INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The fourth World Team Championship finished last weekend in Lucerne, Switzerland, with an unsurprising result: The Russian team won. But their manner of victory was quite unexpected. The American team held the lead for most of the tournament, and the Russians needed a last-round comeback to take first place.

The Russian team totaled 23 1/2-12 1/2, edging out the U.S., which took second with 23-13. Other scores: Armenia, 21-15; England, 20 1/2-15 1/2; Ukraine, 18-18; Croatia, 17 1/2-18 1/2; Switzerland, 17-19; Kazakhstan, 15-21; Cuba, 14-22; and Georgia, 10 1/2-25 1/2. The tournament featured the top three teams from the 1996 Chess Olympiad, three Continental champions, the host country and special invitees Armenia, Croatia and the 1996 Women’s Olympiad gold medalists, Georgia.

In the penultimate round, the U.S. team held Russia to a 2-2 tie, thanks to an upset win by current U.S. champion Joel Benjamin over current Russian champion Peter Svidler. The tied match preserved the U.S. team’s half-point lead in the race for first. The U.S. completed a fine tournament with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan, but the Russians’ 4-0 victory over the Georgian women, the only shutout in the tournament, gave them the gold medals.

The U.S. actually posted the best match score (six wins, no losses, three ties). The Russians and Armenians also went undefeated, with Armenia yielding four ties and Russia yielding five.

LOCAL NEWS

The tournament scheduled this weekend at Farmers Market has been canceled. The sponsors hope to run another tournament next year.

The new Southern California Amateur champion is Arthur Macaspac. He edged David Bassett on tiebreak after each scored 5 1/2- 1/2 in the SCCF Amateur Championship last weekend in Irvine. Barry Lazarus finished third at 5-1, followed by Alejandrino Baluran and David Baran at 4 1/2-1 1/2.

Class prizes went to Alphonso Perez, best Class A at 4-2; Henry Chiu, best B at 4 1/2-1 1/2; Henry Rivera, best C at 3 1/2-2 1/2; Alvin Anol, best D at 4-2; and Jose Mario Anosa, best unrated at 3-3. Anol won four games against higher-rated opponents.

The tournament attracted 50 players, the same number as in 1996.

Samantha Hess, a ninth-grader from Spring Valley, won the first SCCF Girls Scholastic Championship in Irvine. Her 4 1/2- 1/2 score included a half-point bye and victories over her two closest rivals, Charlene Ong and Stephanie Botelho, who finished at 4-1.

East Los Angeles College will host a class titled Chess Preparation for Club/Tournament Play, taught by expert Julio Cesar Marin. The class, scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on six Wednesdays, begins Nov. 12. To register, call the Community Extension office at (213) 265-8793.