SPELER VAN + 2376 GEZOCHT

Beste Schaakvrienden

Ik krijg een vraag/ of er één speler van + 2376 wil nomineren voor onderstaand toernooi!

Heeft U interesse; graag bericht/

AMICI SUMUS Joop

Dear Joop,

The ICCF-US is extending an invitation to your country for Section C of the Alex Relyea Memorial Invitational Tournament.  (You can expect to be receiving invitations for other sections as well, in separate emails.)

Please acknowledge receipt of this invitation right away by reply email.

Why is this Invitational named the Alex Relyea Memorial?

When Frank Alexander ("Alex") Relyea passed away Aug. 16, [2025] the U.S. chess community lost a player and organizer, a mentor, a leader and friend who built communities one tournament at a time.  Alex was a National Tournament Director and an International Arbiter for both FIDE and the ICCF. He directed premier national events such as the U.S. Open, U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, and multiple U.S. Blind Championships [which led to his being] awarded the title of US Chess Organizer of the Year in 2016.  He treated everyone as if they belonged, from grandmasters to new players or onlookers nervously pacing outside an event.  Alex’s genuine kindness made him approachable; his fairness made him respected, and his generosity made him unforgettable. He told stories, shared jokes, and reminded players that chess was, above all, meant to be enjoyed. In 2012 he entered his first ICCF tournament, [later] often juggling 80 to 120 games simultaneously. A game with Alex often meant stories, puns, or digressions into baseball, history, math, geography, or current events.  These conversations weren’t distractions; they were bridges. Alex believed that chess, like life, was about relationships.  His vision of chess was broad and welcoming. Alex played more than 1,500 ICCF correspondence games, earning the titles of Correspondence Chess Expert and International Arbiter in 2018, and Correspondence Chess Master in 2020.  Among his proudest achievements was winning a British Correspondence Chess Association Silver Medal event in 2017, an uncommon honor for an American player.   If Alex had the last word, he would tell us "Good skill, not good luck" [this being] how he liked to begin his tournaments.  

Alex will be missed.

(All biographical information above was quoted from November 2025 Chess Life Magazine, pages 10-11, as written by his wife.)
Event Details

This invitation is for one (1) player.

The section will be run using the traditional time control of 10 moves in 50 days with doubling after 20 consecutive days without a move.

For section C, please nominate 1 player with a 2026/2 rating of at least 2376.  

There is a strict deadline for when your nomination must be received. I must receive your nomination by 10 May.

If you will not be nominating a player, please tell me as soon as you know. That would be much better than making me wait until 10 May to not hear from you. Your earlier note will give me more time to find a substitute.

Here are the section details:

2026 USA Invitational – Section C
Invitational Title Tournament
Official Start Date: 30 June 2026
Number of Players: 15 if at all possible, 13 if need be
Entry Fee: none (Prizes:  none)
Anticipated Category: CAT 5 if possible, CAT 6 if need be
Time control: traditional 10/50 with doubling after 20
Sponsor: ICCF-US
TO: IA GM Tom Biedermann