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2021 U.S. Junior Championship

This event has already taken place. All information below is for reference only.

Event Details

For the tenth consecutive year, the Saint Louis Chess Club will host the Junior Championship, the premier, invitation-only tournament in the country for the nation’s top rising stars.

This event showcases the top students in the country and serves as the perfect example for two of our important goals: Promoting chess at the scholastic level and supporting chess at the top level by providing a professional environment for the country’s top tournaments.

In addition to the prize fund, the sole first place winner of the Junior Championship will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship to be used at the institution of his or her choice. The scholarship is generously jointly funded by the Dewain Barber Foundation and US Chess.

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Tournament Crosstable

Wins / Draws / Losses

Standard Scoring

1 Win

½ Draw

0 Loss

Rank	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Score
1	GM Niemann, Hans Moke	2571	x	1	½	1	½	½	0	1	½	1	6.0
2	GM Checa, Nicolas	2552	0	x	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	½	5.5
3	GM Burke, John M	2538	½	½	x	0	1	1	½	½	½	1	5.5
4	IM Balakrishnan, Praveen	2507	0	½	1	x	0	½	1	½	1	1	5.5
5	GM Jacobson, Brandon	2504	½	0	0	1	x	½	1	1	½	1	5.5
6	IM Brodsky, David	2455	½	½	0	½	½	x	1	1	½	1	5.5
7	IM Yoo, Christopher Woojin	2479	1	0	½	0	0	0	x	1	½	1	4.0
8	IM Hong, Andrew	2474	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	x	1	1	3.0
9	IM Wang, Justin	2467	½	½	½	0	½	½	½	0	x	0	3.0
10	IM Li, Ben	2376	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	x	1.5

The Players

Additional Info

Ben Li

Invitational Rating: 2477

Justin Wang

Invitational Rating: 2540

Christopher Yoo

Invitational Rating: 2540

Andrew Hong

Invitational Rating: 2543

David Brodsky

Invitational Rating: 2564

Brandon Jacobson

Invitational Rating: 2572

Praveen Balakrishnan

Invitational Rating: 2605

Hans Niemann

Invitational Rating: 2599

John Burke

Invitational Rating: 2618

Nicolas Checa

Invitational Rating: 2648

Schedule


Day	Date	Time*	Event
Thursday	July 15	5:00 PM	Players Meeting
Thursday	July 15	6:00 PM	Private Opening Ceremony
Friday	July 16	3:00 PM	Round 1
Saturday	July 17	3:00 PM	Round 2
Sunday	July 18	3:00 PM	Round 3
Monday	July 19	3:00 PM	Round 4
Tuesday	July 20	3:00 PM	Round 5
Wednesday	July 21		Rest Day
Thursday	July 22	3:00 PM	Round 6
Friday	July 23	3:00 PM	Round 7
Saturday	July 24	3:00 PM	Round 8
Sunday	July 25	3:00 PM	Round 9
Monday	July 26	3:00 PM	Playoff (if necessary)
Monday	July 26	6:00 PM	Private Closing Ceremony

* All times listed are Central Time*

Prize Fund

Place	Prize	Place	Prize
1^st	$6,000	6^th	$1,200
2^nd	$4,000	7^th	$1,000
3^rd	$3,000	8^th	$800
4^th	$2,000	9^th	$600
5^th	$1,500	10^th	$500
Total Prize Fund: $20,600

Regulations

Format Summary

The 2021 U.S. Junior Championship and U.S. Girl’s Junior Championship shall each be a 10-player tournament paired as a Round Robin.

Prompt Arrival: Players are expected to arrive promptly for their games. Players not at their board at the beginning of each round may receive a fine of $500 to be deducted from their prize for each occurrence. Players more than 30 (thirty) minutes late for a round shall forfeit that round. Players who withdraw or forfeit a game may not receive any prize money.
No Draws: A 30-move draw rule will be in effect throughout the Event, including any playoff games. Player may not mutually agree to a draw in less than 30 moves.
No Electronics: No electronic devices shall be allowed in the tournament area. Any violation of this policy shall result in a fine of $500 to be deducted from Player’s prize for each occurrence. In addition, any violation involving a cell phone or other electronic device that emits any noise during a game shall result in forfeiture of that game. If a violation occurs in subsequent games, the same penalties shall apply.
Time Control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds (increment) per move starting from move one.
Notation: Due to the 30-second increment, Players are required to maintain an accurate and legible score sheet at all times during all games, and are required to keep their notation up-to-date.
Playoff Procedures: The following tie-breaks will be used for the purposes of the crosstable and any special prizes or trophies: 1. Direct Encounter, 2. Most Blacks, 3. Koya System, 4. Sonneborn Berger, 5. Won Games. If two or more Players are tied for first, a playoff shall be held to determine final standings among all tied players. An Armageddon Game is defined as follows: White shall start with 5 minutes and black shall start with 4 minutes. Black shall be declared the winner if the game ends in a draw.
- Two Players: The tie will be broken with a two-game rapid match (G/10 +2 delay). If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by an Armageddon Game.
- Three or Four Players: If there are three or four Players tied for first, the Players shall contest a rapid round robin (G/10 +2 delay). If no clear winner is produced, the remaining tied players shall contest a blitz (G/3 +2 delay) a) round robin (if three or four players remain tied) or b) 2-game match (if two players remain tied). If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by a series of Armageddon Games.
- More Than Four Players: If more than four players are tied for first place, a combination of math tie-breaks and playoffs will be used to determine the winner. The format if more than four players are tied for first will be determined by the Arbiter and the Saint Louis Chess Club.