Welcome to the 2nd Annual Cupertino Chess Event!
Bring the entire family for an evening filled with chess education and fun! The event will be Saturday, August 31, 2019, at Creekside Park (10455 Miller Avenue) from 5:30 p.m.– 9:45 p.m. Following the great success of the inaugural Cupertino Chess Event in 2018, Cupertino Parks & Recreation is once again partnering with several regional organizations to host this FREE, unique, and engaging event.

Enjoy chess, activities, and a movie!
From 5:30 p.m.– 7:30 p.m., the first attendees to arrive will have the opportunity to challenge 3 nationally-rated girl players in simultaneous exhibition chess matches (one player simultaneously playing multiple opponents) and blitz games (fast-moving chess matches with 5 minutes per player). Also, players of all skill levels – ranging from beginner to advanced – are welcome to enjoy free-style games with other event attendees. This event also includes Rubik’s Cube demonstrations, face painting, balloon animals, a rock climbing wall, bounce castle, and free popcorn. For a low-cost dinner, there will be 2 delicious food vendors: Noon O Kabob and Kona Shaved Ice.

NOTE: There are only 24 spaces for the simultaneous exhibitions. All players must register before 5:30 p.m. for a chance to play in the simul (lottery drawing at 5:30 p.m.).  

At dusk, ~ 7:30 p.m., enjoy the critically acclaimed movie: Searching for Bobby Fischer (PG / 109 min. / 1993). The free film will be shown on a giant 30-foot-wide inflatable movie screen. Attendees are encouraged to bring camp chairs, blankets, and warm clothes for the evening.

Event Map

Meet the guests of honor!
The most special aspect of this event is the attendance of three distinguished guests. Leading the simultaneous exhibitions and blitz games are 3 chess prodigies, among the top-rated girls in the nation. The Cupertino Chess Event is proud to welcome Rochelle Wu, Omya Vidyarthi, and Anika Rajaram.

		Rochelle Wu is ranked #1 for 13-year-old girls and #5 for all 13-year-old players (boys and girls) in the USA. She began playing chess at the age of six and, by age 11½, she earned her National Master title. She currently holds the title of Woman International Master (less than 1% of all US players earn the rank of master at any age). In 2019, Rochelle participated in the World Team Championship in Kazakhstan, breaking the record for the youngest ever player to represent the U.S. in an Olympiad or World Team Tournament. She has won several national and international chess tournaments and has been invited to participate in the Young Stars program coached by former World Champion Garry Kasparov. Rochelle has a USCF rating of 2216 and is in the top 99.6% for all female players of any age in the USA (currently ranked #36).
		Omya Vidyarthi is ranked #1 for all 9-year-old girls in California and #3 for 9-year-olds in the entire USA. At age 7, Omya became the first official US player to represent the USA for under-8 players in Pan-American and World Cadet Chess… she eventually won the Gold Medal for the USA and earned the title of Woman Candidate Master. In fact, she also won the Gold Medal in the Pan-American Chess tournaments in 2018 and 2019 in addition to a recent Gold Medal in the World Amateur Chess tournament in August 2019. In May 2019, she also won the prestigious Elementary School K-3 Chess Championship in Nashville (very few girls have won in the open sections of this event). Omya has a USCF rating of 1905 and is rated in the top 97.7% for all junior players in the USA.
		Anika Rajaram is ranked #1 for all 10-year-old girls in Northern California. She has won numerous state and national level tournaments including the Grade Level Championship, the K-5 Championship, Susan Polgar, and Age Level Championships. Anika started learning chess when she was given a chess board as a gift at the age of 5. She played her first tournament at the age of 6 and soon after earned the title of Woman’s Candidate Master at the age of 7. Chess has provided Anika the opportunity to travel to many countries including Mexico, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Canada, and Georgia. She has a USCF rating of 1842 and is rated in the top 97.2% for all junior players in the USA.

The Cupertino Chess Event is presented in proud partnership with Bay Area Chess, Mechanics’ Institute, ChessKid.com, LaurenGoodkindChess.com, Berkeley Chess School, Creekside Bible Church, Stuart Rental, and the Cupertino Math Olympiads Program. We also extend our gratitude to the families of all young chess students, whose encouragement gives their children the opportunity to thrive.

This event is part of the Cupertino Summer Events program, a series of free, educational, and fun events hosted by Cupertino Parks & Recreation. Please visit www.cupertino.org/events for details on upcoming events.

Questions? Contact NeighborhoodEvents@cupertino.org