2013 U.S. Junior Championship Overview
The 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Championship is the top tournament event in the United States for players aged 20 and younger. It will feature 10 of the country's strongest up-and-coming chess players, and it is scheduled to be held at the Chess Club & Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, from June 13th through June 23rd.
The U.S. Junior Closed Championship is exciting on a number of levels. Not only do spectators get the opportunity to see the nation's rising stars go head-to-head for the title, these young players also typically put on a fantastic show, playing swashbuckling chess that is full of aggressive attacks, wild swings, briliancies, blunders and innovative play on both sides of the board.
With an invitation to the 2014 U.S. Championship on the line, these players come to Saint Louis ready to fight for a shot at the title.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Chess Club & Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will host the U.S. Junior Closed Championship. The format will be a standard 10-player round robin, and live play-by-play commentary will be presented each day by GMs Yasser Seirawan and Ben Finegold.
Meet the Field
| No. | Title | Name | Rating* | Invitation Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | IM | Danel Naroditsky | 2538 | Rating |
| 2. | IM | Victor Shen | 2511 | Rating |
| 3. | NM | Robert Perez | 2510 | Rating |
| 4. | IM | Kayden Troff | 2505 | Rating |
| 5. | FM | Jeffrey Xiong | 2483 | Rating |
| 6. | FM | Yian Liou | 2469 | Rating |
| 7. | FM | Sam Sevian | 2467 | Rating |
| 8. | FM | Atulya Shetty | 2446 | Wildcard |
| 9. | FM | Luke Harmon-Vellotti | 2434 | Wildcard |
| 10. | WFM | Sarah Chiang | 2238 | U.S. Open Invitation |
* Based on the April USCF ratings list.
Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | June 13th | 6:00 PM | Player Arrival, Opening Ceremony |
| Friday | June 14th | 1:00 PM | Round 1 |
| Saturday | June 15th | 1:00 PM | Round 2 |
| Sunday | June 16th | 1:00 PM | Round 3 |
| Monday | June 17th | 1:00 PM | Round 4 |
| Tuesday | June 18th | 1:00 PM | Round 5 |
| Wednesday | June 19th | REST DAY | REST DAY |
| Thursday | June 20th | 1:00 PM | Round 6 |
| Friday | June 21st | 1:00 PM | Round 7 |
| Saturday | June 22nd | 1:00 PM | Round 8 |
| Sunday | June 23rd | 11:00 AM | Round 9, Playoff (if necessary), Closing Ceremony |
Prize Fund
|
Place |
Prize |
Place |
Prize |
|
1st |
$3, 000 |
6th |
$600 |
|
2nd |
$2, 000 |
7th |
$500 |
|
3rd |
$1, 500 |
8th |
$400 |
|
4th |
$1, 000 |
9th |
$300 |
|
5th |
$750 |
10th |
$250 |
|
Total Prize Fund: $10, 000 |
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Meet the Arbiter
Assistant Arbiter: Tony Rich, FA, IO, STD
Tony Rich is a FIDE Arbiter and International Organizer as well as a USCF Senior Tournament Director. Rich serves as the Executive Director of the Chess Club and Schoalstic Center of Saint Louis and was the assistant arbiter for the 2010 and 2013 U.S. Championship. He has also been an assistant tournament director for the 2009 Supernationals, 2010 U.S. Open, 2010 Denker Tournament of High School Champions, 2010 Girls Junior Open 2010 College Tournament of Champions, and 2013 SuperNationals.
In addition, he is one of only 22 FIDE International Organizers in America. In this role he has successfully organized major events including four U.S. Championships, four U.S. Women’s Championships, three U.S. Junior Closed Championships, international matches and a variety of other high-level tournaments. In both 2009 and 2010 Rich was named the U.S. Chess Federation's "Organizer of the Year" and was on the Barber Tournament of State K-8 Champions and the Denker Tournament of High School Champions organizing committees in 2011.
Tony has traveled extensively since 2008, serving as the head of delegation for the American teams at various events, including FIDE Olympiads, World Team Championships and the Pan American Team Championship. He is a member of the FIDE Swiss Pairing Program Commission, the FIDE Social Chess Commission and the USCF International Relations Committee. In addition, Tony also serves as an adjunct professor in the department of elementary education at the University of Missouri - Saint Louis.
Tony is originally from Saint Louis, Missouri and has a bachelor's degree in computer science from Missouri University of Science & Technology. He spent a number of years working in the IT industry before spearheading the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
