Emergency Note

Please do NOT visit www.nachess.blogspot.com

Someone has hijacked the blog and is using it as a spam blog.

Our blogsite is www.nachess.org/blog.html now.

Thank you,

Sevan A.Muradian

Player Substitution

Unfortunately IM-elect Jan van de Mortel will not be able to participate in the GM-A event next month. But he has found a replacement for himself!

IM Giorgi Margvelashvili (GEO) will be taking his place.

Take a look at the FIDE player card for this 16 year old powerhouse:

http://www.fide.com/ratings/card.phtml?event=13602926

Over 100 rating points in 1 rating period!

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian

Congrats!

To Mehmed Pasalic who is participating in the IM-C group. He is on schedule to receive his FM title.

Info can be found at http://www.fide.com/official/regularfm.phtml (under GER federation).

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian

Onsite Commentator

It gives me great pleasure to announce that GM-elect Pascal Charbonneau will be present at the event giving live commentary. Pascal, who received his final GM norm in January at this event, will begin commentating from Round 5 throughout the end.

We will shortly announce a commentator for Rounds 1-4.

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian

An update to the Battle Field!

Unfortunately IM Roberto Martin del Campo will be unable to participate in GM-A event due to committments with the Mexican Chess Federation but a replacement has been found!

It is none other than the Silver Medal winning US Womens Olympiad team member IM Irina Krush!

With the addition of Irina this event will be host to the 3 top active female players on the US Chess scene - IM Irina Krush, IM-elect Anna Zatonskih, and WGM Rusa Goletiani. Now if I could only get GM Susan Polgar and WGM Jennifer Shahade to a tournament of mine I'd have the entire Silver Medal Olympiad team!

So the GM-A section now is:

GM-A; Average rating of the event 2494; 6/9 for GM norm

GM Y. Shulman - USA - FIDE 2581 (playing in the US Championships!)
GM V. Mikhalevski - ISR - FIDE 2570
GM N. Mitkov - MKD - FIDE 2552
IM B. Finegold - USA - FIDE 2563 (playing in the US Championships!)
IM S. Smetankin - BLR - FIDE 2485
IM J. Freidel - USA - FIDE 2455 (playing in the US Championships!)
IM S. Kriventsov - USA - FIDE 2449 (playing in the US Championships!)
IM I. Krush - USA - FIDE 2447 (playing in the Women's World Chess Championships!)
IM-elect A. Zatonskih - USA - FIDE 2433 (playing in the US Championships!)
IM-elect J. van de Mortel - NED - FIDE 2412

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian

The Dates of Battle has been set!

April 18 - April 22, 2006

Morning rounds @ 11am
Evening rounds @ 5:30pm

Only 1 round on Saturday April 22.

Time Control - G/90 + 30/sec increment from move 1.

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian

The Battle Site Has Been Set!

AmeriSuites Schaumburg Hotel
1851 McConnor Parkway
Schaumburg, Illinois 60173
Phone: (847) 330-1060
Fax: (847) 330-1001
Toll Free: 1-800-833-1516

The Field is Set!

After some tedious work of getting in contact with people, finding replacements, juggling FIDE requirements, the field has been set. We have good representations from the USA and Mexico. I was hoping for more Canadian players but schedule conflicts were abundant. IM Lawson is carrying the name of our neighbors to the north here!

Please note these are ratings from the Jan 2006 rating list. The April 2006 rating list is to be used for the event. As a result, required scores for norms could change up or down depending on flucuations in participant ratings.

GM-A; Average rating of the event 2493; 6/9 for GM norm

GM Y. Shulman - USA - FIDE 2581
GM V. Mikhalevski - ISR - FIDE 2570
GM N. Mitkov - MKD - FIDE 2552
IM B. Finegold - USA - FIDE 2563
IM S. Smetankin - BLR - FIDE 2485
IM J. Freidel - USA - FIDE 2455
IM S. Kriventsov - USA - FIDE 2449
IM R. Martin del Campo - MEX - FIDE 2433
IM-elect A. Zatonskih - USA - FIDE 2433
IM-elect J. van de Mortel - NED - FIDE 2412

GM-B; Average rating of the event - 2421; 7/9 for GM norm, 5/9 for IM norm

GM V. Golod - ISR - FIDE 2577
GM V. Georgiev - MKD - FIDE 2539
GM D. Gurevich - USA - FIDE 2503
IM R. Burnett - USA - FIDE 2397
IM M. Scekic - SCG - FIDE 2395
IM E. Lawson - CAN - FIDE 2383
WGM R. Goletiani - USA - FIDE 2378
IM A. Almeida - MEX - FIDE 2369
IM D. Kopec - USA - FIDE 2362
FM P. Bereolos - USA - FIDE 2307

IM-C; Average rating of the event - 2292; 6.5/9 for IM norm for all players except Pasalic and Sorkin; 7/9 for Pasalic and Sorkin with 1 point short for cutoff for 6.5/9

GM M. Sher - USA - FIDE 2431
GM A. Bisguier - USA - FIDE 2256
CM M. Pasalic - GER FIDE 2363
CM I. Sorkin - ISR - FIDE 2365
FM R. Hess - USA - FIDE 2328
FM I. Tsyganov - USA - FIDE 2281
CM A. Rios - MEX - FIDE 2244
CM P. Karagianis - USA - FIDE 2226
FM A. Chow - USA - FIDE 2220
CM A. Vishnuvardhan - IND - FIDE 2205

Update - Group IM-A

The latest addition to the event is FM Igor Tsyganov of Chicago.

So we currently look like:

IM-C (or IM-A I guess would be more accurate) has the following invitations accepted:

GM M. Sher - USA - FIDE 2431
GM A. Bisguier - USA - FIDE 2256
CM M. Pasalic - GER FIDE 2363
FM R. Hess - USA - FIDE 2328
CM I. Sorkin - ISR - FIDE 2365
CM P. Karagianis - USA - FIDE 2226
CM A. Visneurchi - IND - FIDE 2205
FM A. Chow - USA - FIDE 2220
FM I. Tsyganov - USA - FIDE 2281
+1 more response

Avg rating of event should be around 2300 - 6.5/9 for IM norm

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian

Update: Chicago Spring FIDE Invitational

We are getting closer to having the full roster. All ratings are from Jan 2006 list.

GM-B is currently set with all players:

GM V. Golod - ISR - FIDE 2577
GM V. Georgiev - MKD - FIDE 2539
GM D. Gurevich - USA - FIDE 2503
WGM R. Goletiani - USA - FIDE 2378
IM A. Young - PHI - FIDE 2380
IM I. Scekic - SCG - FIDE 2395
IM R. Burnett - USA - FIDE 2397
IM D. Kopec - USA - FIDE 2362
IM E. Lawson - CAN - FIDE 2383
IM A. Almeida - MEX - FIDE 2369

Avg rating of event is 2428 - 7/9 for GM norm, 5/9 for IM norm (Goletiani)

GM-A is almost set waiting for 1 more invitation acceptance:

GM Y. Shulman - USA - FIDE 2581
GM V. Mikhalevski - ISR - FIDE 2570
GM N. Mitkov - MKD - FIDE 2552
IM B. Finegold - USA - FIDE 2563
IM-elect J. van de Mortel - NED - FIDE 2412
IM J. Freidel - USA - FIDE 2455
IM S. Smetankin - BLR - FIDE 2485
IM A. Zatonskih - USA - FIDE 2433
IM S. Kriventsov - USA - FIDE 2449
+ 1 more

Avg rating of event is 2495; 6/9 for GM norm

IM-C (or IM-A I guess would be more accurate) has the following invitations accepted:

GM M. Sher - USA - FIDE 2431
GM A. Bisguier - USA - FIDE 2256
M. Pasalic - GER FIDE 2363
FM R. Hess - USA - FIDE 2328
I. Sorkin - ISR - FIDE 2365
P. Karagianis - USA - FIDE 2226
A. Visneurchi - IND - FIDE 2205
FM A. Chow - USA - FIDE 2220
+2 more responses

Avg rating of event should be around 2300 - 6.5/9 for IM norm

More info as I get it.

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian