Usdan Center to Host Junior Chess Challenge, 10/6

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts (www.usdan.com), the nationally acclaimed summer arts day camp whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Seth Rudetsky, Olivia Thirlby and many other prominent performers, will present its seventh annual Usdan Chess Challenge on Sunday October 6 at its specially designed Hexter Chess Center on Long Island. Open to grades K-12, the tournament is US Chess Federation-rated, and will be directed by Usdan Chess Instructors Brian Karen and Joel Salman.

TO REGISTER, CALL USDAN AT (631) 643-7900, write to info@usdan.com, or visit www.usdan.com.

On-site registration is from 11:15 to 11:45 AM the day of the tournament, and the first round is at 12 Noon. There are four sections: High School (Grades 7 to 12), Elementary (Grades 4 to 6), Primary Grades K to 3); and Championship, rated 1200+. There will be trophies awarded to the top five in each section. Sections may be altered depending on enrollment. Half-point byes are available on request. The last round bye must be requested before round 3 and is irrevocable. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult, and there is no smoking.

Fees are $25 in advance, due by October 1, and $35 the day of the tournament. The tournament will be at the Maurice B. Hexter Chess Center on Usdan Center's magnificent 200-acre woodland campus, 185 Colonial Springs Road, Wheatley Heights, (Huntington) Long Island 11798.

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, whose alumni also include Mariah Carey and Jane Monheit, has just finished its 46th successful season, and has introduced the arts to more than 60,000 Tri-State Area children since its founding in 1968. The Center is open to all young people from age 6 to 18. Usdan's program features more than 40 four and seven-week programs in music, dance, theater, visual arts, writing, nature & ecology, and chess. No audition is needed for most programs - rather, admission is based on an expression of interest in the arts. Each summer, 1,600 students are transported to the Center in air-conditioned buses each day. One-third of Usdan's students attend on scholarship. Although the mission of the Center is for every child to establish a relationship with the arts, the unique stimulation of the Center has caused many to go on to arts careers. Alumni include members of Broadway shows and major music, theater, and dance ensembles such as the Boston Pops and the New York City Ballet.

In addition to its regular programs, Usdan offers opportunities for advanced high school- age performing and visual artists. These include Music Staff Internships, a Summer Ballet Intensive, and a program of immersion in the visual arts. Usdan is an agency of the UJA-Federation of New York.

For information on Usdan Center, call (631) 643-7900, write to info@usdan.com, or visit www.usdan.com.

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