76th Annual Southwest Open

Just received this TLA for the 76th annual Southwest Open. This year the tournament is being held in Corpus Christi for the first time since 1945!

A Heritage Event!
September 3 or 4 - 6 76th Annual Southwest Open
7SS, Best Western, 300 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401.$$ 8350 (based on 175 entries) GTD, 3 Sections and scholastic side events: Open (This section is FIDE rated but uses USCF rules.) Rds. 1-3 G/90 with 30 sec. increment, rds. 4-7 G/120 with 30 sec. increment: $$ 1,000-500-250, U2400 $300. U2200 $800-400. Reserve: Under 2000 & unrated. Rds. 1-7 30/90 SD/1, rd. 1 of three day is G/120 (deduct 5 min. for delay). $$ 800-400-200. B $$ 600-300-150, C 500-250-125, Unrated $100. Unrateds only eligible for unrated prize. Novice: Open to Under 1400. Rds. 1-7 30/90 SD/1, rd. 1 of three day is G/120 (deduct 5 min. for delay). $500-250-125, U1200 $400, U1000 $300. ALL: TCA membership required. Other states accepted. . EF: $79 if received by 8/26, $89 at site. $68 Junior(U19) if received by 8/26 else $78, Senior (over 65)/Handicapped/ additional family participant $48 if receive by 8/26 else $60. Re-entry $50 not available in Open section. Add $5 for CC phone entries; pre-reg requires pre-payment. After 8/28/10 all registration and changes on site only; all changes including withdrawals, $10 after 8/28/10. 4 day: Reg. Friday 9/3, 6:15 pm-7:15. Rds. Fri.: 7:45, Sat: 2:30 pm & 8:00 , Sun.: 12:30 pm & 6:15, Mon.: 9 am & 2:45 pm. 3 day: Reg. Sat. 9/4 9-9:30 am, Rd. 1 at 10 am then merge with 4 day. Foreign Unrated must play in Championship section. Registrations that do not indicate 4 or 3 day schedule will be put in the 3 day. HR: $90/$90/$90/$90. 361-883-5111 reserve by 8/14?? and ask for Chess rate. Free Parking. Up to two 1/2 pt byes available if requested before end of rd. 2, but byes for both rd. 6 AND 7 not permitted. TCA Meeting at 10 am on 9/5

Send all entries and make checks payable to “Postal Center Plus” to the following:

SWOPEN,
7917 McPherson Rd, Suite #205-500
Laredo, TX 78045
76th SW open @ Corpus Christi

USCF Number: ___________ Rating: ____ Exp Date: _____

Last Name: _________________ First Name:__________ MI: __

Address: _______________________ City: _______ Zip: ___

E-mail:_________________________________________

Section Circle all that applies): Open Reserve Novice 3-day 4-day

Saturday Scholastics: (Open) (under 750)

School: _______________Grade: _______ DOB: __________

Request Bye Rounds ____ (½ pt. for first bye only)

I am a USCF member: yes / no I am TCA member: Yes / no

Total Enclosed: ________

K-12 Scholastic on Saturday, 9/4. 5-SS, Rds. 1-3 G/30, rds. 4-5 G/45, EF: $15 by 8/26, $25 after; Pre-reg. requires pre-payment. After 8/28/09 all registration and changes on site only; all changes $10 after 8/28/10. No refunds after 8/28/10, $10 handling fee for refunds before 8/28/10. Entries do not count toward base in Championship and Amateur. Registration 8:00-8:40 am, Rd. 1 at 9:30 am, rest ASAP with small lunch break. Sections: K-12 Championship and K-12 U750. Prizes: Trophies to top 10 individuals, three teams in each section. K-12 U750 also top three unrateds. Medals to plus scores who do not win a trophy. Ent: Checks to “Postal Center Plus” and mail to the following: SWOPEN, 7917 McPherson Rd, Suite #205-500 Laredo, TX 78045. Info: vis@consultant.com, (956)717-8384. NS. NC. W. FIDE. WCL JGP.

2010 US Class Championships

Another big national is returning to Texas this year!

October 1-3
5SS, G/120 (2-Day Option, Rd 1, G/60), $10,750 b/200 full paid entries, 70% Guaranteed. Junior entries, all Class E, and Unrated Section count as 2/3. Free entry for GMs. Free entry for IMs, deducted from winnings. Hilton Hobby Airport, 8181 Airport Blvd, Houston, TX 77061, www.houstonhobbyairport.hilton.com . Free parking! $89 HR! 713-645-3000, Group Code: USCC. 8 Sections, Rated players may play up one class only. MASTER (2200/up), FIDE Rated, $1,200-550-300 (U2400: 400-200-100), EXPERT (2000-2199), $800-400-200, CLASS A (1800-1999), $800-400-200, CLASS B (1600-1799), $800-400-200, CLASS C (1400-1599), $800-400-200, CLASS D (1200-1399), $800-400-200, CLASS E (U1200), $300-200-100, Unrated, $300-100. National Class Champion title and plaques to each Class winner. Tie-breaks: MSCO. EF: $75 postmarked or on line by 9/24, $85 after. Special EF: $45 by 9/24 ($55 after) for all players in Class E, Unrated Section, and Juniors U18 in Class C or D. No checks on site. 3-Day Schedule: Registration Fri (10/1) 5-7pm. Rds. Fri 8pm, Sat 1pm & 6:30pm, Sun 9:30am & 2:30pm. 2-Day Schedule: Registration Sat (10/2) 8-9am. Rds. Sat 10am, 1pm (merges with 3-Day Schedule) & 6:30pm, Sun 9:30am & 2:30pm. Byes for all rounds, must commit before end of Rd 2. SIDE EVENTS: 5-min BLITZ, Sat after Rd 3, 2 sections, entries will be split in Upper and Lower, $10 EF on site, 75% returned in prizes; SCHOLASTIC TOURNAMENT, 5SS, G/30, One day only, Sat 10/2, $20 by 9/24, $25 after. Sections: K-3, K-6, K-9, K-12. Prizes: Trophies to top 10 in each division. All scholastic players in this side event will receive a commemorative medal. ENTRIES: Mail to USCF, ATTN: 2010 US Class, P.O. Box 3967, Crossville, TN 38557. Enter online: https://secure.uschess.org/webstore/tournaments.php . Tournament website link at uschess.org. Info: flguadalupe@aol.com, (713) 530-7820. WCL JGP.

2010 US Junior Open

July 23-25, 2010
6SS, G/120. Hilton Hobby Airport, 8181 Airport Blvd, Houston, TX 77061, www.houstonhobbyairport.hilton.com . Free parking! $89 HR valid until 7/19, Reserve early! 713-645-3000, Group Code: USJO. 4 Sections based on age: Under 21, Under 15, Under 11 and Under 8. July Rating Supplement. Ages for entry and prizes as of 1/1/2010. U21: $500+entry to 2011 US Junior Closed - $250-$125-$75-$50. Individual plaques to top three overall, plaques for best player age 18, 17, 16, 15, Under 15. U15: Individual trophies to top five overall, trophies for best player age 14, 13, 12, 11, Under 11. U11: Individual trophies to top five overall, trophies to best player age 9, 8, 7, Under 7. U8: Individual trophies to top five overall, best player 6 & Under; honorable mention trophies for all others U8. Commemorative medals for all participants. Teams: Trophies to top three school teams and top club team in each of the four sections. Top four scores, minimum of three, count towards team score in each section. Byes: One half-point bye, any round except Rd 6, if requested before Rd 1. EF: $35 postmarked or on line by 7/9, $50 after 7/9; no checks on site. Schedule: Onsite registration, Fri 8:30 – 11:00am. Opening Ceremony, Fri 12:30pm. Rounds, Fri 1pm & 6pm; Sat 9:30am & 2:15pm; Sun 9am & 1:30pm. Awards Ceremony 6:00pm (approx). Side Events: Blitz, U21 & U11. Sat 6:30pm, EF: $15 by 7/9, $20 on site. Bughouse: One section, Sat ASAP after Blitz, EF: $25 per team, on site only. Parents and Friends Tournament (not rated): 3SS, G/30, Sat, Rds 10:30, 2:30 & 4:00pm. EF: $10, on site only. Prizes: Trophies to top three plus one USCF Premium membership for each five participants. ENTRIES: Mail to USCF, ATTN: 2010 US Junior Open, P.O. Box 3967, Crossville, TN 38557. Enter online: https://secure.uschess.org/webstore/tournaments.php . Tournament website link at uschess.org. Info: flguadalupe@aol.com, (713) 530-7820. WCL JGP.

2010 Texas State Championship

Here's the official TLA for the 2010 Texas State Championship. I'll add links to the official site and online registration once they're available.

May 28-31 or 29-31 Texas State and Amateur Championship 7SS, Crowne Plaza Dallas Near the Galleria,14315 Midway Road, Addison, TX 75001 http://www.cpgalleria-nr.crowneplaza.com 972-980-8877 or 800-972-2518 $$8350 b/175 full entries 75% Guaranteed, 2 Sections and scholastic side events: Championship (Open to players with USCF or Fide ratings of 2000 or greater and last year's Amateur Champion. This section is Fide rated but uses USCF rules.) Rds 1-3 G/90 + 30 sec increment, Rds 4-7 G/120 + 30 sec increment: $$1000-500-250, U2400 $500, X $700-300. Amateur: U2000 & unrated. Rds 1-7 30/90 SD/1, Rd 1 of 3 day is G/120 (deduct 5 min. for delay). $$800-400-200. B $$600-300-150, C $500-250-125, U1400 $500-250-125, U1200 $400, U1000 $300 Unrated $200. Both: TCA membership required. Other States Accepted. EF: $74 if received by 5/21, $85 at site. $65 Junior(U19) if received by 5/21 else $77 (juniors count as 90% toward base), Senior(over 65)/Handicapped/additional family participant $45 if receive by 5/21 else $60 (Senior /Handicap/ Additional family particpant counts 60% toward base). Add $5 for CC phone entries; pre-reg requires pre-paymt. After 5/26 all registration and changes on site only; all changes including withdrawals, $10 after 5/26. 4 day: reg Friday 5/28, 6:15pm-7:15. Rds Fri: 7:45, Sat: 2:30pm-8:00, Sun: 10am-4:00, Mon: 9am-2:30. 3 day: Reg Sat 5/29 9-9:30 am, Rd 1 at 10 am then merge with 4 day. Foreign Unrated must play in Championship section. Registrations that do not indicate 4 or 3 day schedule will be put in the 3 day. HR: $84/84/84/84. 800-972-2518 reserve by 5/11 and ask for Dallas Chess Tournament rate. free parking. Up to two ½ pt byes available if requested before rd 2, but byes for both rd 6 AND 7 is not permitted. K-12 Scholastic on Saturday, 5/29. 5-SS, Rds 1-3 G/30, Rds 4-5 G/45, EF: $28 by 5/21, $40 after; CC phone entries add $5. Pre-reg. requires pre-paymt. After 5/26 all registration and changes on site only; all changes $10 after 5/26. No refunds after 5/27, $10 handling fee for refunds before 5/27. Entries do not count toward base in Championship and Amateur. Registration 8:15-8:45 am, Rd 1 at 9:30 am, rest ASAP with small lunch break. Sections: K-12 Championship and K-12 U750. Prizes: Trophies to Top 12 individuals, 5 teams in each section. K-12 U750 also top 3 unrateds. Medals to plus scores who do not win a trophy. Ent: Dallas Chess Club, C/O Barbara Swafford, 2709 Longhorn Trail, Crowley, TX 76036. Info: Barb Swafford, 214-632-9000, info@dallaschess.com www.dallaschess.com NS. NC. W. FIDE

TCA on Facebook!

Dear Texas Chess Players,

TCA now has a fan page on Facebook! We hope this will facilitate communication and interaction with Texas Chess Players.

* Any Facebook member can become a fan of the Texas Chess Association

* Any fan can quickly and easily add content to the page’s wall including links to tournament results, photos, events, news and links to tournament results

* We are considering moving more of our published content on-line. This fan-page will allow us to do so and reach a new audience.

To become a fan, visit our Facebook page and click on 'become a fan’.

Thank you in advance for your consideration,

Clemente Rendon
TCA President

Scholastic Championship Results

Results from the State Scholastic Championship, held last weekend in Dallas:

Collegiate
High School
Middle School
Elementary
Primary / K-1

South Houston Open - this weekend!

Sorry for the late notice, but there's a big event in Houston this weekend, with $5,000 in guaranteed prizes. Several strong players have already pre-registered, including:

GM Alejandro Ramirez, 2616
GM Axel Bachmann, 2602
IM John Bartholomew, 2499
IM-Elect Max Cornejo, 2473
IM Alfonso Almeida, 2448
FM Darwin Yang, 2377
FM CJ Arvind, 2317
FM Chris Land, 2248

The Cajun Chess website has more information. Online registration is available.

State Scholastic Championship - 2 weeks away!

The biggest scholastic event of the year is just two weeks away. If you haven't registered yet, there's still time. Early registration discounts are available until Feb 11th.

Visit the swchess.com website for more information.

Team Championship results

2010 Texas Team Champions: Matthew Michaelides, Bob Shao,
Alex Chua, Jeffrey De Jesus

18 teams (77 players) participated in the 2010 Texas Team Championship in Austin over the weekend. This is probably the largest turnout ever for this event, and certainly the largest in the USCF's online database, which goes back to 1992.

First place ($500 + trophy) went to "Your Queen Wants to Mate Me", a Houston-based team captained by NM Alex Chua. They scored 4-0, a half-point ahead of Austin's "Barely Legall", led by FM Michael Langer. In the under-1900 section, "Austin Powers" took first with 3 points.


First place under-1900: George Qi, Austin Jiang, Alexander Jiang, Matthew Liu

The Team Championship has traditionally been a 4-round event, but with more than 16 teams in the field, a 5-round schedule would guarantee that two teams don't each finish with perfect scores. Also, in this year's event, the first and second place teams never faced each other.

Board prizes:
Board 1 - FM Michael Langer (4.0)
Board 2 - Seth Thompson (4.0)
Board 3 - Bob Shao (3.5)
Board 4 - Josh Newsham, Arindam Raina, Matthew Michaelides (3.5)

Thanks to TD Lori Balkum for an extremely well-run event!

Last call for Texas Team Championship

There's still time to sign up for the 2010 Texas Team Championship, being held this weekend (Jan 9-10) in Austin. It looks like we'll have a great field, with 12 teams already registered, including players from Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. You don't need a team of masters and experts to compete! There are U1900 team prizes as well as individual board prizes.

Jan 5 update: 14 teams
Jan 6 update: 15 teams
Jan 7 update: 17 teams
Jan 9 update: 18 teams!