ChessKid to Host 3rd National Championship

PRESS RELEASE -- Chess.com LLC March 17th, 2014:

ChessKid.com is set to host the 3rd Annual Online National Chess Championship, June 6th-8th 2014. First founded in June of 2012, last year's event was the second ever "online" National Chess Championship. The event is both USCF Rated and recognized as the only National Championship of its kind.

IM Rensch's full recap of last year's event can be found here, but as he explains, events of this nature represent a rare opportunity for America's most talented youth to square off only against players of similar age, strength and experience. The "by-invitation-only", round robin format is just one of the things that makes this tournament a special occasion - and with all the games played online - travel expenses and other logistical inconveniences are not an issue in bringing the nation's best together.

Though the 2014 edition will feature fewer rounds, as well as less players per section, we believe this year's format will provide for an even better experience, with tougher competition in each matchup. We have also added a section (so nearly the same amount of players overall will participate) to include the youngest ever (as far as we know) Round Robin Championship: a "6 and Under" section.

Here are a couple of the decisive games from last year's event. All four of the kids below are still ranked amongst the top in the country (USA) for their respective age groups, and will all be receiving invitations to compete again this year.

Balaji Daggupati vs Kevin Chor - Final Round, Under 8 Division

Justin Paul vs Carissa Yip - Final Round, Under 10 Division

UPDATE:

For updated player listings, please see ChessKid.com

Full details, including rules and prizes, click here. Look for an updated announcement (closer to tournament time) once the field of 30 players is confirmed.

ChessKid.com is the "scholastic extension" of the world's largest chess website - Chess.com. By bringing so many of the nation's best and brightest youth chess players together for an event of this magnitude, ChessKid.com and the USCF hope to provide more exposure for the great game of chess, as well as all the benefits the game has on a child's cognitive development and critical thinking skills.