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Grandmasters
This year, the Queen City Classic Chess Tournament will again be hosted by crowd favorites! International Master Irina Krush, who made history in 1998 by becoming the youngest U.S. Women’s Champion at the age of 14, will once again join the tournament along with favorites Maurice Ashley, the first and only African American Grandmaster and Gregory Kaidanov, the most active Grandmaster teacher in America and four-time U.S. Champion. Both Ashley and Kaidanov are six year veterans of the annual Queen City Classic.
Maurice Ashley www.mauriceashley.com
Coined the Tiger Woods of Chess, Maurice Ashley made history when he became the first African-American to attain the coveted title of International Grandmaster of Chess in 1999.
He has been an ardent spokesman and advocate of the intellectual and character building effects in young people for over 15 years. GM Ashley is the world's premier and live chess commentator for ESPN. He is a renowned speaker and consultant who has spoken to several universities and professional organizations nationally.
GM Ashley has received multiple community service awards from city governments, universities, and non-profit groups for his work. His book, Chess for Success (2005 published by Broadway Books), crystallizes his vision of using chess to help at-risk youth. GM Ashley (2007) signed a deal with HBO to make a movie about his Harlem team's victory at the National Junior High School Championships.
Maurice Ashley's media coverage on becoming the first African-American International Grandmaster includes Time magazine, USA Today, New York Times, Sports Illustrated, London Times, Ebony, Investor's Business Daily, New York Daily News, Jet, New York Newsday, New York Post, Emerge, and a host of other papers around the world served by the Associated Press and Reuters.
He has appeared on The Charlie Rose Show, CBS News This Morning, National Public Radio, Today New York (W-NBC), CNN, Bloomberg Radio, and a number of radio shows around the U.S.
He served as commentator for the IBM Kasparov vs. Deep Blue rematch (1997), 1996 Man vs. Machine match (Kasparov vs. Deep Blue), and other world championship matches.
GM Ashley was coach of the Raging Rooks (J.H.S. 43) of Harlem, winners of the National Junior High School Championships (1991); and also coach of the Dark Knights (also from Harlem), two time National Champions (1994 and 1995) in the Junior Varsity Division and was the head of the Dark Knights program as they continued to win six National Championship titles.
Maurice Ashley was named 2003 Grandmaster of the Year by the U.S. Chess Federation. Maurice makes appearances all over the country speaking to young people and adults about chess and its benefits.
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Irina Krush
B orn on December 24, 1983 in Odessa, USSR (now Ukraine), Irina Krush is an American chess player who won U.S. Women's Chess Championships in 1998 and 2007. Born in Odessa, USSR (now Ukraine), she is widely known for her series of chess training videos, the "Krushing Attacks" series. Krush learned to play
chess at age five, emigrating with her parents to Brooklyn that same year (1989).
At age 14, Krush won the 1998 US Women's Chess Championship to become the youngest U.S. Women's Champion ever. She holds the title of International Master (IM) and has one of three tournament results necessary to qualify for the International Grandmaster (GM) title. According to the October 2008 FIDE rating list for women, Krush has a FIDE rating of 2452, 34th best among active female players.
Krush currently plays for the New York Knights in the U.S. Chess League, and both she and her husband Canadian Grandmaster Pascal Charbonneau have played in the United Kingdom league for Guildford-ADC. Most recently, Krush played on the U.S. team in the 38th Chess Olympiad.
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Gregory Kaidanov
Gregory Kaidanov was born on October 11, 1959 in Berdichev, Ukraine and has been an International Grandmaster of Chess since 1988.
He learned to play when he was 6-years-old from his father. At age 8, he started to attend a chess study group in "Pioneer's House". As an adult, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1991, with his two children and wife.
He won the 1992 World Open in Philadelphia, PA and the 1992 U.S Open.
His first major tournament win came in Moscow 1987, where he crushed the current world's highest rated Grandmaster, Vishy Anand.
As of April 2007, his Elo rating was 2587, making him the #9 player in the US and the 179th-highest rated player in the world. His peak rating was 2646 in 2002.
Kaidanov is also the most active Grandmaster teacher in America. He is the head coach of the www.uschessschool.com founded in 2006 by IM Greg Shahade.
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