02/07/2007

New Jersey and Queens join the league
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by League Commissioner IM Greg Shahade
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      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.



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