At age 10, chess master is already an old pro Sam Sevian holds the title of youngest U.S. chess master — for now. The average age of chess masters has been steadily falling for years, but recently, that pace...
American chess news
Chess: Three tie at Tal MemorialBy Jack Peters, Special to the Los Angeles TimesNovember 21, 2010 The Tal Memorial in Moscow ended in a three-way tie last Sunday among Levon Aronian of Armenia, Sergey Karjakin of Russia and Shakhriyar...
Grand Prix was a treat for fans
Jack PetersJune 6, 2010 Ukraine grandmaster Pavel Eljanov, probably the least-known of the world’s leading players, won the sixth Grand Prix tournament in Astrakhan, Russia. Eljanov’s 8-5 score in the round robin gave him a distinct edge over his...
The power of youth
Grandmasters are getting younger By Jack PetersMarch 14, 2010 Richard Rapport of Hungary just completed the requirements to become a grandmaster at age 13 years, 11 months, 15 days, the fifth-youngest ever. A thrilling accomplishment, no doubt. But chess...
Relentless Topalov
Relentless Veselin Topalov wins againBy Jack PetersMarch 7, 2010 The great double round robin in Linares, Spain, ended in a dramatic victory for world championship challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Like a crafty pitcher who wins without his best...
Chess prodigy Ray Robson winning in Corus Chess tournament
Chess prodigy Ray Robson winning in Corus Chess tournament Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times January 20, 2010To this point, my blog posts have centered on Hikaru Nakamura, the reigning U.S. chess champion who is in the hunt to...
Chess is a young man’s game
Kramnik wins Dortmund, againBy Jack Peters, International MasterJuly 19, 2009 Vladimir Kramnik of Russia won the elite double round robin in Dortmund, Germany, with an undefeated score of 6 1/2 -3 1/2 . Of course, the former world champion...
Jack Peters’ LA Times column
ChessBy Jack Peters, International MasterMarch 15, 2009 The Los Angeles Chess Club conducted the Big Bang Open last weekend. Grandmaster Melikset Khachiyan won the 32-player tournament of one-hour games with a score of 5 1/2 – 1/2 . Joel...
Western States Scholastic Championships
By Jack Peters, International MasterMarch 8, 2009LA Times The Western States Single Grade Scholastic Championships attracted 304 players two weekends ago in Ventura. Winners by grade: Armen Sarkissian, 5 1/2 – 1/2 in grades 9 to 12; Brendyn Estolas,...
New year, same teams on top
New year, same teams on topBy Jack Peters, International MasterFebruary 22, 2009 Maybe chess is predictable. The U.S. Amateur Team Championship West uses a rating limit that supposedly gives more teams realistic chances to win, yet the same teams...