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The Karpov Chess School
ended its 2009 schedule of activities with the Ninth Annual Lindsborg Open on
December 19. In an unusual
turn of events, 16 year-old Thorton Bonner, of Spring Valley, Kansas decided to
enter the Lindsborg tournament, although he had never played in a U.S. Chess
Federation (USCF) sanctioned event.
After five grueling rounds, Bonner found that he tied for first place,
along with fellow Kansans Taimoor Noor, Jason Wawrzaszek, and Vladimir
Inglesias.
"This is the ninth
consecutive year that we have held the Lindsborg Open," said Chess School
Director Tom Brownscombe. "It is
always held around Christmas, so it's now established as part of the chess
tradition in the Midwest."
Noor won the first place
trophy, based on tiebreaks, and Bonner took home the trophy for best result by
an unrated player. Chess
players typically compete in their own rating category, determined by USCF ratings,
to assure they are paired with players with similar skill levels. Kansas Chess Association treasurer
Laurence Coker, Overland Park, and James Smith of Missouri shared first place
for players rated under 1800.
Fifth grader Brian Jiang
of Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita earned 3 points to win the first place
trophy for players rated under 1600. C.J. Armenta, who traveled from Missouri, also scored
3 points to earn first place in the under 1500 category.
The Purdy family from
Oxford, Kansas, have become well known in chess circles by winning numerous
team and individual championships in scholastic tournaments. Gabriel Purdy took home the
trophy for the best performance by a player rated under 1300. His sister Hannah, who is the current
Kansas Girl's Champion, won the first place trophy for best performance by a
female.
Lindsborg fifth grader
Tristan Donaldson won the trophy for best performance by a player rated under
1000. "It's good to see
local students compete in our tournaments," said Marck Cobb, president of the
International Chess Institute of the Midwest (ICIM). "We hope to increase this number in the upcoming year." ICIM, a non-profit charitable
corporation, owns and operates the Karpov Chess School.
Scholarships and Chess Camps
Through the generosity of
donors, the chess school awarded 17 scholarships to area students to attend the
two chess camps held at the Karpov School in July. Many students would not have been able to attend without the
scholarships. Students attending the weeklong camps were treated to instruction
by one of the top chess grandmasters in the United States. Grandmaster Var Akobian, winner of the
2007 World Open, not only taught the students chess, but also showed them the
finer points of soccer during their free time. The chess school's director, Tom Brownscombe, worked
alongside Grandmaster Akobian and Chris Purdy to provide instruction to the 49
students from throughout the United States who attended the camps.
President Marck Cobb and Karpov in Russia
In June, Marck Cobb and
his son Layton, at their own expense, boarded a plane to Moscow; at the same
time Mikhail Korenman and three other families from Chicago also boarded a
plane for Moscow. The combined
group of seven adults and seven young people became known as the "American
Delegation." The group had a their
photo taken in Red Square before going to meet Anatoly Karpov. Karpov and the American Delegation
boarded another plane to Surgut, arriving around midnight. Upon getting off the plane, they were
greeted by a display of Northern Lights. "We couldn't see any darkness between sunrise and sunset," said
Cobb. After a couple of bus rides,
the group arrived in Poikovski, a small town in Siberia where Karpov has a
chess school. Some in Lindsborg
may recall, it was Poikovski that sent a number of their young people to
Lindsborg to compete and get to know their host families.
Poikovski boasts a
cultural center that serves 22 smaller surrounding communities. Their cultural center employs seven
instructors, who in turn provide instruction to about 500 students.
Over the next few days,
students from both countries competed with one another, and despite language
difficulties they managed to make some friendships. Another Lindsborg alumni flew in to join the main
tournament; Grandmaster Alexander Onischuk visited Lindsborg on several
occasions, where he taught at the chess school. Other grandmasters from throughout the world also arrived
for the competition. The
American student team placed fifth out of several teams in the Poikovski Youth
Tournament.
Upon leaving Poikovski,
the Americans made their way to St. Petersburg and Moscow where they relaxed
and toured. The Russians were
holding another tournament in the city of Voronezh, the 13th
International Chess Festival. The
Americans took the train to Voronezh and played several matches with Russian
students. Karpov Chess School
president Marck Cobb offered a scholarship to any student who would fly to
Lindsborg.
"It was a wonderful
experience for students from different countries to get to know one another," said Cobb "It's all possible
because of chess."
Director Brownscombe and Area Schools
Director Tom Brownscombe
expanded the chess school's reach by teaching chess in the local schools, such
as St. Mary's in Salina, Canton-Galva, and the Lindsborg Virtual School. Tom also officiated at several national
tournaments during 2009.
Brownscombe won the Kansas
State Chess Championship in July.
The Kansas championships have been held in Lindsborg for several
years. This is the second Kansas
Championship win for Brownscombe.
He previously won it in 2007. He is also the former Nevada State Champion.
Social Chess
The Karpov Chess School
hosts social chess nights every first and third Thursday of each month at
7p.m. Beginners are welcome. More information can be obtained by
going to the school Website: www.anatolykarpovchessschool.org
or call 785-227-2224.
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