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Wayne Mendryk's Blog

August, 2007:

Updated September 23, 2007

XIX Festival Scacchistico Internazionale 
August 21 - 29, 2007
153 players, 9 rounds.  The event was won by Jones Gawain C B (2526) with 7.5/9.  Chess femmes who participated and their final standings:  (32) Kononenko Tatiana (2393) 5.5;  (34) Hamdouchi Adina-Maria (2287) 5.5;  (38) Calzetta Monica (2278) 5.5;  (53) Lymar Irina (2274) 5.0;  (77) Smokina Karolina (2205) 4.5;  (113) Arnetta Maria Teresa (2008) 3.5;  (135) De Nisi Roberta (1836)  2.5;  (140) Tittarelli Edith (1446) 2.5;  (142) Dubois Martine (2073) 2.0;  (149) Gvilava Maya (2046) 1.0.

Dateline: August 19, 2007 
From The Miami Herald
Teen proves she's a queen of chess board
After four tries, high school senior Eunice Rodríguez won a prestigious chess tournament and a full four-year college scholarship.

BY LUIS F. SANCHEZ
El Nuevo Herald

Cuban-American chess player Eunice Rodríguez, 17, won the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls, one of the nation's most prestigious chess tournaments.

Rodríguez shared first place with Julia Kerr of Queens, N.Y. The tournament was held in Cherry Hill, N.J., July 29 to Aug. 3.

Each player won a full scholarship for four years at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

''It was my fourth consecutive participation in this tourney, and I was able to top it successfully,'' Rodríguez said.

To Rodríguez's credit, in her last match she defeated Ettie Nikolova, of Virginia, who, with an Elo rating of 2033, was the top player among the 49 finalists.

The Elo rating, used by the U.S. Chess Federation, is based on a player's won-lost record. ''To tell you the truth, I didn't expect to win the title,'' said Rodríguez, whose Elo rating is 1758. ``There were players better placed than I. But I played under no pressure and was surprised to finish in first place.''

It should surprise no one that Rodríguez is an excellent chess player.

Born July 19, 1990, in Miami, to Cuban parents, she learned the game at an early age. Her father, Oscar, is a chess coach and Spanish-language teacher. Her brother Eric, 18, is a national master, one of the youngest in Florida.

''I grew up in an environment where the playing of chess was encouraged, and that helped me a lot,'' Eunice said.

Thanks to her excellence in chess, Rodríguez earned a scholarship to University School of Nova Southeastern University in Davie, where she is a senior.

She has been trained by some of the best coaches in the area, such as World Chess Federation masters Victor Delgado and Marcel Martínez, and grandmaster Julio Becerra.

Encouraged by her victory in New Jersey, Rodríguez prepares for next month's Miami Chess Open, organized by international master Blas Lugo, which will hand out $100,000 in prizes.

''I will participate with my brother [Eric] in the Miami Open,'' Rodríguez said. ``It is a great opportunity to play against major stars in world chess.''

Winning the Polgar Invitational was a grand experience for Rodríguez. The tournament -- named after Susan Polgar, 31, a Hungarian-born player who won four Women's World Championships and garnered five Chess Olympiad medals -- is nationally renowned.

''It was an unforgettable experience,'' said Eunice's father, Oscar Rodríguez. 'The tournament's Internet site mentions the `brutal offensive' in the last game that allowed Eunice to gain first place.''

Dateline: August 11, 2007
From the Croydon Guardian 
Pupil’s move to chess final 
By Graham Moody 
(Note by JanXena:  I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Sheila is model-pretty and er, rather precocious for her age).

A schoolgirl from Croydon is in with a shout of winning this year's junior UK chess challenge, after beating 74,000 rivals to reach the final.

Sheila Dines, 14, has made it to the last 65 after winning her southern final last month.

And, after finishing as joint top girl in the competition last season, it is hoped the Old Palace pupil will go one better this year.

The youngster from Sanderstead will be competing against boys and girls aged between five and 18-years-old for the £2,000 first prize at the North Leamington Arts and Community College in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

The top girl player will also receive £1,000 - which Sheila shared after winning four of her six matches last year.

Mike Basman was the British chess champion in 1973 and organises the chess challenge. He said: "The aim of the tournament is to make chess inclusive, as it is very directed to intellectual boys at the moment. We want to get all ages playing and girls playing too.

"Sheila has always been one of the most successful girls in Surrey and has been playing since she was seven or eight years old. Last year, she won £500 for coming joint top girl and is in with a definite chance of going better this year."

The tournament is not a straight knock-out but instead sees each player play six games under the Swiss system. This means they compete against other players performing the same as them. For example, a player who has won three out of three games will face-off against someone who has done the same.

1:57pm Saturday 11th August 2007

Predeal International Chess Festival
August 8 - 18, 2007 
There were four events under this umbrella.  The International Open was 9 rounds with 184 players, won by IM Ciprian-Costica Nanu (ROM 2507) with 7.5/9.  Chess femmes who participated and their final standings:  (18) IM Lela Javakhishvili (GEO 2460), 6.0;  (22) IM Szidonia Vajda (HUN 2410), 6.0;  (38) IM Corina-Isabela Peptan (ROM 2411), 5.5;  (43) WIM Iozefina Paulet (ROM 2241), 5.5;  (57) WIM Iulia-Ionela Ionica (ROM 2261), 5.0;  (70) WIM Paloma Gutierrez Castillo (ESP 2131), 5.0;  (76) WGM Anya Corke (Hong Kong), 5.0;  (83) Horia Stoicescu (ROM 2030), 4.5;  (85) WGM Sopio Gvetadze (GEO 2371), 4.5;  (86) Adrian-Marian Petrisor (ROM 2161), 4.5;  (87) WFM Irina Bulmaga (MDA 2158) 4.5; (89) Teodora Traistaru (ROM 2137), 4.5;  (90) WGM Evgeniya Doluhanova (UKR 2218), 4.5;  (92) WIM Ioana-Smaranda Padurariu (ROM 2212), 4.5;  (93) WIM Anna Rudolf (HUN 2275), 4.5;  (94) WIM Corina Gheorghe (ROM 2247), 4.5;  (108) WFM Svetla Jordanova (BUL 2136), 4.0;  (110) WIM Angela Dragomirescu (ROM 2227), 4.0;  (128) Adeline-Ramona Uta (ROM 2041), 4.0;  (129) Angelica Babei (MDA 1964) 4.0;  (131) Andra-Marina Chirita (ROM 2056), 3.5;  (132) FM Silvia-Raluca Sgircea (ROM 2132), 3.5;  (133) Diana Baciu (MDA 2048), 3.5;  (146) Elizaveta Bogdan (MDA 1880), 3.5;  (148) Ionica-Alexandra Stoican (ROM 1856), 3.5;  (149) FM Anca Teodorescu (ROM 2040), 3.0;  (150) FM Maria-Eugenia Ursente (ROM 1999), 3.0;  (154) Gabriela-Liliana Negrut (ROM 1985), 3.0;  (159) Sabina Popescu (ROM 2014), 3.0;  (160) Ana Denisse Sevastian (ROM 770), 3.0;  (164) Anca-Andreea Manea (ROM 1705), 2.5;  (169) Ivona Emma Sevastian (ROM 486), 2.5;  (172) Maria-Ruxandra Ilie (ROM 1858), 2.0;  (174) Mihaela-Andreea Dumitrescu (ROM 478), 2.0.

The European Women's Blitz Chess Championship final standings:

European Women's Rapid Chess Championship final standings: