INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Darmen Sadvakasov of Kazakhstan won the 1998 World Junior Championship in Calicut, India. The 70-player tournament, the most prestigious for players age 20 or younger, boasted a strong field including 23 players rated over 2400. Sadvakasov, already an International Master, gains the International Grandmaster (GM) title for his 10 1/2-2 1/2 score.

The second-ranked competitor, IM Zhang Zhong of China, scored 9 1/2-3 1/2 and received the silver medal. IM Hristos Banikas of Greece and top-rated GM Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam tied for third at 9-4, with Banikas taking the bronze medal on tiebreak. The American representative, Dean Ippolito of New Jersey, scored 6 1/2-6 1/2, tying for 32nd place.

The new U.S. women’s champion, 14-year-old Irina Krush of New York, earned a bronze medal by finishing third at 9-4 in the 39-player World Junior Girls Championship. Hoang Thang Trang of Vietnam won the gold medal with an outstanding 10 1/2-2 1/2 score, and Iweta Radziewicz of Poland took the silver medal for her 9 1/2-3 1/2 score.

LOCAL NEWS

The Mechanics Institute Chess Club in San Francisco hosted the Max Wilkerson International, a masters tournament named in honor of the longtime manager of the Mechanics club. Vinay Bhat won the tournament with an undefeated score of 8-3, a point ahead of former U.S. champion John Grefe, former state champion IM Mladen Vucic, Omar Cartagena and IM Guillermo Rey. Bhat, another amazing 14-year-old, earned his first norm toward the International Master title.

The ninth annual SPA Holiday Classic, a tournament for students in grades K-12, takes place Dec. 19 at St. Paul the Apostle School, 1536 Selby Ave. in Westwood. There will be three separate sections so that entrants will play only against those of similar age and skill. For details, call Richard Rico at (310) 475-5551.

Mike Almeida and Bill Faulk won sections at the latest Sunday Action tournament at Chess Academy. The club runs Action (30 minutes per player) events every Sunday at 11 a.m. at 1335 N. La Brea Ave. in Hollywood, followed at 3 p.m. by GM Eduard Gufeld’s unique simultaneous exhibition with postgame analysis. Call (323) 883-0164 for full information.