New Jersey and Queens join the league --------------------------------------------
by League Commissioner IM Greg Shahade
--------------------------------------------
The US Chess League, and especially the
Eastern Division, will be stronger in 2007, as three of the top 15
rated players in the nation are joining the action on the two new
expansion teams.
New
Jersey will be led by GM Joel Benjamin with other confirmed players
being IM Dean Ippolito, the #2 15 year old in the nation NM Evan Ju,
and the former New York Knight, NM
Mackenzie Molner.
Queens,
NY will be led by GM Alexander Stripunsky and GM Ildar Ibragimov while
the rest of the team will be filled with promising young juniors, such
as the #2 16 year old in the nation NM James Critelli, and the #2
ranked 12 year old in the nation Parker Zhao.The entrance of Queens into
the league is sure to spark a fun "Subway Series" type of rivalry with
their crosstown team, the New York Knights. Queens will be playing
their matches at the Polgar Chess Club.
The nicknames and logos for both teams have not yet
been determined and will be announced shortly. Both teams are expected
to have significant private sponsorship.
Because both teams will be joining the Eastern
Division, that means that one team will be forced to shift from the
East to the West. The Carolina Cobras will be going back to the Western
Division, where they started out in 2005.
The action promises to be tremendous in 2007, as
both of the new expansion teams bring lots of star power and young
talent to the table. Don't forget to stay tuned for updates throughout
the offseason, and get ready for the season to begin sometime in late
August as the opening match of the season will be between New Jersey
and Queens during Monday Night Chess, while the other ten teams will
face off two days later on Wednesday. Click here to go back to
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