CLO contributor Randy Hough.
2012 CalChess Labor Day Championships
Not to be left out, San Francisco hosts another popular event. Find out full info on the tourney flyer (pdf) .
8th Okie Chess Festival
This year's Okie Chess Festival features an 8-player master/expert round-robin as our feature event and a bughouse tournament. CLO contributor Tom Braunlich, who ranked in Best of CLO this year for his piece on "Keep the Draw--Fix the Flaw" will offer insights from the scene.
2012 Arnold Denker Florida State Championship
Daytona Beach hosts the Florida State Championship from September 1-3, preceded by a Quick championship event on August 31st.
2012 New York State Championship
The 134th edition of the NY State Champs will be held in Albany from August 31 to September 3rd. The event features a $12,000 guaranteed prize fund and a lecture by IM Jay Bonin, the most active player in USCF history. Find full details on chesstour.com.
78th Annual Southwest Open
Look for more information on this major Grand Prix at dallaschess.com.
Colorado Open Tournament
This five round event will feature special guest GM Alex Yermolinsky. Find full details at colorado-chess.com/
68th Ohio Chess Congress
Find out more about this 40 Grand Prix point event in Richfield, Ohio at http://progresswithchess.com/
72nd New England Open
Look for pre-registered lists on http://www.masschess.org/ of the six-round Swiss held in Leominster, MA.
Send your own thoughts, photos and/or games to [email protected] for possible publication in a CLO series of round-up articles. |