The coaches working with this year’s team include Armen Ambartsoumian, Joel Benjamin, John Fedorowicz, Aviv Friedman, Michael Khodarkovsky, and Sergey Kudrin.  Friedman will also serve as Head of Delegation for the US contingent.

One challenge for the players and coaches is the adjustment to a new time zone and the jet lag which follows the lengthy trip to Turkey.  In addition, the World Youth is one of the premier events for this level and the competition is intense throughout the 11-round tournament.  The Opening Ceremonies are slated for November 17^th with the first round to being the following day.  A free day on the 23^rd provides the players with a small rest before continuing the grueling schedule which ends with the Closing Ceremonies on the 28^th.

This year’s players and the categories within which they will compete are as follows:

Girls Under 18
NIKOLOVA, ETTIE               VA
KATS, ELINA                      NY
KERR, JULIA k                     NY

Girls Under 16
MELEKHINA, ALISA              PA
MARSHALL, ABBY                VA
JAMISON, COURTNEY           TX
LIVSCHITZ, LOUIZA             CA

Girls Under 14
DAI, YANG                          VA
LIU, JENNIE S                      NJ
VEMPATI, GAYATRI              TX

Girls Under 12
KUZNIATSOVA, ALENA         NY
MATLIN, ANNA                     NJ

Girls Under 10
CHIANG, SARAH                   TX
XIANG, ELLEN                      TX

Girls Under 8
XIANG, EVAN                       TX
LIAO, SIMONE                      CA

Boys Under 18
LIU, ELLIOTT                        CA

Boys Under 16
ARNOLD, MARC TYLER           NY
HARPER, WARREN                 TX
SHANKLAND, SAMUEL L          CA

Boys Under 14
ROBSON, RAY S                    FL
SHEN, VICTOR C                   NJ
GETZ, ALEC                         NY
YEE, MICHAEL                      CA
TANAKA, CHRISTIAN              CA

Boys Under 12
NARODITSKY, DANIEL A          CA
YANK, DARWIN                      TX
HEUNG, CHRISTOPHER             FL

Boys Under 10
LUO, BRIAN J                        WI
KRISHNAN, VARUN                 CA
PAMATMAT, JAROD                TX

Boys Under 8
CHIANG, JONATHAN                TX
LIN, DACHEY                         TX

The United States Chess Federation (USCF), founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is now headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. USCF 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 over 80,000 members. For additional information on the USCF see: http://www.uschess.org.