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The 2010 Copper State International, presented by Abstrax Inc Tournament Hall

GM Giorgi Kacheishvili enjoys a composition, setup by IM Stopa, during the opening ceremony...

It was our goal from the outset to create the highest quality chess environment, both over the board and “in the halls”; so the fact that every player completed the event was not a mew point at all — it was a big deal! How did we attempt to ensure this?  First and foremost, we asked for a commitment from the players: For many of our participants, we added an extra fee — required up front  — that was only to be reimbursed upon completion of the event. We did this not to demand or control anyone’s ability to leave the field if they were unhappy, but simply to make clear “before kick-off”, exactly what we expected from each player during the tournament.

With the Copper State International, we believe that when you enter a tournament you are making a commitment to not only fight hard for your own goals, but to compete your hardest amongst your peers as they try to achieve theirs. We founded the tournament on this ideal, and we intend to hold to it.  As organizers and hosts, we also made a pledge to the players: To do our absolute best in providing a completely comfortable, cooperative, and productive atmosphere that would guarantee a high level of chess to be played. We tried to do this in any way we could before, during, and after the event — and we will only try to get better with every year…

Owner of Abstrax, Inc - John Lalonde - and IM Danny Rensch caught on camera during the event

Even Super-GMs (Daniel Fridman) enjoy a little Bug-House!

Now, onto the chess! In the top section (A-Group) last year’s “Sole” Champion was this year’s Co-Champion. GM Timur Gareev (who at this point has already gone onto win the National Open) tied for first place with IM (now with two GM Norms) Mackenzie Molner. Pictures of both are below. Each player finished with six points out of nine.

Grandmaster Timur Gareev celebrates his "Armageddon Blitz" win -- and therefore the right to take home the trophy -- as Co-Champion Mac Molner looks on.

Mackenzie Molnar receives his "GM-Norm Congratulations certificate" from Arbiter, Jon Haskel, as Danny Rensch looks on.

Also in the A-Group, IM Sam Shankland (who missed out on his final GM Norm by a half point) and GM Alejandro Ramirez tied for 3rd place:

Please ignore Alejandro's Shirt!

There were several other great players competing in the A-Group. Placing tied for 5th-8th place were GM Alex Lenderman, IM Nikolay Andrianov, IM Irina Krush, and IM Dean Ippolito — all finishing with four points. 9th and 10th places were shared between IM John Bartholomew and IM Jacek Stopa.  Although there were many incredible battles, IM Nikolay Andrianov (featured below) took home the Best Game Prize for his 2nd round win over IM Jacek Stopa.

IM Nikolay Andrianov (white pieces) dedicated his win to the late former World Champion, Vassily Smyslov.

Just the A-Group...

All Participants of the 2010 Copper State International, presented by Abstrax Inc!!!

In the B-Group (which it should be noted was not the “B” Group because of the caliber of players, but simply because it wasn’t a Round Robin. In fact, the average rating of the top ten players would have surpassed those in the “A”) we saw a three way tie for first place between GM Daniel Fridman (the tournament’s strongest player at #84 in the world), Giorgi Kacheishvili, and Mikhail Kekelidze.

Left to right: IM Rensch, GM Kacheishvili, GM Fridman, GM Kekelidze, and John Lalonde.

Grandmaster Fridman lead the field by a full point heading into the last round, and had apparently already played all of his “tough” competition. He was forced with a pairing a full point and a half out of his score group against IM David Pruess. Well Mr. Pruess, who had gotten off to a slow start, had finally found his stride… GM Fridman felt the wraith of David’s aggressive style and lost in 26 moves!

IM David Pruess delivers a crushing blow to GM Daniel Fridman in the final round!

This startling result threw the B-Group final standings for a loop, and so an Armageddon Blitz Match between our three Co-Champions would have to decide the clear winner. GM Fridman made quick work of his competitors however, beating both Kacheishvili and Kekelidze 2-0 each, to take clear first.

Splitting fourth, fifth and U2500 FIDE honors were GM Mesgen Amanov, Siddharth Ravichandran, and IM David Pruess.

Left to Right: IM Daniel Rensch, IM Pruess, Ravichandran, GM Amanov, and John Lalonde

Capturing prize money and an IM-Norm each were Conrad “Thunder-Holt” and Keaton “Special K” Kiewra!

"Thunder-Holt" and "Special K" were quite the dynamic duo as far as attacking chess goes in this year's tournament!

Arizona’s own, FM Robby Adamson, reached a long time goal by earning his final IM-Norm. Robby showed great perseverance by rebounding from a tough Chicago Open result. His tournament was so strong in fact, he was among the leaders throughout and even had chances for a GM-Norm heading into the final rounds.

FM (or should we say IM-Elect) Robby Adamson was all smiles after his big achievement.

Taking first place in this year's Qualifier was local expert John M Williams. John will join the main event next year...

Click here to view the complete final standings.

Although we believe all the participants enjoyed the tournament, perhaps no one more than Daniel Fridman. Daniel and his wife, Anna Zatonskih, even made a donation in support of the tournament and of American Chess Events LLC’s goal to raise $2,000.00 — to be donated directly to the Cardon Children’s Medical Center — during the Copper State. A goal which we reached!

Daniel Rensch, on behalf of all the sponsors of the 2010 Copper State International, presents Cardon Children's Medical Center with a check for $2,000.00! We did it!!!

Final thanks from ACE Chess to Abstrax Inc, and to all those who helped make this event possible. See you next year, June 2nd-9th 2011 in Arizona!

Alex compiled a list of GM Hikaru Nakamura’s greatest games, and he displayed exactly how “Naka” wins in the Opening, the Middlegame, and the Endgame. Here is an excerpt of what GM Yermolisnky covered, and we hope that all those present enjoyed the lecture. Thanks for coming…

The players kick off their 1st Round games, as Dan Adelberg, left, looks on...

To ensure that the field of players would be worthy of the challenges GM Yermolinsky and the other titled players would present, the minimum rating bar was set at 1800 USCF. Although this kept the field of participants rather small, what the tournament lacked in size it made up for in strength. The pairings were done in the “Scheveningen” format to prevent the players  from competing against those within their own rating class. Four teams, A, B, C, and D were created,  and the pairings were then done accordingly. In this way, all the players were given their “guaranteed number of games against 2200+ competition”, without the need of pairing(s) manipulations out of score group.

GM Alex Yermolinsky (far left) plays black against Arizona State High School Champion, John Williams. David Adelberg also squares off against Daniel Pecherski.

The pairings were done on Friday afternoon, and the cross-table was then emailed out to all the participants to allow time for preparation for their opponents. When everyone arrived on Saturday morning, a few opening statements were made by Daniel Rensch, and the games began. We will be posting most (if not all) the games from the tournament in our Featured Games section of the web site. Check em out, and leave your thoughts too!

After making a few opening statements, Danny had to sit down and play chess just like the rest!

International Master, Mark Ginsburg, was among the titled players set to "take on the challengers"...

The final standings turned out almost all decisive results! “Team A” finished in the top three places as expected, but fourth place belonged to Dipro Chakraborty of Group C! Dipro had the upset of the tournament when he took down IM Daniel Rensch in round 4, and he finished strongly with a draw against GM Alex Yermolinsky. Perhaps the tournament of Dipro’s young career, and well deserved was his 1st place prize of $200 for Best Under 2200!

Daniel Rensch presents Dipro Chakraborty with his 1st place, Under 2200, prize of $2 Million Dollars!!! Just joking, $200 bucks...

Leave your comments and questions if any… Stay tuned for details on how you can participate in one of GM Alejandro Ramirez’s many events taking place from February 26th-March 7th! Thanks to everyone who participated, and we will see many of you on the 13th of February for the Master Trek Grand Prix Cup tournament at ASU.

Yermo, Rensch, and Jonathan Booher analyze Booher's only loss of the tournament.

Over the next couple of days I am going to be posting some pictures, each with a quick description, from the Tucson Open last weekend. In Tucson, GM Yermolinsky and I helped a small team of 6 players during the tournament. Game Review as well as Game Preparation for the upcoming rounds is where Alex and I focused with the students.

Most of the participants of “Team Yermo” finished with great tournaments. Their results were as follows:

• John Gurczak had a great tournament in the Open Section (gaining over 30 rating points) and finished with 4 out of 5.
• Fitch (Tiger) Rensch, also playing the Open Section, finished with 2.5 points out of 5. Only Tiger’s 5th tournament in 5 years!
• Bill Pace had a rough go, but enjoyed the analysis and “prep” as he was trying out new openings. Finished with half a point.
• Jonathan Booher finished with 3.5 out of 5 in the Reserve, and gained over 40 rating points! Great tournament for him…
• Soren Alethia-Zomlefer also faired well in the Reserve Section, finishing with 3 points out of 5, despite a tough start.
• Finally, Thayer-Alethia-Zomlefer also finished with 3 points in the Booster Section and gained a coupe points along the way.

Despite the small group of participants, I believe the “event” was a real success. For those involved, receiving several hours of analysis and preparation, certainly made the trip worth it. Yermo and I were able to give valuable insight and advice to each student immediately following their games. I believe this was very effective, because their ideas and plans were “still fresh in their heads”. We hope those involved enjoyed the experience. Comments, critiques, and ideas are always appreciated… For a full list of the Tucson Open Results, click here.

UPDATE: Master Level Players confirmed for ACE Showdown on January 30th-31st: GM Alex Yermolinsky, IM Dionisio Aldama, FM Pedram Atoufi, NM Leo Martinez, and NM David Adelberg! Sign up by clicking here (registration closed to players rated 1700 + USCF).

Starting with the first Master Trek Grand Prix Cup tournament of 2010, American Chess Events LLC will be providing yet another opportunity for all of Arizona’s youth chess players to further their goals of chess excellence. The “ACE Chess Grand Master Intensive” program will be a week consisting of private lessons, group sessions, game review, and even the opportunity for tournament play against one of the world’s strongest Grand Masters!

Each program will consist of an ACE “Showdown” tournament, continue with a series of private lessons, move onto “Game Review” by the Grand Master(s) during the Master Trek tournament(s) at ASU, and end with a Strategy Session(s) designed for players rated at least 1600+…

Please review the details below to see if you qualify to be apart of one or more of these events set to take place during the spring of 2010. Details vary with each event, so be sure to fully review each schedule.  Sign up for what you are most interested in, or sign up for the entire program and receive one of many discounts.

Tucson residents should contact ACE Staff member Leo Martinez via email: Chopotin@yahoo.com for more information.

GM Intensive Week #1: January 23^rd-31^st, 2010 – GM Alex Yermolinsky

Ratings: USCF 2587; FIDE 2528 – Ranking: Nation #35 (USA); World #611.

GM Alex Yermolinsky

• January 23^rd-24^th – “Team Yermo” Goes to Tucson Open!

Grand Master Alex Yermolinsky and International Master Daniel Rensch will be “taking a team” to the Tucson Open for Game Analysis and Preparation during the tournament. Limit of 10 participants to guarantee time and quality analysis for each player. All games will be reviewed. Registration is $50 for a day of analysis, and $75 for the weekend.

• January 25^th-29^th – Private Lessons upon request and availability. Currently available time slots include:

1)      Monday January 25^th, 3pm-4:30

2)      Monday January 25^th, 5pm-6:30

3)      Tuesday January 26^th, 3pm-4:30

4)      Tuesday January 26^th, 5pm-6:30

5)      Wednesday January 27^th, 3pm-4:30

6)      Wednesday January 27^th, 5pm-6:30

7)      Friday January 29^th, 3pm-4:30

8)      Friday January 29^th, 5pm-6:30

*NOTE: Private Lessons available to all regardless of rating/experience; seats will be given on a “first come first serve” basis; students must be able to travel to the ACE Chess Club in Mesa for lessons. After making payment, ACE Chess will send you a confirmation via email, at this time you may request your preferred time slot.

Private Lessons $100 an hour. Must make full deposit upon accepting invitation.

On Thursday January 28^th, GM Yermolinsky will host a  three hour Strategy Session at the ACE Chess Club (Mesa Location 845 E. 7th St. Mesa, Arizona 85203).

• January 30^th-31st ACE “Showdown” tournament.
  

ACE “Showdown” Tournament: The purpose of the Showdown is to provide ambitious players with the chance to compete against Master Level competition in a serious tournament environment. Each player will have the opportunity to review their games amongst the titled players throughout each day of play. IM Danny Rensch will be present for the sole purpose of Game Review, just in case the titled players competing do not have time. Every player is guaranteed at least three games against 2200+ Rated Competition.

GM Intensive Week #2: Feb. 27^th-March 7^th 2010 – GM Alejandro Ramirez

Ratings: USCF 2623; FIDE 2546 – Ranking: Nation #1 (Costa Rica); World #358.

GM Alejandro Ramirez

• February 27^th-28^th – ACE  Showdown tournament.

ACE “Showdown” Tournament: The purpose of the Showdown is to provide ambitious players with the chance to compete against Master Level competition in a serious tournament environment. Each player will have the opportunity to review their games amongst the titled players throughout each day of play. IM Danny Rensch will be present for the sole purpose of Game Review, just in case the titled players competing do not have time. Every player is guaranteed at least three games against 2200+ Rated Competition.

• March 2nd-5^th – Private Lessons upon request and availability. Currently available time slots include:

1. Tuesday March 2^nd, 3pm-4:30
2. Tuesday March 2^nd , 5pm-6:30
3. Wednesday March3^rd, 3pm-4:30
4. Wednesday March 3^rd, 5pm-6:30
5. Friday March 5^th, 3pm-4:30
6. Friday March 5^th, 5pm-6:30

*NOTE: Private Lessons available to all regardless of rating/experience; seats given on a “first come first serve” basis; students must travel to the ACE Chess Club in Mesa for lessons. After making payment, ACE Chess will send you a confirmation via email, at this time you may request your preferred time slot.

Private Lessons $100 an hour. Must make full deposit upon accepting invitation.

On Thursday March 4^th, GM Ramirez will travel to Tucson for a three hour Strategy Session on the U of A Campus. Registration is closed to players rated 1600+ USCF.  Strategy Session will take place from 4pm-7pm.

(Tucson Strategy Session is closed to 10 participants). Note that participants whom also compete in the ACE Showdown tournament will receive a $25 discount (reimbursed on site) to the Tucson Strategy Session. For more information, including how local Tucson residents may receive a significant discount to each GM Intensive Strategy Session, please contact Leo Martinez at chopotin@yahoo.com

Must make full deposit upon accepting invitation.

GM Alejandro Ramirez is the highest rated, and most accomplished Costa Rican chess player of all time...

• March 6^th – Master Trek Grand Prix Cup Game Review and Analysis.

*NOTE: Analysis will be available on a “first come first serve” basis for the first 10 players to register.

Game Review Fee: $50. Must make full deposit upon accepting invitation.

• March 7^th – ACE Chess Strategy Session.

*NOTE: Location, TBA. Time, 1pm-4pm. Registration open to 1700+ Rated Players only.

Register for the Showdown, two Private Lessons, Master Trek Game Review, and the ACE Chess Strategy Session (Phoenix location only) NOW for only $450 (mail only)!  Discount available while spots last! (Must be rated at least 1700 USCF to receive discount). Email Danny@AmericanChess.net for more information.

GM Intensive Week #3: Mar. 27^th-Apr. 4^th, 2010 – GM Giorgi Kacheishvili

Ratings: USCF 2647; FIDE 2583– Ranking: Nation #10 (Georgia); World #278.

GM Giorgi Kacheishvili

• March 27^th-28^th – ACE  Showdown tournament.

ACE “Showdown” Tournament: The purpose of the Showdown is to provide ambitious players with the chance to compete against Master Level competition in a serious tournament environment. Each player will have the opportunity to review their games amongst the titled players throughout each day of play. IM Danny Rensch will be present for the sole purpose of Game Review, just in case the titled players competing do not have time. Every player is guaranteed at least three games against 2200+ Rated Competition.

• March 1^st-5^th – Private Lessons upon request and availability. Currently available time slots include:

1. Monday March 29^th, 3pm-4:30
2. Monday March 29^th, 5pm-6:30
3. Monday March 29^th, 7pm-8:30
4. Friday April 2^nd, 3pm-4:30
5. Friday April 2^nd, 5pm-6:30
6. Friday April 2^nd, 7pm-8:30

*NOTE: Private Lessons available to all regardless of rating/experience on a “first come first serve” basis. Students must travel to the ACE Chess Club in Mesa for lessons. After making payment, ACE Chess will send you a confirmation via email, at this time you may request your preferred time slot.

Private Lessons $100 an hour. Must make full deposit upon accepting invitation.

*SPECIAL NOTE: In recognition of the Easter Sunday Holiday, ACE Chess will conduct its GM Intensive Strategy Sessions during the week of March 29^th-April 2^nd:

1) On Tuesday March 30^th: ACE Chess Strategy Session from 4:30-7:30pm. Registration Open to players rated 1600+ USCF only.

2) Wednesday March 31^st: ACE Chess Strategy Session from 4:30-7:30pm. Registration Open to players rated 1900+USCF only.

3) On Thursday April 1^st, GM Kacheishvili will travel to Tucson for a three hour Strategy Session on the U of A Campus.

(Tucson Strategy Session is closed to 10 participants). Note that participants whom also compete in the ACE Showdown tournament will receive a $25 discount (reimbursed on site) to the Tucson Strategy Session. For more information, including how local Tucson residents may receive a significant discount to each GM Intensive Strategy Session, please contact Leo Martinez at chopotin@yahoo.com

GM Kacheishvili has begun to establish himself as one of the elite Chess Trainers in this country. His top student, GM-Elect Alex Lenderman, is just one example of the results his coaching can offer.

• April 3rd – Master Trek Grand Prix Cup Game Review and Analysis.

*NOTE: Analysis will be available on a “first come first serve” basis for the first 10 players to register.

Game Review Fee: $50. Must make full deposit upon accepting invitation.

Register for the Showdown, two Private Lessons, Master Trek Game Review, and the ACE Chess Strategy Session (Phoenix location only) NOW for only $450 (mail only)!  Discount available while spots last! (Must be rated at least 1700 USCF to receive discount). Email Danny@AmericanChess.net for more information.