Copper State International Update -- Day 1 Recap
It has begun! The 2010 Copper State International, presented by Abstrax Inc is officially underway. It has been a whirlwind 48 hours -- between player arrivals, the opening ceremony on Thursday night, and the first two rounds -- there is a lot to report on...
The opening ceremony was a wonderful experience for all who attended. As players from the A-Group "drew kings" to decide their pairing # destinies, spectators from the B-Group waited eagerly for their own first round pairings to post.
- IM Jacek Stopa leads the way...
- IM Irina Krush draws her king and her pairing # for the A-Group...
- Dean Ippolito Draws his King, and with it his pairing # and A-Group fate...
- Owner of our presenting sponsor company, John Lalonde, flips a coin to determine the "color fates" of our top seeds in round 1...
Notable from the first round of play was a huge upset between two local Arizona chess stars, when young David Adelberg beat IM and reigning Arizona State Champion, Levon Altounian. NM Kayden Troff also managed a draw against Grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky.
In round 2, the A-Group was treated to a dose of the "Killer Opening" when local favorite IM Nikolay Andrianov smashed IM Jacek Stopa in 23 moves of a Reti Attack. Upon reviewing the game with IM Daniel Rensch for Chess.com/TV's live broadcast, Nikolay dedicated the game to the late -- former world chess champion -- Vassily Smyslov, who was a good friend and former colleague of Andrianov. Nikolay is off to a great start with 1.5 points out of 2.
So much more to come...
Danny Rensch is an international master and Chief Chess Officer at Chess.com. After a successful scholastic chess career, Danny joined Chess.com as a co-founder in 2009. He directs the company's content, media partnerships, and professional chess events. Danny is an accomplished commentator and broadcaster, which he used to establish Chess.com's streaming and creator programs. He has channeled his lifelong passion for playing and teaching chess to advance Chess.com's mission of growing the game and helping people enjoy their lives through chess. With over 200 million registered users, Chess.com is the leading platform for playing and learning chess.
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Read “Dark Squares,” Danny’s Highly Anticipated Memoir
Danny Rensch has released his highly anticipated memoir on September 16, 2025. Described as Educated meets The Queen’s Gambit, this powerful and deeply personal book dives into his upbringing in an abusive cult and how chess ended up saving his life.
