UTAH CHESS

Report by Grant Hodson

        At the Utah Blitz Championship held 8 July, Jeff Phillips and Ivan Martynenko tied for

first in the regulation 7 double-round Swiss tournament and so each won $40. Ivan then went

on to defeat Jeff in a Blitz playoff to win the 2006 championship trophy. Shahram Nazarinia

won in the 1600-2000 class, Eric Decker won in the 1200-1600 class and actually finished

higher than most in the upper classes. Angela Spencer won in the combined U1200/Unrated

group and also became our new female state champion. Congratulations to the winners and

other participants for some great games! Last year's winner, Josh Smith, and contender,

John Coffey had interesting games but couldn't keep up with Jeff and Ivan this year. Ivan

appears to  be a local star on the rise, especially after his recent strong intercollegiate

performance for the University of Utah Chess Club.