Dreev Joins San Diego Surfers
The San Diego Surfers are another newer U.S. Chess League team that has migrated over to the new PRO Chess League. There is a rapidly improving chess-scene in the Southern California area, and the Surfers have signed most of the top local prospects to their squad.
Manager IM Keaton Kiewra can barely contain his enthusiasm: "I just couldn't be any more thrilled with how this San Diego Surfers team turned out. We really have a group of not only great chess players but outstanding people as well. When the season starts we will be all business, but this team will have a blast getting the job done as well. We love what we do!"
Let's look at some of their star players:
1. GM Melik Khachiyan: Khachiyan is no stranger to any regular Chess.com user. He has been writing articles and making videos on Chess.com for years. Here is his most recent video about "The Practical Decision."
2. GM Alexey Dreev: Dreev is going to qualify as a "free agent" for the Surfers and is one of the most experienced grandmasters in the world. The great trainer IM Mark Dvoretsky said that Dreev was the most talented player he ever worked with.
Such a talented player as Dreev is sure to be ferocious in rapid.
3. IM Keaton Kiewra: Not only is Kiewra managing the team, he will be one of its strongest players. His third GM-norm narrowly eluded him on a technicality recently. Kiewra is know for his attacking style. Here he is abusing a Chess.com staff member when both were in high school.
4+5+6: IMs Michael Brown, Joshua Sheng and FM Craig Hilby: These three teenagers are very well known in the United States Scholastic scene. Joshua is particularly well known for favoring fast time controls.
It's going to be exciting to see how this mixture of well known Chess.com personalities, top-level grandmasters, and rising young stars performs against the other teams in the West Coast U.S. division.
The PRO Chess League welcomes the San Diego Surfers!
Read up on everything you need to know about the PRO Chess League:
