New York, NY, Feb. 10, 2006 -- More than 700 students, K - 12, came to play at the 2006 Greater New York Team and Individual Chess Championships. America's longest-running, rated scholastic chess tournament took place on Jan. 28 - 29, 2006 at Manhattan's New Yorker Hotel and was one of the biggest turnouts in the tournament's history.

Divided into four separate, 5-round Swiss-style one-day tournaments, the two day event drew top-rated competitive players throughout the New York Metro area. The tournament was organized by the Chess Center of New York. Special thanks go to Chief Tournament Director Steve Immitt and Assistant Tournament Director, International Arbiter Sophia Rohde.

The High School Varsity Division featured the two top-rated sixteen-year-olds in the U.S., FIDE Master Salvijus Bercys and International Master Alex Lenderman, the defending Greater New York High School Champion. Because Lenderman and Bercys attend the same school, they did not have the opportunity to face each other in the tournament. However, Lenderman was upset by Leif Pressman in Round 4, while Bercys won all five games, capturing the title of Greater New York High School Chess Champion.

In High School Varsity Team competition, both Bercys and Lenderman led Edward R Murrow High School in Brooklyn (several times the former New York City, New York State and National High School Champions) to victory against longtime rival Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan (Stuyvesant has also won the "triple crown" -- NY City, NY State and National Chess Champions -- multiple times). For complete results table, please visit .

This year was the second consecutive year the tournament was sponsored by the Kasparov Chess Foundation. The foundation sponsors regional and national chess tournaments throughout the country and provides schools with chess curriculums.

About Kasparov Chess Foundation

Founded by World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, KCF's mission is to bring the many educational benefits of chess to children throughout the United States by providing a complete chess curriculum and enrichment programs. The Foundation promotes the study of chess as a cognitive learning tool in curricular classes and after-school programs for elementary, middle and high schools, both in the public and private school sectors. The not-for-profit educational organization also organizes tournaments and competitions on a local and national basis. For more information, please visit http://www.kasparovchessfoundation.org/

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