31st Southern California Championship
July 11-14, 2019
Welcome to the official site of the 31st annual SCCF state invitational championship. Thank you to all of our donors whose generous contributions made this year's event possible.
Standings
Standings
| No. | Player | USCF Rtg |
1 RS |
2 GS |
3 MC |
4 ML |
5 BX |
6 AB |
7 BS |
8 ML |
Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Shlyakhtenko | 2381 | X | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6½ | 1st Place, $$2,000 |
| 2 | Gabriel Sam | 2345 | 0 | X | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5½ | 2nd Place, $$1,500 |
| 3 | Michael Casella | 2329 | 0 | 0 | X | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 3 | 5th-6th Place, $$300 |
| 4 | Ming Lu | 2280 | 0 | ½ | 0 | X | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3rd Place, $$1,000 |
| 5 | Brandon Xia | 2268 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | X | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3½ | 4th Place, $$300 |
| 6 | Arman Baradaran | 2205 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5th-6th Place, $$300 |
| 7 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro | 2081 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 1 | 1½ | 7th Place, $$300 |
| 8 | Marius Lucan | 2079 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 1 | 8th Place, $$300 |
TLA
Donations to help support this event are greatly appreciated!
SCCF deeply thanks our donors:
Alessandro Steinfl of Steinfl + Bruno, LLP
Richard Martin
Tournament rules and format are as follows:
Format: Eight player single round robin
Participants: Seeds for event are as follows: the incumbent champion, three highest rated players that accept invitations (based on March supplement), three from the Candidates Tournament, and the top finisher in the SuperStates K-12 Championship (SoCal resident). In the event the top SuperStates player declines, then seeding is by descending rating.
Qualifying for Candidates Tournament: Appropriate result in any of selected tournaments (qualifiers will be posted in next Rank and File and on the SCCF website here), and players over 2000 may participate, if not otherwise qualified, for a $100 (Use form below).
Players invited from State Championship Qualifiers are exempt from entry fees. Candidates Tournament will be at the UCLA Chess Club on 308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles CA, 90095.
Time Control: 40 Moves in 90 Minutes, Sudden Death 30 min, 5 Second Delay, NO INCREMENT.
Round Times: Thursday @ 4 pm; Friday, Saturday & Sunday @ 10 am & 4 pm.
Tiebreak playoff: Two 5 minute blitz games, then one 5 minute (White) / 4 minute (Black) Armageddon game.
Ratings: The tournament will be USCF-rated but not FIDE-rated
Phones: Phones and other technological devices to be given to TD before start of each round
Score sheets: One copy of score sheet MUST be given by each player to TD at the conclusion of each round to qualify for the State Championship.
Tournament Director: SCCF President Sean J. Manross - US Chess ID 13105845
Prize schedule:
$$6,000 guaranteed prizes, and any ensuing sponsorship will also go to prize fund.
Prize distribution: Checks awarded on-site.
| Prize Schedule (Probable distribution) | |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | $2,000 and title of state champion |
| 2nd Place | $1,500 |
| 3rd Place | $1,000 |
| 4th Place | $300 |
| 5th Place | $300 |
| 6th Place | $300 |
| 7th Place | $300 |
| 8th Place | $300 |
Prize Fund generously increased by donation from Alessandro Steinfl of Steinfl + Bruno, LLP.
Site: Temecula Chess Club, 27403 Ynez Road, Suite #213, Temecula CA 92591
Spectators: All spectators welcome
Candidates
Event TLA
Candidates Tournament @ UCLA - Ackerman Building 248
June 9: CANDIDATES IN NEW ROOM @ UCLA - KERCKHOFF HALL
When: June 8-9, 2019 from 8 am - 10 pm both days
Site: UCLA Chess Club on 308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles CA, 90095
Format: 4-round Swiss
Time control: Game - 40 moves/90 minutes with 5 sec/delay, 60 min sudden death
Registration: Saturday, June 8 @ 9-9:45 a.m.
Rounds:
Round 1: Saturday, June 8 @ 10 am
Round 2: Saturday, June 8 @ 4 pm
Round 3: Sunday, June 9 @ 10 am
Round 4: Sunday, June 9 @ 4 pm
Prizes:
No prizes/awards ceremony.
TD: SCCF President Sean J. Manross - US Chess ID 13105845
Top 3 finishers qualify for State Championship July 11-14
May 24 Update: Qualifiers
Players invited to the Candidates Tournament based on their results are listed here.
- Timur Gareev - Western Class
- Alexandre Kretchetov - 3rd San Diego Open (top 2 already qualified)
- Robert Shlyakhtenko - Dreaming King Open
- Gabriel Sam - 4th SoCal Open (top 3 already qualified)
- Danial Asaria - 2nd American Open (top already qualified)
- TBD - 2019 Memorial Day Classic
Please note that these qualifiers will have to arrive at the Candidates and CLAIM their free entry, or do so by confirming their attendance through email, prior to the event.
Other players may participate:
$49 for over 2200
$99 for over 2000
MMM DD Update: Results and Qualifiers
Below are results from the Candidates Tournament held June 9 and 10 at Star Education Center in Los Angeles. Annie Wang, with 3.5 points and clear first, qualifies but withdraws from her seed to SCCF State Championship to compete in U.S. Junior Championship over same dates. Thus, the three State Championship qualifiers are: Craig Clawitter, Michael Casella, and Robert Shlyakhtenko.
Candidates Tournament Standings Round 2
| No. | Name | ID | Rating | Post | Perf | Rnd1 | Rnd2 | Rnd3 | Rnd4 | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costello, Alex | 14702870 | 2323 | 2341 | 2551 | W10 | W8 | W6 | D3 | 3.5 | Declined seat |
| 2 | Casella, Michael | 12440626 | 2293 | 2312 | 2521 | W11 | W4 | D3 | W7 | 3.5 | Qualified |
| 3 | Shlyakhtenko, Robert | 14951916 | 2380 | 2386 | 2471 | W9 | W7 | D2 | D1 | 3.0 | Qualified |
| 4 | Salik, Serkan | 14927970 | 2202 | 2202 | 2023 | W14 | L2 | W13 | W11 | 3.0 | Qualified |
| 5 | Baradaran, Arman | 14466706 | 2169 | 2180 | 2272 | D6 | W16 | L7 | W12 | 2.5 | |
| 6 | Sam, Gabriel | 14468457 | 2350 | 2336 | 1975 | D5 | W15 | L1 | D8 | 2.0 | |
| 7 | Lu, Ming | 15211462 | 2264 | 2259 | 2193 | W12 | L3 | W5 | L2 | 2.0 | |
| 8 | Wen, Teddy | 15215643 | 2207 | 2198 | 2042 | W13 | L1 | D12 | D6 | 2.0 | |
| 9 | Wen, Tommy | 15215658 | 2185 | 2175 | 2020 | L3 | L12 | W16 | W13 | 2.0 | |
| 10 | Shapiro MD, Dr. Bryan | 12670320 | 2112 | 2088 | 1615 | L1 | L13 | W14 | W15 | 2.0 | Qualified |
| 11 | Vu, Leonard | 15005368 | 2052 | 2041 | 1759 | L2 | W14 | W15 | L4 | 2.0 | |
| 12 | Kedjejian, Nareg | 14215657 | 1857 | 1895 | 2103 | L7 | W9 | D8 | L5 | 1.5 | |
| 13 | Zahzouhi, Daniel | 15125045 | 1552 | 1598 | 1965 | L8 | W10 | L4 | L9 | 1.0 | |
| 14 | Hernandez, Sergio | 16840926 | 1342 | 1340 | 1709 | L4 | L11 | L10 | -B- | 1.0 | |
| 15 | Kylasa, Abhishek | 13033458 | 1184 | 1183 | 1754 | -B- | L6 | L11 | L10 | 1.0 | |
| 16 | Eidelman, Gabriel | 14949655 | 2222 | 2201 | 1778 | -H- | L5 | L9 | -U- | 0.5 |
Pairings & Results
Pairings
Round 1: Thursday July 11, 4 p.m.
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabriel Sam | 1-0 | Arman Baradaran |
| 2 | Brandon Xia | ½-½ | Michael Casella |
| 3 | Robert Shlyakhtenko | 1-0 | Ming Lu |
| 4 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro | 1-0 | Marius Lucan |
Round 2: Friday July 12, 10 a.m.
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arman Baradaran | 1-0 | Brandon Xia |
| 2 | Michael Casella | 0-1 | Robert Shlyakhtenko |
| 3 | Ming Lu | 1-0 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro |
| 4 | Marius Lucan | 0-1 | Gabrial Sam |
Round 3: Friday July 12, 4 p.m.
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marius Lucan | 0-1 | Arman Baradaran |
| 2 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro | ½-½ | Michael Casella |
| 3 | Gabriel Sam | ½-½ | Ming Lu |
| 4 | Robert Shlyakhtenko | ½-½ | Brandon Xia |
Round 4: Saturday July 13, 10 a.m.
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arman Baradaran | 0-1 | Robert Shlyakhtenko |
| 2 | Michael Casella | 0-1 | Gabriel Sam |
| 3 | Ming Lu | 1-0 | Marius Lucan |
| 4 | Brandon Xia | 1-0 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro |
Round 5: Saturday July 13, 4 p.m.
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ming Lu | 1-0 | Arman Baradaran |
| 2 | Marius Lucan | 1-0 | Michael Casella |
| 3 | Gabriel Sam | 1-0 | Brandon Xia |
| 4 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro | 0-1 | Robert Shlyakhtenko |
Round 6: Sunday July 14, 10 a.m.
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arman Baradaran | 1-0 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro |
| 2 | Michael Casella | 1-0 | Ming Lu |
| 3 | Brandon Xia | 1-0 | Marius Lucan |
| 4 | Robert Shlyakhtenko | 1-0 | Gabriel Sam |
Round 7: Sunday July 14, 4 p.m.
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Casella | 1-0 | Arman Baradaran |
| 2 | Ming Lu | ½-½ | Brandon Xia |
| 3 | Marius Lucan | 0-1 | Robert Shlyakhtenko |
| 4 | Gabriel Sam | 1-0 | Dr. Bryan Shapiro |
Games & Blog
Games will be broadcast Live here. This link will expire in two weeks.
Blog coverage by NM Craig Clawitter.
Round one analysis here.
Round two analysis is here.
Round three & four analysis here.
Games are also posted here where you can use the ChessBase game viewer and analysis engine.
Pictures
Playoff
Two 5 minute blitz games, then one 5 minute (White) / 4 minute (Black) Armageddon game.
| Player | USCF Rtg |
R1 |
R2 | R3 | Total |
Questions? Contact us here.
Last update15 July, 2019 4:50 AM