Maryland Chess Association

Special Announcement re: MD Sweet 16 2017

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by John D. Rockefeller V

Even if the player did not compete in a Maryland-Sweet-16 Qualifier during the 2016-2017 qualifying season, a K-12 player who is rated 1600+ and is a MD resident (or a student at a school in MD), may qualify by rating for the MS16, if the player contacts MCA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 2017.02.16.

Click below for why MCA has decided to grant this rare exception.

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5th Annual Washington International Report

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Going into the last round of the 5th Washington International four players were tied with 6/8 (GM Kamsky, GM Holt, GM Moradiabadi, and IM Kiewra) closley followed by five players a half a point behind and it looked like for the first time there would not be a sole winner of the title. But, in the end the only player in the top score group able to win their game was GM Elshan Moradiabadi giving him sole first place and $4000. Five players were equal second, GM Ilya Smirin, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Conrad Holt, IM Keaton Kiewra, and IM Arthur Shen earning them all $1190.

Read more: 5th Annual Washington International Report

Results of MD's 2016 Denker, Barber, & Girls Representatives

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by John D. Rockefeller V

Congratulations to Maryland's 2016 Denker, Barber, & Girls Representatives:

• MD's High-School Champion Alexander Davydov (2125), a 12th grader at Thomas S. Wootton HS, received MCA's HS Chess Champion Stipend of $500 to be the MD Representative at the Denker Tournament of High School Champions, where he tied for 32nd place;
• MD's Middle-School Champion Andrew Zheng (2269), an 8th grader at Clarksville MS, received MCA's MS Chess Champion Stipend of $500 to be the MD Representative at the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions, where he tied for 2nd place;
• MD's Girl Champion Skylar Hsu (1512), a 4th grader at Pointers Run ES, received MCA's Girl Chess Champion Stipend of $500 to be the MD Representative at the National Girls Tournament of Champions, where she tied for 18th place.

Click below for the Final Standings of the Denker, Barber, & Girls tournaments:

Read more: Results of MD's 2016 Denker, Barber, & Girls Representatives

2016 US Cadet Championship July 23-27, Rockville

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The Maryland Chess Association will again be hosting the US Cadet Championship this year. This is an invitational for the top under-16 players in the US. This year we will have a field of 10 players. The tournament runs from July 23nd to the 27th at the Rockville Hilton. The live games, standings, and pairings will be at http://uscadet.mdchess.com. The time control is 40/90, SD/20 + 30". The games for the first four days are at 11am and 5:30pm. The final round on Wednesday starts at 10am. The winner receives a scholarship to UMBC and the top three receive free entry to the 5th Annual Washington International. This year's field is balanced and strong. There are only 160 rating points from the 1st to last seed and everyone is rated over 2300. The full field is below.

Spectators are welcome.

Denis Strenzwilk (1940-2016): in Memoriam

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by Allan Savage    

Denis passed away April 14, 2016. He was 75. He got hooked on chess in 1958 while he was a freshman at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY. His first USCF tournament was played in DC in 1961 where he acquired a 1600 rating. In graduate school at Clarkson University, he met a group of ardent chess players and reached 1900-2000 strength. Graduating in 1968 with a Ph.D in solid state physics, he moved to Maryland and took a job at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds where he spent his entire working career.

Read more: Denis Strenzwilk (1940-2016): in Memoriam

2016 MD Girl Champion

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by John D. Rockefeller V

Congratulations to the 2016 MD Girl Chess Champion: Skylar Hsu (1427), a 4th grader at Pointers Run ES. The Champion will receive the $500 MCA Girl Chess Champion Stipend to be the MD Representative at the National Girls Invitational Tournament & will receive free Early entry to MCA’s Washington International.

Click below for the tournament’s Final Standings (MCA's Crosstables), US Chess Crosstables, photos (if available), & highlight video (if available):

Read more: 2016 MD Girl Champion

Score-based Prizes FAQ

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What are the advantages of score-based prizes for players?

• The prize for a given score is never shared. Therefore, your prize only depends on your performance. This is different than place-based prizes where things outside of the player's control affect how many people share a given prize.
• The prizes do not depend on the number of entries in a section. So, a low turnout in a section does not lead to lower prizes like in a based-on prize tournament.
• There is no need to wait for other games to finish to determine how much you have won. Once your game is over, you can receive your check.
• Players will be motivated to play for the win. Since the total of the prizes is always higher when the result of a game is decisive, the incidence of quick draws is less.

  Read more: Score-based Prizes FAQ

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