As always, the Texas Chess Association staff and I thank you for your outstanding support and love for the game of chess. Everything we do for our chess players is a team effort and your contributions are much appreciated.
The TCA Elections will take place this year, and the official announcement is part of this issue. Inasmuch as I will not be seeking reelection, nor will two of the other TCA officers, we have great candidates who, no matter who wins, will continue supporting this organization and making the best decisions for all Texas chess players. I appreciate the support you have given me during the last four years in which I was honored to served at the TCA President, and I encourage all voting TCA members to cast their ballots for this year’s election.
As you know, about three months ago, we lost our good friend Luis Salinas. For many, many years, Luis was the President of the Dallas Chess Club and the Assistant Director of the Chess Program of the University of Texas at Dallas. All of us are going to miss him tremendously! In honor of his memory, this year’s most important state event was named as the Luis Salinas Memorial 79th Annual Texas State and Amateur Chess Championships. At that event, held at the DFW Airport Marriott South, May 24 – 27, 12-year-old Vijay Anandh, now rated 2192, became the Texas State Champion! I believe that Vijay is the youngest State Champion we have ever had! Congratulations Vijay! This issue contains standings and many games from that event and, of course, Vijay’s picture is on the cover. In addition, the TCA website contains an article and many pictures of the event, as does the TCA Facebook page.
Congratulations also to FM Eric Liu (US Chess rated 2455!) from Texas, who finished as 2024 National Middle School Champion at the event held in Atlanta, Georgia, May 10 – 12! Congratulations Eric! Lastly, a reminder that five Texans will represent us at the US Chess National Invitational events, July 27 -30, in Atlanta, Georgia! Once again, these five players are Scott Elliott (Irwin National Tournament of Senior State Champions), Sharvesh Deviprasath (Denker National Tournament of State High School Champions), Ellery Zhang (Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions), Eric Liu (Barber National Tournament of Middle School Champions), and Oscar Zhang (Rockefeller National Tournament of State Elementary Schools Champions). You can follow the progress of our champions on the US Chess website. Good luck to them!
There is much more included in this issue, so please read on! Thanks again for your support for this organization and, most importantly, for our chess players!
With best regards, Franc
