Daniel Rensch
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Daniel Rensch | |
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Born | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | October 10, 1985
Title | International Master |
FIDE rating | 2402 (June 2024) |
Daniel Rensch (born October 10, 1985) is an American chess master, event organizer, lecturer, and commentator. He holds the Arizona state record for youngest national master at 14 years old.[1] He is the president of American Chess Events LLC[2] and chief chess officer of Chess.com.[3]
Professional life
Chess career
Rensch won the 1998 Elementary National Championship before becoming Arizona's youngest National Master in 1999.[4] After earning the title, Rensch won the 2000 Junior High National Championship in Tucson, Arizona.[5] In 2004, Rensch tied for the National High School Championship,[6] beating future grandmaster Aleksandr Lenderman to win the title.
Rensch earned his first International Master (IM) norm in 2004 at the Foxwoods Open in Mashantucket, Connecticut.[7] Backed by his strong performances, Rensch became the highest rated 19-year-old in the United States that year.[8] Rensch earned his second IM norm in the 2008 Berkeley International, after tying for third-place finish with only one loss.[9] In 2009, Rensch earned his final IM norm at Susan Polgar's SPICE CUP by achieving a draw against Ray Robson, who went on to achieve 'youngest ever grandmaster in the United States'.[10]
In 2019, Rensch tied for first place in the Denver Open alongside Jesse Kraai, in a field with many talented grandmasters.[11]
Early work on Chess.com
Rensch has been offering in-depth, educational chess analysis online since 2009. His well known "Rook Endgames: Beginner to Master series", "Isolated Queen Pawns", and "Pawn Structure 101" series are among the most popular on Chess.com.[12][13][14] In addition, his "Everything You Need to Know" video series designed for beginners boasts the most views of any video in Chess.com's library, totaling over 615,000 views.[15]
Rensch has also actively written for Chess.com, offering instructive content for Chess.com's users. Some of his earliest contributions to Chess.com remain some of the site's most viewed articles.[16]
Commentator
Rensch is best known for his coverage of Chess.com's flagship events like the Bullet Chess Championship,[17] PRO Chess League,[18] and the 2018 Speed Chess Championship.[19]
Rensch has also commentated live, over-the-board tournaments like the Isle of Man International, where top players like Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana competed.[20] In 2019, Rensch also hosted the "Twitch Rivals" Komodo Boss Rush event live in San Francisco with grandmaster Robert Hess.[21]
Tournament organizer
Rensch currently holds the United States Chess Federation record for most tournaments directed as Chief Director (1095)[22], a number which has climbed to 1196 as of January 2020.
An online event, "The $40,000 GM Blitz Battle Championship", was organized and hosted by Rensch in 2016. The event included world number one, Magnus Carlsen, and 7 other world-class speed chess players.[23] The tournament has since evolved into the Speed Chess Championships, becoming one of Chess.com's premier events. In 2019, the tournament featured a Junior and Women's Championship in addition to the primary event, and attracted players like Hikaru Nakamura, Levon Aronian, and Ding Liren.[24]
Other work
Jake Goldberger employed Rensch's chess expertise to direct the chess scenes in the independent film Life of a King.[25]
In 2019, Rensch spoke at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, Massachusetts to discuss the future of computer chess.[26]
References
- ^ "Scottsdale boy nears state record in chess". AZcentral.com.
- ^ "Interview with IM Daniel Rensch". Elizabeth Spiegel's blog.
- ^ "Member Profile: Daniel Rensch". Chess.com.
- ^ "Friday Night Action Crosstable". United States Chess Federation. USCF.
- ^ "2000 National Junior High School Championship". United States Chess Federation. USCF.
- ^ "Daniel Rensch". chessgames.com. Chessgames Services LLC.
- ^ "FIDE Title Applications". FIDE. FIDE.
- ^ "Road to GM: Not Broken". The United States Chess Federation.
- ^ "2008 Berkeley International Crosstable". United States Chess Federation. USCF.
- ^ Polgar, Susan. "Polgar: Rensch fulfills longtime dream at SPICE Cup Tournament". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
- ^ "2019 Denver Open Crosstable". United States Chess Federation. USCF.
- ^ "Video Series on Rook Endings". Chess.com.
- ^ "Video Series on Isolated Queen Pawns". Chess.com.
- ^ "Pawn Structure 101 Video Series". Chess.com.
- ^ "Everything You Need to Know 1: Start Playing Chess". Chess.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "The Principles of the Opening | Chess for Beginners". Chess.com. Chess.com.
- ^ "Bullet Chess Championship Guide". Chess.com. Chess.com.
- ^ "PRO Chess League Finals Coverage". Twitch. Twitch.
- ^ "2018 Speed Chess Championship Guide". Chess.com. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "2017 Isle of Man International Results". Chess-Results. Chess-Results.
- ^ "Twitch Rivals Komodo Boss Rush". Twitch. Twitch.
- ^ "Tournament Director History". United States Chess Federation. United States Chess Federation.
- ^ "Magnus Carlsen Headlines Chess.com Championship". prweb.
- ^ "2019 Speed Chess Championship Guide". Chess.com. Chess.com.
- ^ Graaham, Catie (February 5, 2013). "Chess Master Masters Movies". Payson Roundup. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
- ^ "MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference". MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. MIT.