Denker Tournament of High School Champions explained

The Denker Tournament of High School Champions is a national invitational chess tournament that occurs annually in the United States alongside the US Open, the Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions, the Ruth Haring National Girls Tournament of Champions (RHNGTOC), and the John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions. The tournament is named for the founder, Arnold Denker, and is usually referred to as "The Denker".

History

The Denker Tournament of High School Champions was started by Arnold Denker in 1984.[1]

Qualifying

This chess tournament is by invitation only. Each United States Chess Federation sanctioned state affiliate, including Northern California, Southern California, and Washington, D.C., is allowed to send one player. If there is an odd number of players, the host state is allowed to send a second player to compete and win prizes.[2]

Each state affiliate can use any method they wish to choose their representative. Many state affiliates have chosen to hold one tournament, usually their state championship tournament, as the qualifier. The highest finishing high school player from the high school championship division, is then chosen as the state representative. If no player is chosen, or for some reason cannot attend, the United States Chess Federation will instead contact the second-place finisher or designated alternate to determine if they wish to attend.

Prizes

The tournament has multiple sponsors. The US Chess Trust provides scholarship money for the top players, based upon final rank. Mitchell Denker, son of Arnold Denker, provided funding for many of the prizes.

Players who are under the age of 16 are also eligible to win another scholarship. The Ursula Foster Scholarship provides $500 to the best finish by a competitor under 16. If there are no players under 16, it goes to the best finish by a player under 17.

In addition to monetary prizes, US Chess also added the "Denker Champion to its list of qualifiers for the World Youth Championship and the U.S. Junior Closed Championship."[3]

Winners

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: GM Arnold Denker, 1914–2005 . Chessbase . Chessbase . May 1, 2005 . 2008-01-14.
  2. Web site: U.S. Chess Trust: Denker Tournament . U.S. Chess Trust . U.S. Chess Trust . 2008-01-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080524211057/http://www.uschesstrust.org/WP/?page_id=655 . 2008-05-24 . dead .
  3. Web site: 40TH ANNUAL GM ARNOLD DENKER NATIONAL TOURNAMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONS . 2023-08-30.
  4. https://archive.uschess.org/CL_2006_Yearbook.pdf Chess Life 2006 Yearbook
  5. Web site: Denker tournament history . 2010-11-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110728150343/http://archive.uschess.org/scholastic/denker/#History . 2011-07-28 . dead .
  6. http://main.uschess.org/content/view/9224/524/ 2008 USCF yearbook
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20120218235925/http://www.uschesstrust.com/2009/08/08/abby-marshall-wins-the-denker/ Abby Marshall Wins the Denker! : U.S. Chess Trust
  8. Chess Life, November 2010, p. 22
  9. News: 2023-08-02 . Georgia is Top Dawg on Day Four of U.S. Open . Chess Life Online .