National K-12/Collegiate Championships

Organizers, coaches, and tournament directors from the great State of Texas,

Greetings!

As you should know by now, the 2007 National K-12/Collegiate Chess Championships will take place in the city of Houston, 7-9 December. Last year, many of your students were among the 1540 participants at the K-12/C in Florida and they did not disappoint! Five of them won National titles — Raymond Sun in Kindergarten, Jonathan Chiang in 1st grade, Jarod Pamatmat in 4th, Sylvia Yang in 5th and IM Daniel Fernandez in the Collegiate division. Actually, six champions counting 2nd grader Tom Polgar. Little Tom was not a Texan then, but he is now! That was, indeed, a great accomplishment!!! I know you are very proud of your National Champions and all the other Texas students who made the trip to the Sunshine State. They all performed superbly!

This year, the event takes place in your “backyard”! Well…Texas is so big that Houston may not exactly be your “backyard,” but you know what I mean! In spite of that, surpassing last year’s number of National Champions will be no easy task as many outstanding players from other states will be in attendance as well.

With just over a month before the event, we have almost 400 students registered. Just over one-third are from Texas, but the state of New York already has 82 players registered and I know Florida, Arizona and New Jersey will be well represented, as will other states!

I am asking for your support in encouraging students to participate in this National event! Show the rest of the Nation that things are, indeed, bigger in Texas! Please make announcements at your tournaments and club meetings and feel free to forward this email to others. The deadline for the tournament early registration rate is this coming Friday, November 9th, so tell them to hurry. After Friday, they will still be able to register, but the entry fee, of course, will be higher.

Lets have a Texas-big Championship where good competition, friendship and good sportsmanship will prevail!

For tournament details, please see http://main.uschess.org/tournaments/2007/k12/ . Junior Tournament Memberships are not available for USCF National Events.

By the way, before the National Grades, we have the 11th Annual Texas Grades and Collegiate Chess Championships at the Woodlands, November 17-18. Please encourage your students to participate in that event also! For details, please see
http://www.swchess.com/sce/tourney/tgandc07/tgandc07.htm

All the best,
Francisco L. Guadalupe
USCF National Tournament Director
Chief Tournament Director, 2007 National K-12/Collegiate Chess Championships
http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlTnmtDir.php?12421314