We’re pleased to announce the dates for our 6th Annual Western Alliance Summer Chess Camp! It will take place June 21-24th, 2011 coupled with a USCF rated tournament on the 25th, at the spacious Green Fields Country Day School.  It is open to all Beginners—up to 1800 USCF rated players of any age.

Summer Chess Camps are widely popular throughout the United States, and thousands of players each year use this opportunity to learn from masters in intense, day-long sessions. Ever since we held our widely popular Western Alliance Tucson Summer Camp in 2006, a niche was created for similar events for chess enthusiasts throughout Arizona and its surrounding states. The players who attended these Camps have since greatly increased their chess knowledge, rating, and won numerous State and National titles. The Camps helped them boost their desire to play chess and to study and enjoy this wonderful game. Our Camps provide a perfect blend of chess studies, interaction with coaches and other players, and lots of fun. It was no coincidence that we had more than 70 participants in the main Camp, and dozens of non-campers took part in our Evening Activities. Last year, our camp participants also enjoyed the benefit of having two instructors per group for most camp days. As the organizer of the Western Alliance Tucson Chess Camps, I am very pleased to see how the interest for playing and studying chess had skyrocketed amongst those who attended.

I have once again carefully selected instructors well-known in the Arizona chess circuit and beyond that will not only able to provide a fundamental, yet different take on chess, but also have first-hand knowledge in what makes a great coach as well as a successful tournament player. The preliminary list of instructors for this year’s camp is as follows: Please note that this list has not yet been confirmed and that the instructor list will be finalized once we’re closer to the camp dates.

International Master Levon Altounian
International Master Mark Ginsburg
FIDE Master Ken Larsen
FIDE Master Warren Harper
Expert Andrew Lebovitz
National Master Leo Martinez
Expert Danny Schucker
Expert Ben Marmont
Expert Steve Ostapuk
Expert Amanda Mateer
Expert Josh Leonard
National Master Viktor Yee
National Master Matt Noble

General Groups
Invitational basis only. Earliest applicants will be considered first, and spots will be reserved in the order in which they are received. The approximate rating division for the groups will be as follows:
Group A (Wildcat) 100-600  USCF ( 4 years old and up )
Group B (Coyote)  600-1000 USCF
Group C (Hawks) 1000-1400 USCF
Group D (Bears)   1400-1800 USCF
* Additional groups may be added if  groups exceed the estimated participants numbers. Borderline players can be moved up or down at my discretion to better fit the overall strength of that particular group. All ages are welcome.

Hours
General: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Lunch Break from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
Evening activities: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Fees
• First 50 registered participants in any group: $275 if registered by June 5th, $25 more by June 10th, and an additional $25 by June 20th (if space is still available). On site- $375.
• $100 non-refundable deposit by the postmarked date to reserve a spot.
• Family, school and group discounts available. Please ACFS for details.

Special Scholarship
Mr. Gabriel Romo of DAR Services, Inc. will generously donate $1000 in scholarships for underprivileged students to attend this year’s camp. Please or contact Levon Altounian at laltounian@msn.com or (520) 331-9398 for qualification information.

USCF-Rated Tournament
Green Fields Country Day School will host a USCF-rated tournament on June 25th, free for all Western Alliance ’11 Camp participants.

Location
Green Fields Country Day School. 6000 N. Camino De La Tierra, Tucson, AZ 85741.Click here for directions.

Lodging
There are many hotels with discounted prices within a close driving range from the Camp. There is also the possibility to be hosted by one of the Camp families, if arranged in advance.

Registration
Fill out a registration form and mail in along with the corresponding deposit or a full payment. Please do not hesitate to contact Levon Altounian at (520) 891-3632 or email him with any additional questions.

Trophies and certificates for each activity.

Download Camp Registration Form

Download Activities Registration Form

Download Tournament Registration Form