Arizona State Champs Kick-Off

The Arizona State Championships are starting this very evening at 5 pm pacific/ 8 pm eastern. The top seed in the round-robin competition is IM Mackenzie Molner (pictured). This is the first year that the event will be an invitational round-robin, thanks to the sponsorship of Steven Kamp, and the organization of American Chess Events LLC. Thanks also to Chess Emporium for hosting the event, and to sponsors Rensch Law, KarrysDesign, Meltmedia, Chess.com, and Chesskid.com.

Details

A round robin is an all-play-all format. With 6 players, there are 5 rounds of play. The contenders are:

1. Molner, Mackenzie            — IM USCF 2520

2. Rensch, Daniel                  — IM USCF 2478

3. Banawa, Joel                    — IM USCF 2444

4. Ginsburg, Mark                  — IM USCF 2406

5. Mohandesi, Shahin            — IM USCF 2365

6. Atoufi, Pedraam                — FM USCF 2299

Prizes:

1st the Norm Saba Trophy and $1,000

2nd $300

3rd $200

Coverage

Games for each round will be relayed in live chess. There will also be chess.com/TV live commentary by IM Pruess for round 3 when the top two seeds clash. Schedule, all times Pacific:

Round 1: Friday, Mar 2, 5:00 PM

Round 2: Saturday, Mar 3 9:00 AM

Round 3: Saturday, Mar 3, 4:00 PM

Round 4: Sunday, Mar 4, 9:00 AM

Round 5: Sunday, Mar 4, 3:30 PM

Live Coverage: Round 3, Saturday Mar 3, 5:00-8:00 PM

Updates about the tournament will also be found in IM Rensch's blog.