Jeremy Chen triumph in Parsippany!
2.18.2008
The oustanding victory of Jeremy Chen against a chess player 765 rating points above him, crowned the TAG student as the best upset in the third round of the U.S. Amateur Team East (Parsippany, NJ)
Conducting the white pieces, Jeremy with the rating of 996 in the USCF, defeated Joline James (1761) in 29 moves of the Fianchetto Variation of the King's Indian Defence.
The tournament was runned for three days from February 16 to 18, and reunites around two thousand chess players.
Jeremy acted as captain and first board of the TAG 2 team which included to Aravind Kumar, Nolan Fortin and Jay Yalamanchili.
Representing TAG were also the 'veterans' of the 2007 competition Kevin Zhang, Brandon Borden, George Didita and Daniel Selyutin.
Daniel individually completed five victories out of six games.
This is the first time that TAG in Princeton, the successful private chess program in Princeton area, attends with two teams in Parsippany.
"I feel very exhausted but the experience that our kids got, worth the effort" mentioned Elena Didita, coordinator of TAG for this event and other chess activities outside Princeton.


TAG 2 team from the left: Jay, Nolan, Aravind and Jeremy



Veterans of 2007 Daniel and George.


Brandon and Kevin, also veterans of 2007

Three USA Titles for TAG students in Houston!

Major Success for Princeton TAG at Houston Grade Nationals
By Valerie and Harry Vanselous

     Six determined members of Princeton TAG traveled to Houston, Texas in
December 2007 to compete in the National Scholastic K-12/Collegiate Championship.
All played their hardest, three returned as National Champions. 

     Aravind Kumar and Joel Anthony Pena were TAG’s frontrunners at the tournament. Kindergarten star Aravind Kumar, a student from Montgomery Township, won his grade level with 6 points. Kumar came out on top of a three way tie and was victorious over 48 kids. Joel Pena, a student from the Princeton Day School, was the 4th grade champion with 6.5 points. Pena finished 1st out of 169  4th graders.  

     Marko Van Selous, a 2nd grade student from Hopewell Township also won a National Title. With 4.5 points, Marko won a trophy for placing first in the 600-799 section for his grade. Marko placed 28 out of 119 2nd grade players.

     Other TAG participants at Houston were Rishi Rajendran [3.5 points], 6th grader Kevin Zheng [3.5 points] and 7th grader Jeremy Chen [2.5 points]. Playing seven games of chess was not enough for first grader, Rishi, of West Windsor, N.J. Rishi also chose to participate in the Blitz Championship. He scored a total of 3.5 points.

     The members of TAG had a thrilling experience at the Houston Grade Nationals. All enjoyed the competition. Playing seven games over a three day period against some of the best chess players in the country was an intense learning experience. We know that our son, Marko, though nervous and overwhelmed at times, learned strategies and skills he will take with him to other tournaments and life events. As his parents, we were pleased to see that Miguel prepared each student for the challenges they were to meet at Houston both months prior to the tournament and during the event. He was always there for the kids – to review games, to congratulate, to console, and to inspire. Miguel treats all his students as winners – and they are.    


Aravind Kumar, 5 years old USA Chess Champion in action during Houston tournament


Joel Pena and Aravind Kumar, exhausted but proud after tremendous achievement.


Marko Vanselous, USAChess Champion in 2nd. grade at the U-800 section

Back at the training area, Rishi Rajendran, Aravind Kumar and Jeremy Chen, just returning from Houston

Kevin Zheng and Marko Vanselous, already in preparation for the next one.


Brandon Borden, champion of New Jersey 2007!
09.01.2007
The 61st. version of the Open Championship of Chess in New Jersey was won by TAG student Brandon Borden with perfect score in five rounds of the under 1200 rating section.
This perfect performance demonstrate the power of his game as well as terrific improvement and justify his position  as the NUMBER ONE in his category in New Jersey State!

Brandon Borden first step with the masters
08.11.2007
At the famous Marshall Chess Club in New York, Princeton TAG student Brandon Borden had a discrete participation but show his potential by sustaining a wonderful game against the master Vladimir Polyakin.

Polyakin, Vladimir  L.  (2128) - Borden, Brandon (1136) [B06]
Marshall Chess Club, New York, NY

NY SUMMER UNDER 2300 11.08.2007
[Fritz 10 and MI]
B06: Modern Defence

1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.c3 Nf6 4.Bd3 0–0 5.e5 [5.Nf3 d5 6.e5 Ne4 7.0–0 c5 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.Bxe4 dxe4 10.Qxe4 Bf5 11.Qh4 Qd5 12.Be3 Rfe8 13.dxc5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.Nd2 Rad8 16.Qa4 Bb8 17.Rfd1 Bd7 18.Qb3 Qh5 19.Nf1 Bc6 Sokolovs,A (2520)-Vokac,M (2450)/Germany 1995/GER-chT2/½–½; 5.Be3 d6 6.h3 Nc6 7.Ne2 e5 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 c6 10.c4 b5 11.b3 a6 12.0–0 cxd5 13.cxd5 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 f5 15.N4c3 e4 16.Bxe4 fxe4 17.Bd4 Bh6 18.Nxe4 Nxd5 19.Bb2 Bb7 Sitaric,A (2058)-Tomerlin,S (2282)/Osijek 2004/EXT 2005/1–0] 5...Nd5 Black has a cramped position. Black's piece can't move: c8 6.Nf3N [6.f4 d6 7.Nf3 c5 (7...dxe5 8.dxe5 c6 9.Na3 Nd7 10.Be4 Nc5 11.Bxd5 cxd5 12.0–0 b6 13.Be3 Ba6 14.Rf2 Ne4 15.Rc2 Rc8 16.Rcc1 Qd7 17.Nc2 Rfd8 18.a4 Qc7 19.Ncd4 Bc4 20.a5 bxa5 21.Qa4 Rb8 22.b3 King,D (2435)-Davies,N (2410)/Germany 1986/GER-chT/1–0 (49)) 8.Be4 Nc7 9.Qe2 cxd4 10.cxd4 d5 11.Bc2 Nc6 12.0–0 Bg4 13.Be3 Ne6 14.Qd2 Rc8 15.Nc3 Na5 16.b3 Nc6 17.a3 f6 18.exf6 Rxf6 19.Ne5 Bf5 20.Bd1 Nc7 Vega Holm,F (2350)-Palacios de la Prida,E (2260)/Marchena 1991/EXT 2002/½–½] 6...d6 7.0–0 Nc6 8.Re1 [8.exd6 exd6 9.Qb3 Nb6=] 8...Bg4 [8...dxe5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.dxe5=] 9.exd6² Qxd6 [9...exd6 10.h3 Be6 11.Na3²] 10.Nbd2


Position after 10.Nbd2

e5! (excellent move) 11.Nc4 Qe7 12.h3 [12.Ncxe5?! Bxe5 13.Bd2 Rfe8²] 12...Bxf3 13.Qxf3 [13.gxf3?! Qh4 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Rad8=] 13...Nb6 [13...Rad8±] 14.Nxe5 [¹14.Bf4!? Nxc4 15.Bxc4+-] 14...f6² Secures g5.  15.Bc4+ Nxc4 16.Qd5+ White forks: c4+g8


Position after 16.Qd5+

16...Kh8?? [16...Rf7 17.Nxf7 Qxf7² (‹17...Qxe1+ 18.Kh2 Qe7 19.Nh6+ Kh8 20.Qxc4+-) 18.Qf3] 17.Nxg6+!+- Decoy: g6 17...hxg6 18.Rxe7 Nxe7 1–0

Click here to replay the game

Susan Polgar was defeated by 11 years old Pavel Temkin!
03.17.2007
Even when the situation occurred in a simul game, the young fifth grader of Princeton Charter School introduced a novelty with his sixth move against the former World Champion!


Working hard at Princeton Charter School Chess Program in Princeton,
Pasha methodically improves every Tuesday next to 25 chess players of PCS..

RR. Thanks to Galina, proud mother of Pasha for providing the pictures
Thanks also to Susan Conlon for her great shots.

By ChessBase News Chess World Sensation:
GM Magnus Carlsen, a 14 years old boydefeats GM Alexei Shirov, number ten at the world ranking! 01.04.2005
Here's the situation: a 14-year-old boy has to play a tournament game against one of the most dangerous players in the world, one of the top ten no less. But it is firebrand Alexei Shirov who succumbs to the ferocious attack and relentless pressure of his youthful opponent. Illustrated report.
Drammen International Chess Festival 27.12.2004 – 05.01.2005 http://www.buskerudsjakk.org/?location=001&language=eng
Round seven of the Smartfish Chess Masters saw women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova score her first full point in this tournament - and a fine victory it was, over Kjetil Lie, who is trying to complete his GM norms. Luke McShane, who is in good form, defeated former world champion Alexander Khalifman's B20 Sicilian. But the game of the day was the encounter between the world's youngest GM, Magnus Carlsen, and one of the top ten players in the world, Alexei Shirov. Magnus had not been having a great tournament so far, but you wouldn't know it by the way he tackled Shirov. The 14-year-old threw everything he had at his opponent's king in one of the most exciting games of the tournament. Carlsen,M (2581) - Shirov,A (2726) [C95] Smartfish Masters Drammen NOR (7), 03.01.2005 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.Nf1 Bf8 14.Ng3 g6 15.b3 c6 16.Bg5 Bg7 17.Qd2 Qc7 18.a4 d5 19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.Nxe5 Qxe5 21.Bf4 Qe6 22.e5 Nd7 23.Bh6 Bh8 24.f4 Qe7 25.Re3 Nf8 26.Rf1 c5 27.f5 d4 28.cxd4 cxd4 Playing against one of the most dangerous super-GMs in the world the boy leaves his rook hanging and goes for a kingside assault: 29.fxg6!? hxg6? 29...dxe3 30.gxf7+ Qxf7 31.Rxf7 exd2 32.Rxb7 Rad8 33.Bd1 Rxe5 would have worked fine for Black. 30.Nf5. Carlsen has no inclination for the defensive 30.Qxd4, he is after blood. 30...gxf5 31.Rg3+ Ng6 32.Bxf5 Qxe5 33.Rg4 Bg7 34.Bxg6 fxg6 35.Rxg6 Re7 36.Rf4. White's last move threatens 37.Rfg4 with a winning attack. But instead of 36...Bc8 Shirov finds the wrong defence: 36...Be4? 37.Rg5. Now Black doesn't have the vital queen check on e3. 37...Qe6 38.Bxg7. Black cannot recapture: 38.Bxg7 Rxg7 39.Rxg7+ Kxg7 40.Qxd4+ Kg8 41.Rxe4 leaves White with two pawns and a devastating attack. 1-0. So Magnus was a bit fortunate, but he earned his luck with a very spirited game against "fire-on-the-board" Alexei Shirov. In this picture Carlsen has just played his final move, 38.Bxg7. Shirov realises that he is lost At the end of the game Magnus was in terrible time trouble, and the audience was crossing their fingers, hoping for a draw. After the game the young lad told the audience that he had felt comfortable with his position all the way through the game. This sounded a bit strange, because GM Østenstad in the commentary room had been much more pessimistic. Shirov did not comment on his game. He was upset that he had lost to a blunder. pictures by Rune Elven

GM Gildardo Garcia at the Forum
		Grandmaster Gildardo Garcia won the closed Chess Tournament on August 20, at the facilities of the Chess Forum, with a impressive result of +7 =3 -0. At the event participated also FM Jairo Moreira, FM Angel Mera, Raul Marquez, the 9 years old Christopher Shimizu, and the president of chesskidsny.com, Miguel Iñiguez.

Irina vs. Almira in NY
	Irina Krush, the top rated woman in United States will face Almira Skripchenko , female champion of France, at the Russian Samovar, 256 W 52ndStreet, on September 16 http://www.accoona.com/sponsored_events.aspx

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