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SAINT LOUIS, June 8, 2011 -- The 10-player field has been set for the 2011 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis June 16-26. The Junior Closed Championship is the most prestigious tournament in the nation for the country’s top emerging talent, and this year’s field is led by 2011 U.S. Championship participant and International Master Daniel Naroditsky.
Nine other competitors including FM John Bryant, 13-year-old NM Kayden Troff and IM Conrad Holt, who earned his final IM norm after a stellar showing at the Chicago Open, will compete in a nine-round, round-robin tournament to determine the champion.
The winner of the U.S. Junior Closed Championship will receive an invitation to the 2012 U.S. Championship and the 2011 World Junior Championship, scheduled to be held in August in Chennai, India.
Meet the Players (all ratings are taken from the USCF’s June Supplement):
IM Daniel Naroditsky
- Age: 15
- USCF Rating: 2536
- Hometown: Foster City, Calif.
FM John Bryant
- Age: 19
- USCF Rating: 2486
- Hometown: Dallas
IM Conrad Holt
- Age: 17
- USCF Rating: 2473
- Hometown: Wichita, Kan.
FM Victor Shen
- Age: 18
- USCF Rating: 2435
- Hometown: Edison, N.J.
FM Warren Harper
- Age: 20
- USCF Rating: 2412
- Hometown: Sugar Land, Tex.
FM Alec Getz
- Age: 17
- USCF Rating: 2398
- Hometown: New York
NM Gregory Young
- Age: 16
- USCF Rating: 2384
- Hometown: San Francisco
NM Raven Sturt
- Age: 17
- USCF Rating: 2375
- Hometown: New York
NM Kayden Troff
- Age: 13
- USCF Rating: 2345
- Hometown: West Jordan, Utah
NM Jialin Ding
- Age: 14
- USCF Rating: 2233
- Hometown: Saint Louis
The 2011 U.S. Junior Championship will feature a prize fund of more than $10,000.
1st: $3,000
2nd: $2,000
3rd: $1,500
4th: $1,000
5th: $750
6th: $600
7th: $500
8th: $400
9th: $300
10th: $250
Previous winners of the Junior Closed Championship include GM Bobby Fischer, GM Larry Christiansen, GM Patrick Wolff, IM Joshua Waitzkin, GM Tal Shaked, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Robert Hess, GM Ray Robson and last year's champion, GM Sam Shankland.
Follow live commentary and analysis by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman at livestream.com/uschess. Come watch the tournament and commentary live by visiting the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, located at 4657 Maryland Avenue in the heart of the Central West End. The event is free for club members, and membership costs as little as $5/month for students or $12/month for adults.
