The Endgame

B Caiello wins A25 - Tims takes Amateur Section

2012-02-05T15:00:00.003-05:00

Twenty six players competed in Ashland XXV as Ben Caiello (1880) cruised to another tournament win with a last round victory over Gil Holmes (1804). Paul Farb (1946) finally wore down Lendel Robinson's (1628) stubborn defense to tie for second with Darell Hunt (1387) who scored a last round win over Ralph Buske (1501). Dan Caiello (1575) took the point in an upset win over Ron Hinds (1817).

Ron Tims (1389) dominated the Amateur Section scoring his fourth win with a victory over Ron Labrecque (1063) in the final round to finish with 4.5 points after taking a second round bye. Mike Mayfield (1300) bounced back with a win over Birney Blind (1177) to finish tied for second with Shaun McCoy (1285) who escaped with a win over Christian Dunlap (984). Cody Kyzer (1480) picked up the point from Richard Watts (1230).

Next up is Ashland Quick XXIX on Feb 9. The Club Championship will begin on Feb 23.

The 38th Snowstorm Special is coming up Feb 11-12 in Charleston.

Be sure to check out Chess Players of Augusta. Rated play is now available in the Augusta area!

B Caiello leads Open Section with 3.5!

2012-01-29T00:00:00.002-05:00

Eighteen players came out to compete in the penultimate round of Ashland XXV. Ben Caiello (1880) defeated co leader Darell Hunt (1387) to move into sole possession of first place heading into the final round. Lendel Robinson (1628) claimed the point from Dan Caiello (1575), Chris Labrecque (1366) outlasted Daniel Smith (1513) and Ralph Buske (1501) scored the quick point over Ron Hinds (1817). Paul Farb (1946) settled peacefully with Erik Murrah (1708).

Ron Tims (1389) won over Mike Mayfield (1300) to claim the top spot in the Amateur Section. Ron Labrecque (1063) found the win over Richard Watts (1230), Sean McCoy (1285) took the point from Kenneth Cross (651) and Cody Kyzer (1480) escaped with a draw with Christian Dunlap (984).

The Final Round is Thursday, Feb 2.

The 38th Snowstorm Special will be held in Charleston Feb 11-12.

The Club Championship will begin Feb 23.

B Caiello & Hunt lead Open Section!!

2012-01-21T00:00:00.003-05:00

Twenty players mixed it up in Round 3 of Ashland XXV and the top spots in both sections saw changes. B Caiello (1880) took down leader Paul Farb (1946) to claim the top spot along with Darell Hunt (1387) who defeated D Caiello (1575). James MacDougall (2009) took the point from Gil Holmes (1804) and Daniel Smith (1513) crashed through and secured the poiint from Ralph Buske (1501). Erik Murrah (1708) and Lendel Robinson (1628) finally agreed to settle peacefully in the evening's longest game.

In the Amateur Section, Ron Tims (1389) took the point and the top spot from Richard Watts (1230) as Mike Mayfield (1300) secured the point over Jaime Sanyer (1219) to create a tie for first. Birney Blind (1177) used a well timed strike to snatch the point from Shaun McCoy (1285), Ron Labrecque (1063) secured the point from Mike Meekins (986) and Kenneth Cross (651) ground out the win over Christian Dunlap (984).

Round 4 is Thursday, Jan 27.

The second round of the first Evans Weekly Rapids is Monday evening, Jan 23.

The 25th Land of the Sky is coming up Jan 27-29 in Asheville, NC. The pre registration list is available HERE.

The World's Best are playing in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament held in Wijk aan Zee thru Jan 29. Gata Kamsky and Hikaru Nakamura from the U.S. are competing. After five rounds, World #1 Magnus Carlsen and #2 Levon Aronian are at the top of the Crosstable.

Weak Square Judges Chess Life Online Articles

2012-01-20T09:12:00.000-05:00

Columbia Chess Club's own, Erik "Weak Square" Murrah was chosen by WGM Jennifer Shahade as one of the judges for the 2011 Chess Life Online article of the year competition.

You can read about it here. 2011 CLO Article of the Year

Farb leads Open Section after two rounds!

2012-01-17T12:00:00.003-05:00

Eighteen players competed in Round 2 of Ashland XXV. Paul Farb (1946) defeated Dan Caiello (1575) and stands alone at the top of the Open Section with 2 points. Erik Murrah (1708) scored the win over David Boyd (1461) as Darell Hunt (1387) outlasted Daniel Smith (1513). Ben Caiello (1880) was held to a draw by Lendel Robinson (1628) and Ralph Buske (1501) settled peacefully with Chris Labrecque (1366).

In the Amateur Section, Richard Watts (1230) is on top with 2 points after defeating Mike Meekins (986). Jaime Sanyer (1219) scored the win over Kenneth Cross (651) as Birney Blind (1177) took the point from Christian Dunlap (984). Mike Mayfield (1300) was able to hold the draw with Shaun McCoy (1285).

Round 3 is Thursday, Jan 19.

The 25th Land of the Sky is coming up Jan 27-29. The organizer is working hard to make this the best LOTS ever! If you haven't been you should try and make it. It's a good tournament in a nice location. Who's going?

Twenty players for Round 1 of Ashland XXV

2012-01-08T15:00:00.004-05:00

Twenty players battled in Round 1 of Ashland XXV. In the Open Section, Paul Farb (1946) won over Daniel Smith (1513), Ben Caiello (1880) took the point from Ralph Buske (1501), Lendel Robinson (1628) defeated Chris Labrecque (1366) and Dan Caiello (1575) scored the upset over Adam Shaw (1815). Gil Holmes (1804) was held to a draw by David Boyd (1461) and Erik Murrah (1708) split the point with Darell Hunt (1387).

In the Amateur Section, Ron Tims (1389) won over Birney Blind (1177), Mike Mayfield (1300) defeated Julie Sheil (1118), Shaun McCoy (1285) scored the win over Ron Labrecque (1063) and Richard Watts (1230) took the point from Christian Dunlap (984).

Round 2 will be Thursday, Jan 12. Register by 7:15, Round begins at 7:30.

Reverse Angle 25 is January 14 in Charlotte

Land of the Sky is Jan 27-29 in Asheville, NC

38th Snowstorm Special is Feb 11-12 in Charleston

Ashland Action II Results

2012-01-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Adam Shaw for winning Ashland Action with 3.5 points!

Gil Holmes and Dan Quigley tied for 2nd with 3.0 points. Patrick McCartney, Bill Hater, and Lendel Robinson round out the plus-score group each with 2.5 points.

ASHLAND XXV BEGINS THURSDAY, JAN. 5!

Registration for Ashland XXV ends at 7:15 p.m. on 1/5/12. The entry fee is $2, no prizes will be awarded this tournament. There will be 5 rounds, 1 round per week, of G90 + 5.

2011 Winners pick up their hardware

2011-12-23T00:00:00.003-05:00

Around a dozen players got out of the Holiday rush for some "Stress Free" chess and congratulate the 2011 Club Award Winners. Congratulations to this year's winners!!

Player of the Year : Darell Hunt

Jr. Player of the Year : Ben Caiello

Most Improved Player : Adam Shaw

Most Improved Jr. Player : Ben Caiello

Most Active Player : Paul Farb

Next week will be Ashland Action II. Note that Round 1 starts at 7:00!!!

Open Section 4 round SS G30 (Dual Rated!). Prize fund $480 b/28

Entry fee $20 club members, $25 non members.

Prizes: 1st $150 2nd $100 3rd $50 U1605 $95 U1205 $85

Rounds 7:00 8:15 9:30 & 10:45 Registration for first round ends at 6:50. Register by 8:05 and receive a .5 point bye for first round.

Two half point byes available. Must commit before 8:05.

The first episode of Xtreme Chess Championship on YouTube.

Be sure to check out this good interview with Magnus Carlsen on WhyChess.

Coming up in Jan:

Jan 14 - Reverse Angle 25 - Charlotte, NC

Jan 27-29 - Land of the Sky XXV - Asheville, NC

Hope everyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Columbia defeats QCCA 13.5 - 12.5 !!

2011-12-19T18:00:00.012-05:00

The Columbia Chess Club hosted the Queen City Chess Association as the clubs met across the board for the third time. This was a huge battle with QCCA sending an army of thirteen players and Columbia having a last minute scramble due to cancellations to match the invaders from the north. If you were unable to follow the match on Twitter, here is what happened:

When the battle lines were drawn the substitutions favored the Cola team in avg rating by almost 50 points instead of the less than 10 with the original lineup. Thanks to QCCA for allowing these last minute changes!

The match was very competitive with Cola leading at halftime 7-6. First round winners for Columbia were Keith Eubanks, Paul Farb, Bill Taylor, Adam Shaw, Dan Caiello and Mike Boone with draws from Ben Caiello and Richard Watts. First half winners from QCCA were Alexander Tong, Winfred Gatlin, Suhas Madiraju, Nathan Tong, David Blackwelder with draws from Mike Eberhardinger and Ishaan Maitra.

In the second half QCCA quickly evened the score when Blackwelder posted his second win.

Dan Caiello scored his second win to put Cola back ahead 8-7.

QCCA fought back with wins from Taefi and Blackwell to take the lead 9-8.

Ben Caiello scored a win for Columbia to level the score at 9-9.

Watts (Cola) and Maitra (QCCA) drew for the second time bringing the score to 9.5-9.5 as the tension built.

Patton wins to put Cola out front 10.5 - 9.5.

Gatlin (QCCA) and Robinson (Cola) draw bringing the score to 11 - 10 with five games in progress.

Morton scores a win for Cola to extend the good guys lead to 12-10. Two point lead for Columbia with only four games left.

QCCA fights back again as Gottiparthi and Taylor-Brill both score wins to tie the match at 12-12 with only two games still going.

In a very tense battle Daniel Smith held the advantage over Suhas Madiraju but with the clock ticking down it wasn't clear how to win and with one misstep the attack could fail. Living on delay at 7 seconds the position cleared and after a hesitation brought the clock down to 3 seconds Daniel was able to sack his Queen for Suhas's Knight leaving Daniel up with 3 pawns against a lone King creating a simple win. Suhas played it out to mate hoping for another hesitation to save the half point but Daniel was up to the task and put Columbia ahead 13-12 with only one game left going and it was on Board 1.

Gary Newsom was up a pawn against Keith Eubanks but now with Cola ahead by a point Keith only had to hold the draw while Gary had to win bring his team even. To the kibitzers gathered around it looked like Gary had found a win in a same colored Bishops endgame but Keith saved the half point when Gary was left with a wrong color rook pawn and he couldn't keep Keith's King from blockading the queening square. It looked to be a very instructive endgame since it appeared as if there was a win for Gary hiding somewhere within the 64 squares. Eubanks' ability to save the half point gave Columbia the win 13.5 - 12.5 over Queen City.

Edit: Gary Newsom has posted a report with his endgame in the final game HERE.

This was a very enjoyable afternoon and it was pleasure to have the QCCA visit us again. The QCCA hosts the very successful Reverse Angle series in Charlotte. RA25 will be Jan 14 and will be a great warm up to the Land of the Sky tournament in Asheville Jan 27-29.

A very nice photo album is HERE provided by the Tong family. The rated results are HERE.

The record is now Columbia 2 wins QCCA 0 wins and one draw. We will try to schedule the next match in the spring.

Columbia Downs Queen City

2011-12-19T11:00:00.001-05:00

The Columbia Chess Club downed the Queen City Chess Club for the second straight match with a final score of Columbia: 13.5 - QCCA 12.5.

Dan Caiello was the only Columbia player to win both games. Keith Eubanks continues his brilliant play by outscoring expert Gary Newsome with a score of 1.5 - .5.

Here is the full crosstable of the results.

Murrah wins 960 with a perfect 4-0!!

2011-12-16T18:00:00.005-05:00

Ten players competed in the first Ashland 960 as Erik Murrah cruised to a perfect score. Gil Holmes placed second with 3 points. Bill Taylor and Darell Hunt tied for third with 2.5.

Sat, Dec 17, the QCCA will visit and try reclaim some dignity after the 11-3 thrashing in our last Club Match . This will be our third meeting and by far the largest rosters. Time control is G90, first game at 10:00. There will be Twitter updates through out the match.

QCCA Team:

Board 1 - Gary Newsom (2013)
Board 2 - Tarokh Taefi (1872)
Board 3 - Mike Eberhardinger (1733)
Board 4 - Seth Taylor-Brill (1711)

Board 5 - Shouri Gottiparthi (1703)
Board 6 - Alexander Tong (1572)
Board 7 - Windy Gatlin (1561)
Board 8 - Suraj Madiraju (1520)

Board 9 - Suhas Madiraju (1500)
Board 10 - Copeland Blackwell (1419)
Board 11 - Nathan Tong (1392)
Board 12 - David Blackwelder (1296)
Board 13 - Ishaan Maitra (1255)

Columbia Team:

Board 1 - Kyle Oody (1915)
Board 2 - Ben Caiello (1839)
Board 3 - Bill Taylor (1825)
Board 4 - Adam Shaw (1817)

Board 5 - Gerald Battaglia (1630)
Board 6 - George Morton (1627)
Board 7 - Lendel Robinson (1617)
Board 8 - Dan Caiello (1536)

Board 9 - Daniel Smith (1527)
Board 10 - Mike Boone (1388)
Board 11 - Darell Hunt (1307)
Board 12 - Richard Watts (1285)
Board 13 - Paul Lowry (1148)

Next week, Dec 22 will be Casual Night and the Year End Awards will be handed out. Casual play and possible blitz tournament. Trophies will be awarded at 8:00. Here are this year's winners:

Most Active : Paul Farb 41 games
Most Improved Jr Player : Ben Caiello +352
Most Improved Player: Adam Shaw +212
Jr. Player of the Year: Ben Caiello 30 points
Player of the Year: Darell Hunt 24 points

Congratulations to all the winners!

Dec 29 will be Ashland Action II.

Open Section 4 round SS G30. Prize fund $480 b/28

Entry fee $20 club members, $30 non members.

Prizes: 1st $150 2nd $100 3rd $50 U1605 $95 U1205 $85

Rounds 7:00 8:15 9:30 & 10:45 Registration for first round ends at 6:50. Register by 8:05 and receive a .5 point bye for first round.

Two half point byes available. Must commit before 8:05.

Caiello brothers win Bughouse II!!

2011-12-11T12:00:00.005-05:00

Six teams battled in a double round-robin of Bughouse. The team of Ben & Dan Caiello took clear first with 8 points ahead of Keith Eubanks & James MacDougall who scored 7 points. Eubanks-MacDougall held a 1 point lead going into the final match but couldn't hold off Ben & Dan who scored 2-0 to win the match and tournament.

Next week, Dec 15, is a Chess 960/Fischer Random tournament. This tournament is open to everyone! No entry fee! No membership required! Open Section, Four round Swiss (Quick Rating will be used for pairing purposes). Game 20/3sec delay. Registration will end at 7:50. One bye available, must commit before round 3. Rounds 8:00, 8:50, 9:40 & 10:30. Check HERE for more information on this variant.

Monday, Dec 12, players will be meeting at the St Andrews Regional library from 6:00-8:30. This is open to everyone for casual play. Here's a chance to get some practice in before the 960 tournament.

The final Award Standings have been posted. If you believe there is an error in the standings contact Ralph . Awards will be given out on Casual Night, Dec 22.

The QCCA is sending a team to battle with Cola Chess on Dec 17. We plan to broadcast a couple boards and there will be twitter updates throughout the match. Here are the lineups:

QCCA Team:

Board 1 - Gary Newsom (2013)

Board 2 - Tarokh Taefi (1872)

Board 3 - Mike Eberhardinger (1733)

Board 4 - Alexander Tong (1572)

Board 5 - Windy Gatlin (1561)

Board 6 - Suraj Madiraju (1520)

Board 7 - Suhas Madiraju (1500)

Board 8 - Copeland Blackwell(1419)

Board 9 - Nathan Tong (1392)

Board 10 - David Blackwelder (1296)

Board 11 - Ishaan Maitra (1255)

Columbia Team:

Board 1 - Kyle Oody (1915)

Board 2 - Ben Caiello (1839)

Board 3 - Adam Shaw (1817)

Board 4 - George Morton (1627)

Board 5 - Lendel Robinson (1617)

Board 6 - Dan Caiello (1536)

Board 7 - Daniel Smith (1527)

Board 8 - Mike Boone (1388)

Board 9 - Darell Hunt (1307)

Board 10 - Richard Watts (1285)

Board 11 - Paul Lowry (1148)

MacDougall & B Caiello tie for first in Ashland Quick XXVIII!!

2011-12-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

Sixteen players competed in Ashland Quick XXVIII with James MacDougall (1973) and Ben Caiello (1740) tying for first in the Championship Quad with 2 points. Dan Caiello (1406) takes the top spot in the Candidates Quad with 2.5 points. Mike Mayfield (1347) posted a perfect 3-0 to take the Amateur Quad and Richard Watts (1022) was also perfect with 3 points in the Reserve Quad.

Monday, Dec 5, the club will also meet at the St Andrews Regional Library on Broad River Road starting at 6:00. Come out for some "Stress Free" Chess! You do not have to be a club member to attend and play.

Bughouse Tournament on Dec 8. You do not have to be a member to play and you can form teams on site. Registration ends at 7:50, Round 1 at 8:00. The Bughouse Rules are HERE.

If you've never played don't be shy about jumping in! It's a lot of fun and the only time you can be losing at chess and know the cavalry is coming to save you!

This will be just for fun. No entry fees, no prizes, Just Bragging Rights! Anyone can play in this tournament for Free!

These are Blitz games. Game 5 minutes, no delay.

Come out and play!

Busy December coming up!!

2011-11-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

A lot of chess on the schedule for December and you do not have to be a member to play in most of the events! Get out of the Holiday rush and enjoy a game of chess! Check at the club for more information or email us.

Dec 1 - Ashland Quick XXVIII - USCF membership required. Ashland Appreciation Tournament. Entry fees donated to our host site.

Dec 3 - Augusta Action - Evans, GA. USCF membership required. 45 minutes from Columbia. One day, four round tournament.

Dec 5 - St. Andrews Regional Library - Open to everyone! Casual play, possibly some quick rated games. 6:00 - 8:30.

Dec 8 - Bughouse Tournament - Open to everyone!

Dec 12 - St. Andrews Regional Library - Open to everyone! Casual play, possibly some quick rated games. 6:00 - 8:30

Dec 15 - Ashland 960 - Open to everyone! Open Section, four round swiss, G20/3s delay.

Dec 22 - Casual Night - Open night for casual play and year end trophies will be awarded.

Dec 29 - Ashland Action II - USCF membership required. Your last rated games of 2011!!

Come out and play!

Ashland XXIV Rd 3

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Ashland XXIV continued with round 3. In the Open section, Ben Caiello(1794) continued his winning ways by defeating Lendel Robinson(1579). Paul Farb(1900) defeated Cody Kyzer(1312) in a hard fought game. Daniel Caiello(1540) pulled and upset and won over Erik Murrah(1761). Adam Shaw(1779) and George Morton(1648) played a hard fought game to eventually end in a draw. In the longest game of the evening, Chris Labrecque(1354) pulled out the win against Darell Hunt(1336).

In the Amateur section, Shaun McCoy(UNR) defeated Richard Watts(1166) and Mike Meekins(1000) defeated Dillon Webb. James Doyle(1190) and Jaime Sanyer(1139) drew along with Mark Woodman(1143) and Paul Lowry(1163). In the final game, Christian Dunlap(938) defeated Richard Jeffcoat(UNR).

Ashland XXIV continues with Round 4 on November 10th. Call, Email, or text before 7:15pm to make sure you are paired.

Ashland XXIV Round 2

2011-10-30T15:42:00.000-04:00

Eighteen players battled in Round 2 of Ashland XXIV.

Ben Caiello (1794) upset Paul Farb (1900) to take the lead atop the Open Section with 2 points. Lendel Robinson(1579) took the point from Daniel M. Smith (1479), Daniel Caiello(1540) won over Chris Labrecque(1354) and Ralph Buske(1453) and George Morton(1648) agreed to disagree and called it a draw.

In the Amateur Section, Darell Hunt (1336) continued his winning ways with a win over newcomer Shaun McCoy(UNR). Mike Mayfield(1297) took the point from Ron Labrecque(1071) and Richard Watts(1166) defeated James Doyle(UNR). Birney Blind(1176) defeateded Christian Dunlap(938) and Paul Lowry(1163) climed the point from newcomer Richard Jeffcoat(UNR).

Round 3 resumes the tournament on Thursday 11-3-2011. Registration ends at 7:15pm.

Some upcoming tournaments of notable interest are:

NC Class Championships Nov 4-6 Charlotte, NC.

Augusta Action, Dec 3rd. Evans, GA

Young Guns stay on top!

2011-09-25T00:00:00.004-04:00

Twenty two players battled in Round 4 of Ashland XXIII with six battles ending peacefully. Adam Shaw (1807) managed to slow down Ben Caiello (1630) holding him to a draw with Ben holding on to the top spot by 1 point. Paul Farb (1912) split the point with Erik Murrah (1734) as Lendel Robinson (1579) upset George Morton (1651). Ralph Buske (1473) agreed to a draw with Dan Caiello (1469) and Darell Hunt (1297) survived a nail biter that went down to final minutes against Paul Lowry (1195)

In the Amateur Section, Cody Kyzer (1211) survived a dubious opening line to split the point with Richard Watts (1139) and hang on to the lead by .5 point. Mike Mayfield (1281) took the point from Mark Woodman (1143), Birney Blind (1209) won over Christian Dunlap (938), David Boyd (1374) drew with Jaime Sanyer (1163), Chris Labrecque (1354) returned and defeated Drew Plyler (1072) and James Doyle (1190) split the point with Mike Meekins (1055.

The final round is Thursday, Sept 29.

Upcoming tournaments:

Oct 1 - Charlotte - Reverse Angle 23

Oct 7-9 - Charleston - 2nd Annual National Chess Day & Festival
Note: Correction to prizes: TLA for the National Chess Day and Festival tournament in Charleston on 7-9, 2011, has an error. In the Under 1800 section for prizes, it should read "u1600 - $100" instead of "u1400 - $100". The under 1400 prize is, of course, in the Under 1400 section.

Oct 14-16 - Columbia - 72nd SC Championships

B Caiello & Kyzer still perfect after 3 Rounds!

2011-09-17T12:00:00.002-04:00

Eighteen players battled in Round 3 of Ashland XXIII. Ben Caiello (1630) upset Erik Murrah (1734) to successfully defend Board 1 and stay atop the Open Section with 3 points. Paul Farb (1912) ground out the win over George Morton (1651), Adam Shaw (1807) took the point from Gil Holmes (1783) and Lendel Robinson (1579) split the point with Dan Caiello (1469).

In the Amateur Section, Cody Kyzer (1211) continued his impressive run with a win over Darell Hunt (1297) to stay in clear first with 3 points. Richard Watts (1139) outlasted Birney Blind (1209), Mark Woodman (1143) was left standing with point when the dust cleared in his battle with "Patriot" Christian Dunlap (938). Visiting Eddy Pinto (1272) took the point from Drew Plyler (1072) and David Boyd (1374) was convinced to split the point by Mike Mayfield (1281).

The Penultimate Round is next week, Thursday Sept 22.

There are THREE weekend tournaments coming up in October:

Oct 1 - Charlotte - Reverse Angle 23

Oct 7-9 - Charleston - 2nd Annual National Chess Day & Festival

Oct 14-16 - Columbia - 72nd SC Championships

Check at the club for members that are planning to attend these events if you'd like to car pool/share room.

The Live Game broadcast will be back soon (possibly next week!)

B Caiello & Kyzer lead after 2 rounds!

2011-09-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Twenty players competed in Round 2 of Ashland XXIII. B Caiello (1630) upset Paul Farb (1912) to move into clear first with 2 points. Gil Holmes (1783) took the point from D Caiello (1469) as Erik Murrah (1734) defeated Paul Lowry (1195). Adam Shaw (1807) settled peacefully with George Morton (1651) and Lendel Robinson (1579) escaped with a draw against Ralph Buske (1473).

In the Amateur Section, Cody Kyzer (1211) won over Birney Blind (1209) to stand alone at the top with 2 points. Darell Hunt (1297) scored the point over Mike Mayfield (1281), Richard Watts (1139) won over Christian Dunlap (938) while Mark Woodman (1143) defeated Mike Meekins (1055). Jaime Sanyer (1163) was held to a draw by Ron Labrecque (1071).

Round 3 is Thursday, Sept 15.

Ashland XXIII Begins

2011-09-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Sixteen players competed in Round 1 of Ashland XXIII. In the Open Section, Paul Farb (1912) took the point from Lendel Robinson (1579), Ben Caiello (1630) won over Ralph Buske (1473) and George Morton (1651) settled peacefully with Dan Caiello (1469).

In the Amateur Section, Cody Kyzer (1211) scored the win over Drew Plyler (1072), Birney Blind (1209) defeated Mike Meekins (1055), Christian Dunlap (938) upset Jaime Sanyer (1163), Nathan Huffaker (UNR) outlasted Mark Woodman (1143) in the evening's longest battle and Darell Hunt (1297) drew with Richard Watts (1139).

Round 2 will be Thursday, Sept 8.

B Caiello wins Ashland Quick XXVI!!

2011-08-27T13:00:00.001-04:00

Fourteen players battled in Ashland Quick XXVI with Ben Caiello (1611) winning his second straight club tournament defeating Paul Farb (1732), Adam Shaw (1613) and Lendel Robinson (1463) in the Top Quad.

Darell Hunt (1132) won the Amateur Quad with a perfect 3-0 scoring wins over Dan Caiello (1403), Mike Mayfield (1379) & David Boyd (1236). This is Darell's third straight section win since joining the club!

Daniel Smith (1122) took the Swiss Section with a perfect 3-0 ahead of Ralph Buske (1085) & Mike Meekings (829) who tied for second with 2 points.

Next week, Thursday, Sept 1, Ashland XXIII begins. This will be the same format as A22:

Five round Swiss. Two Sections. One round a week for five weeks. You do not have to play every round.

Entry fee $2 for club members, $5 non-members. One bye allowed. Rounds start at 7:30. Game 90 +5s delay.

Two Sections: Open Section & Amateur Section (U1505). No Prizes.

The Southeast's biggest tournament is Labor Day weekend in Charlotte. The North Carolina Open is headlined this year with six Grand Masters competing and three time U.S. Women's Champion Irina Krush. Check their site for full details.

GM Ftacnik Lecture and IM Matros Exhibition

2011-08-27T00:03:00.002-04:00

If you missed the FM Lubomir Ftacnik lecture and IM Matros vs GM Ftacnik exhibition last week you missed a great night of chess learning and camaraderie. As one club regular said "Tonight was Awesome, like sitting at the feet of prophets."

The lecture featured two games where white underestimated the time factor in the opening and paid the price.
Game 1 featured a 19 move Nimzo Indian Defense from the 2006 Turin Olympiad between GM Ivan Sokolov and GM Levon Aronian.

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The second game is from 1999 with Ivanchuk getting the better of Topolov's English opening in 25 moves. Annotations from GM Ftacnik.

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After the battle lines were drawn and we split into two groups and parted ways. IM Matros had the white pieces and his Phalanx of experts marched to their camp and GM Ftacnik's Death Dealers of Destruction hunkered down and made preparations for the oncoming attack. The following battle ensued:

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Columbia Open Underway!

2011-08-19T21:10:00.004-04:00

The Columbia Open is underway with 66 players entered as of Friday evening and 34 playing in the 3 day schedule. Live games are being broadcast via DGT and Monroi. The Open Section is the strongest we've had in SC in quite some time.

Crosstable

If you'd like to compete in this year's event you can still register Sat morning from 8:00am - 9:00am, round starts at 9:30.

Check back for updates over the weekend.

B Caiello wins Ashland XXII!!! Hunt takes the Amateur Section!

2011-08-13T12:00:00.002-04:00

Twenty three players competed in Ashland XXII as Ben Caiello (1630) upsets Erik Murrah (1734) to win the Open Section with 4 points. Paul Farb (1912) took the point from Dan Caiello (1469) and Adam Shaw (1807) won over George Morton (1651).

In the Amateur Section, Nathan Huffaker (1002) upset Richard Watts (1139), Max Witherell (1169) defeated Mike Meekins (1055), Cody Kyzer (1211) scored the win over Julie Sheil (UNR) and Craig Patton (1386) outlasted Jaime Sanyer (1163).

The rated results are HERE.

Next week, Thursday Aug 18, is Casual Night. GM Lubomir Ftacnik will give a lecture beginning at 7:00. After the lecture he will play an exhibition game with IM Alexander Matros. They will be in separate rooms with demo boards and those in attendance will split into two groups. Each Master will explain his moves as the game progresses and interact with their group. Anyone interested is welcome to come out! You do not have to be a club member to attend.

WeakSquare - 7 Rules for Losing a Game

2011-08-08T17:28:00.004-04:00

Weaksquare reviews his 7 rules for handling losing a game of chess. http://weaksquare.blogspot.com/2011/08/loser.html

Ashland XXII - Round 4

2011-08-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

Fourteen players competed in Round 4 of Ashland XXII with Keith Eubanks (2076) winning over Adam Shaw (1820) to hold the lead by .5 point over Ben Caiello (1630) who upset Paul Farb (1910). Erik Murrah (1734) defeated Ralph Buske (1497) as George Morton (1663) mated Gil Holmes (1783) with just 7 seconds left on his clock.

In the Amateur Section, Darell Hunt (1308) settled peacefully with Richard Watts (1080) to stay in first, a .5 point ahead of Richard. Mike Mayfield (1281) won over Birney Blind (1208) and Mike Meekins (1055) returned to the board and defeated Julie Sheil (UNR).

The Final Round will be Thurs, Aug 11.

The deadline for early entry discount for the Columbia Open is Friday, August 12. You can register Online and take advantage of the $16 discount of $59. After August 12 the entry fee will be $75.

Early Entries are coming in and are headlined by Grandmaster Lubomir Ftacnik. Check the Columbia Open site for full details.

Ashland XXII - Round 3

2011-07-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Twelve players competed in Round 3 of Ashland XXII while another eleven players socialized and played casually.

In the Open Section, Keith Eubanks (2076) won over Paul Farb (1910) to move into first place by .5 point. Ben Caiello (1630) took the point from George Morton (1663). Adam Shaw (1820) was held to a draw by Denker Rep Dan Caiello (1517). Dan is in Orlando now representing SC as the High School Champion in the Denker Tournament. Ralph Buske (1497) broke into the win column by defeating Max Witherell (1178).

Darell Hunt (1308) continued his dominance of the Amateur Section with a win over Nathan Huffaker (UNR) to move to 3-0. Birney Blind (1208) used a stubborn defense to save the draw against Julie Sheil (UNR). Julie has taken over the Chess Players of Augusta. They meet on Saturday's if you're looking for a game on the weekend.

Next week, Aug 4, is Round 4.

Entries are coming in for the Columbia Open. Early entry deadline is Aug 12.

Ashland XXII - Round 2

2011-07-24T12:00:00.002-04:00

Fourteen players battled in Round 2 of Ashland XXII. Paul Farb (1910) defeated George Morton (1663) to move into clear first with 2 points. Keith Eubanks (2076) took the point from Ben Caiello (1630) as Erik Murrah (1734) scored the win over Gil Holmes (1783). Adam Shaw (1820) outlasted David Boyd (1363) and Dan Caiello (1517) won over Ralph Buske (1497)

In the Amateur Section, Darell Hunt (1308) continued his impressive play with a win over Birney Blind (1208) to share the lead with Richard Watts (1080) who scored the upset over Max Witherell (1178).

Next week, Thursday, July 28 is Round 3.

Early entry deadline for the Columbia Open is Aug 12. Register online or at the club.

Game of the Month 2 and SC Class Spotlight

2011-07-22T22:56:00.015-04:00

Our second Game of the Month features two of the clubs strongest opponents facing off in the English Opening. White wins a pawn early on the queen side then with deft Queen maneuvering swoops in for the win on the king side.

Keith Eubanks vs Paul Farb

(show chess board)(hide chess board)

The first spotlight game is from round 5 of the SC Class Championships and features a win from the black side of a Grand Prix attack giving Keith Eubanks the SC Expert title.
Donny Gray vs Keith Eubanks
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Our second spotlight game is a fighting draw from Paul Farb in a Modern Benoni vs a very strong opponent in Wayne Christiansen who is rated 200 points higher.
Wayne Christiansen vs Paul Farb
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Thanks to all for sharing your games.

Ashland XXII gets underway with 14 players competing

2011-07-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

Fourteen players battled in the First Round of Ashland XXII. Paul Farb (1910) scored the win over Ralph Buske (1497). Ben Caiello (1630) outlasted Adam Shaw (1820) in a tough endgame and George Morton (1663) took the point from Dan Caiello (1517).

In the Amateur Section, Darell Hunt (1308) took the first round win over Jaime Sanyer (1163). Mike Mayfield (1281) scored the point over Mark Acklie (913), Birney Blind (1208) took the point from Nathan Huffaker (UNR) and Richard Watts (1080) upset Cody Kyzer (1211).

Round 2 is next week, Thursday, July 21.

The Club Standings have been updated.

The Columbia Open is fast approaching! We expect this to be the largest adult tournament in South Carolina for the third straight year. Be sure to take advantage of the early entry fee of $59. That's $16 off the on site registration fee! You can register with Erik on Thurs evenings or Online.

Cola Chess at the SC Class -

2011-07-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

The SC Class Championships drew 46 players from five states. Cola Chess was well represented with fourteen club members participating, taking first in two classes and bringing home four of the class trophies and the blitz trophy!

Here are the top performers from the club:

Keith Eubanks - SC Expert Champion
Bob Halliday - SC B Class Champion
Dan Caiello - SC C Class Champion
Darell Hunt - SC E Class Champion on tiebreak.
Richard Watts - tied for first in E Class, gained 59 points

Donny Gray - First Place SC Blitz Championship. Donny lives in GA and wasn't eligible for Trophy.

Edsel Pena - SC Blitz Champion. Won an exciting tie break with Philipp Lamby.

If you didn't go you missed a great tournament! Be sure to mark your calendar for next year.

The full crosstable is HERE.

Next up..... The Columbia Open Aug 19-21.

SC Class - Early Entries

2011-07-08T07:22:00.003-04:00

Here is the early entry list for the SC Class this weekend here in Columbia:

First	Last	July Rating	Class
Klaus	Pohl	2208	X
Keith	Eubanks	2090	X
Donnie	Gray	2083	X
Steven	Welt	1978	A
Paul	Farb	1924	A
Adam	Shaw	1796	A
John	Yates	1711	B
Robert	Halliday	1688	B
George	Morton	1661	B
J. Robert	Mahan	1547	B
Jayashree	Sekar	1498	B
Daniel	Smith	1462	B
Daniel	Caiello	1517	C
Ralph	Buske	1494	C
Richard	Hartnett	1473	C
Michael	Doyle	1432	C
Richard	Thomas	1385	C
David	Boyd	1348	C
Craig	Patten	1386	D
Robert	Woodworth	1246	D
Vignesh	Sekar	1088	D
Doug	Ragan	1120	E
Darell	Hunt	1112	E
Richard	Watts	1060	E
Timothy	Staley	1038	E
James	Dill	984	E
Suhasini	Sundar	982	E
Mark	Acklie	913	E
Kyle	Overton	865	E
Kyle	Xiao	0	E

SC Class Championships THIS weekend!!

2011-07-08T00:00:00.004-04:00

Around a dozen players dropped by to get in some casual chess before this weekend's SC Class Championships here in Columbia. With Six sections and only a $15 entry fee for Unrated (New) players this is a great tournament for everyone! Don't forget about the SC Blitz Championship Sat night!

Look for Twitter updates over the weekend and the Crosstable should be available.

Full details are at the end.

Due to scheduling around the Columbia weekend tournaments there will be no Quick Tournament. Next week Ashland XXII will begin. There will be two sections, Open & Amateur (U1505), Game 90. There are two changes:

1. The entry fee will be $2 for club members and $5 for non members. This is for all five rounds no matter if you play one or five.

2. There will be no prizes.

6 Grand Prix Points

Jul 9 - 10, 2011

South Carolina Class Championship

Columbia, SC

4-SS. Rd 1: G/90, Rds 2-4: 30/90 G/60.
Hilton Garden Inn, 434 Columbiana Dr., Columbia, SC 29212 (803)407-6640.

HR: $89/night, book by 7/1.

6 Sections: Expert (2000+),

A (1800-1999),

B (1600-1799),

C (1400-1599),

D (1200-1399),

E (below 1200).
Players may play up 1 section.
Sections will be combined if less than 6 players.

Unrated may play in any section but are limited to $100 in A, B, and C, and $50 in D and E.

Prizes: $1900 b/50. $280-$120 in Expert, $200-$100 all others, 75% gtd.
Top SC player in each section wins trophy.

EF: $50 if rec d by 7/6. $60 at door.

Discounts: 25% for out-of-state pre-registering w/friend (2 players count as 1 1/2 entries).
Unrated: $15 EF if playing D or E.

Reg.: 8:30-9:30,

Rds.: Sat: 10, 2.
Sun: 10, 4.

Side Event: SC Blitz Champ, Prelim: 5-DSS, top four + ties play in RR final.
EF: $15 for SC Class participants, $25 for others. 75% of Entries returned as prizes.
Rd. 1 starts Sat: 8:00 PM.

Entries: SC Chess Association, 741 Dragoon Dr., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.

Email: klizzaus@gmail.com.
SCCA membership req d, OSA.

Chess Magnet School JGP.

Johnson wins Ashland XXI

2011-07-02T06:00:00.002-04:00

In the final round of Ashland XXI, fourteen players battled it out in the green and white square arenas.

With intense cogitation, Klaus Johnson(1840) kept Paul Farb's(1901) Bird opening from soaring and secured a draw to claim first place with 3.5 points. George Morton(1726) defeated Russell Thurmond(1600) and Ralph Buske(1492) claimed the point against David Boyd(1319).

In the Amateur section, Darell Hunt(1112) and Paul Lowry(1177) ended on even terms, giving Hunt 4.5 for the tournament, claiming first prize. A stalemate ended Jaime Sanyer(1161) and Birney Blind's(1237) game and Richard Watts(1141) defeated U1000 prize winner Christian Dunlap(924). In an interesting matchup, new member Megh Testerman defeated newer member Stephen Barker, both left in good spirits.

Prize winners for the tourney are:
1st Klaus Johnson
2nd Paul Farb
U1805 Adam Shaw
U1605 Ralph Buske

1st Darell Hunt
2nd Paul Lowry
U1205 Jaime Sanyer
U1000 Christian Dunlap

Congratulations to all prize winners and thanks to all for playing and continuing to improve your game.

People who want to improve should take their defeats as lessons, and endeavor to learn what to avoid in the future. You must also have the courage of your convictions. If you think your move is good, make it. - Jose Capablanca

Next Week Thursday, July 7 is casual night. Come out for a fun night of chess.

The SC Class Championship is July 9-10. You can register with Klaus at the club on Thurs evening.

July 14th will start Ashland XXII, entry fee will be $2 for the whole tournament.

Johnson & Shaw lead with one to go! Hunt still Perfect!

2011-06-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

Fourteen players battled in the Penultimate Round of Ashland XXI. Klaus Johnson (1840) bounced back from a round 3 set back with a win over Ralph Buske (1492) and grabbed a share of the lead when Paul Farb (1901) and Adam Shaw (1780) drew. David Boyd (1319) scored an upset win by defeating Russell Thurmond (1600).

In the Amateur Section, Darell Hunt (1112) stayed perfect taking the point from Jaime Sanyer (1161) and wins the section with a round to go! Mike Mayfield (1308) took the point from Daniel Smith (1343). Paul Lowry (1177) emerged with the point from a very tough battle with Megh Testerman (UNR) and Richard Watts (1141) won over Stephen Barker (UNR).

The Final Round will be Thursday, June 30. Daniel Smith will be the Chief for this round.

The SC Class Championship is coming up July 9-10 here in Columbia. You can register with Klaus at the club on Thurs evening. Entry fee is only $15 for Unrated players in the D & E Classes! If you're a new player or looking to play in your first weekend tournament this is the one!

South Carolina's Premier event, The Columbia Open, is August 19-21. This year's edition has a $5000 guaranteed prize fund and 40 Grand Prix points up for grabs! Be sure to take advantage of the early entry fee of $59 by Aug 12. You can register with Erik at the club or online.

Also mark your calendar for the NC Open in Charlotte on Labor Day weekend. This is the largest event in Southeast drawing over 200 players last year. This year's event has a $12,500 guaranteed prize fund that pays 10 places deep in all sections! There's also 100 Grand Prix points available and the Open Section will be FIDE rated.

These are three great events over the next 3 months with a lot of money guaranteed to be paid out and you only have to leave town for one!

Shaw & Holmes tied after 3 Rounds!

2011-06-21T18:00:00.002-04:00

Sixteen players competed in the third round of Ashland XXI. Adam Shaw (1780) claimed Board 1 from Klaus Johnson (1840) to move into first with Gil Holmes (1756) who defeated Erik Murrah (1720) to keep pace. Paul Farb (1901) took the point from George Morton (1726) as Russell Thurmond (1600) defeated Daniel Smith (1343) to round out the Open Section.

In the Amateur Section, Darell Hunt (1112) continued his run toward perfection with a win over Mark Woodman (1152) scoring his third straight upset! Mike Mayfield (1308) was convinced to settle peacefully with Paul Lowry (1177) as Birney Blind (1237) defeated Stephen Barker (UNR). Christian Dunlap (924) won over Megh Testerman (UNR).

Round 3 will be this Thursday, June 23.

The SC Class Championship will be here in Columbia July 9 & 10 (Two weeks away!). Early entry is $50 by July 6. You can enter with Klaus at the club on Thurs nights.

Ashland XXI -Johnson & Hunt lead after Round 2!

2011-06-13T18:00:00.003-04:00

Eighteen players compete in Round 2 of Ashland XXI. Klaus Johnson (1840) defended board 1 from George Morton (1726) to move into clear first with 2 points. Adam Shaw (1780) settled peacefully Erik Murrah (1720) as Gil Holmes (1756) took the point from Daniel Smith (1343) creating a 3 way tie for second at 1.5 points. Paul Farb (1901) scored the win over Russell Thurmond (1600) to finish the Open Section.

Darell Hunt (1112) scored his second straight win defeating Max Witherell (1181) and stands alone at the Top of the Amateur Section with 2 points. Jaime Sanyer (1161) picked up the point from new member Stephen Barker (UNR) while Mark Woodman (1152) outlasted Megh Testerman (UNR). Paul Lowry (1177) settled peacefully with James Price (1098) as Mike Mayfield (1308) defeated Christian Dunlap (924)

Round 3 will be Thursday, June 16.

New Weak Square Article

2011-06-06T15:07:00.000-04:00

You asked for it, you got it. The WeakSquare rides again!

I'm Not Good Enough to Play Chess

Ashland XXI - Start your clocks! Who turned out the lights??!!!

2011-06-05T18:00:00.007-04:00

A bizarre start to Ashland XXI?! The round got underway as normal. Around 30 mins into play a severe storm moved through the area and lights flickered several times. Naturally, just as it looked as if the storm was almost past us the power went off sixty minutes into play. There was no emergency lighting in the playing rooms so we decide to wait a little while and see if the power would come back on.

After about 30mins at 9:00 and still in the dark the decision was made to allow those that wanted to finish their game to move to the Burger King on Bush River Road at I20 about a mile away. At this point we had one game completed, one game continued by cell phone light on site!, the participants of one game had vanished?!, one game agreed to a draw, one participant accepted a loss (basically resigned) when he didn't want to continue the game and refused a draw offer?! Two players from out of town were allowed to go home and finish their game there. As it turned out only two games moved to Burger King to be completed. Naturally one game went the full time limit and past the 11:00pm closing time of the restaurant. There was no problem though and a big Thank You! to Burger King for allowing us to invade and finish our games! Thank you to everyone for your cooperation!

Here are the results, Erik Murrah (1720) took the point from Paul Farb (1901), Klaus Johnson (1840) outlasted Russell Thurmond (1600), Adam Shaw (1780) picked up the point from Ralph Buske (1492) and George Morton (1726) won over David Boyd (1319).

In the Amateur Section, Mike Boone (1334) settled peacefully with Jaime Sanyer (1161), Darell Hunt (1112) defeated Mike Mayfield (1308), James Price (1098) won over Birney Blind (1237) and Max Witherell (1181) scored the point over David Haller (UNR).

We've had a lot of new players showing up recently and we hope this trend continues! If you've been considering coming out but haven't made it now is the time! There's plenty of new players to battle and learn with.

The hopefully uneventful Round 2 will be Thursday, June 9.

The early entry deadlines are fast approaching for the Statesville Open, June 17-19 and the SC Open, June 24-26. Club players are planning to attend both tournaments.

Check out the Survivor Series at Tiger Chess in Charlotte. This a series of six, one day tournaments. The next one is June 11, This Saturday! Entry fee for Cola Club members is $17! This is discounted from $25 so take advantage of it.

The next three Reverse Angle tournaments in Charlotte have been scheduled for Aug 13, Oct 1 and Nov 19. Check the QCCA site for details.

We're trying to put together a couple club matches with Queen City and Tiger Chess. Let us know if you're interested in playing either here in Columbia or traveling to Charlotte.

Don't forget that Augusta area players are now meeting every Sat morning at Arsenal Games and Hobbies. Check the Augusta Players site for details.

See you next week!

Lamby wins Ashland Quick XXV!!

2011-05-28T08:00:00.005-04:00

Twelve players competed in Ashland Quick XXV with Philipp Lamby (2112) taking clear first in the Top Quad posting a perfect 3-0. Adam Shaw (1536) claimed second place scoring two upsets to finish 2-1.

Cody Kyzer (1106) scored three upsets to go 3-0 to win the Middle Quad ahead of Max Witherell (1107) who took clear second at 2 points with two upsets of his own.

Keeping with the theme of the evening, Daniel Smith (1055) went a perfect 3-0 with one upset to take clear first ahead of Christian Dunlap (798) who took second with 2 points scoring an upset of his own.

In a strange evening, all quads finished 3-2-1-0 with a total of 10 upsets!

Next week is Round 1 of Ashland XXI. Registration ends at 7:15. Email, text or call before 7:15. Round starts 7:30.

Two weekend tournaments nearby this month:

Statesville Open June 17-19 - Statesville, NC
SC Open June 24-26 - Greenville, NC

Mark your calendar for the Columbia Open Aug 19-21. $5000 prize fund guaranteed! 40 Grand Prix Points! See tournament page or TLA for full details.

Mabe wins the 4th Annual Lee Hyder Memorial!!

2011-05-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

Lee Hyder Memorial IV
by Bill Taylor

May 20-22, 2011

The fourth annual Lee Hyder Memorial was held May 20^th thru 22^nd 2011 in it’s new location of Columbia, South Carolina at the Hilton Garden Inn, Harbison. This hotel is becoming a favorite for Columbia tournaments with a convenient location for traveling players and excellent accommodations.

The tournament had a good turn-out with 31 players competing in three sections.

The Open Section had a strong field of 13 players including the current SC state champion Dr. Phillip Lamby and current NC state co-champion NM Chris Mabe. Other notable players were current SC senior state co-champs Klaus Pohl and Wayne Christensen, Donny Gray of Georgia and area newcomer Ananth Pappu.

The top prize was claimed by Chris Mabe with 4.0 points followed closely by Ananth Pappu and Dr. Phillip Lamby with 3.5 points each.

The U1800 Section was well represented with 10 players. Christian Ruel of Aiken took first place in the section, second place for the section was shared by Bobby Halliday and Mike Eberhardinger.

The tournament was rounded out by 8 players in the U1400 section with top prize going to Greg Blythe.

There were several upcoming tournament announcements made. These included the SC Class Championship in July, the Columbia Open in August and the NC Open in September. Check the SC and NC state websites for details on these and other upcoming events.

Thanks to everyone that attended and helped with LHM IV, the full results are shown below.

FINAL RESULTS

Casual Night - Lee Hyder THIS weekend!

2011-05-20T06:00:00.012-04:00

Around a dozen players came out for some "Stress Free" chess and some last minute preparation for the Lee Hyder Memorial this weekend here in Columbia.

Over a dozen Cola Club members are entered in this weekend's event. If you can't play, drop by and check out the action. Casual chess will be played in the lobby and I'm sure a few players will drop by the Bulldog in between rounds. This should be the largest LHM to date and is the first tournament in the Columbia Grand Slam series. There will be Twitter updates throughout the weekend. Registration is Friday from 5:00-6:45 and Sat from 8:30-9:15.

Here are the other three local weekend tournaments:

South Carolina Class & Blitz Championships July 9-10
The Columbia Open Aug 19-21
72nd South Carolina Championships Oct 14-16

Check the USCF TLA section for full tournament listings.

Next week, Thurs May 26, is Ashland Quick XXV. Come out and fill your need for speed! These games only affect your Quick Rating.

Lee Hyder Memorial - This Weekend!!

2011-05-16T18:00:00.007-04:00

Here is the early entry list for the Lee Hyder:

Open
Chris Mabe
Donny Gray
Keith Eubanks
Gary Newsom
Paul Farb
Adam Shaw

U1800
Russell Thurmond
John Roberts
George Morton
Robert Mahan
Bob Halliday

U1400
Richard Watts
Tim Staley
Daniel Smith
James Price
Mike Meekins
Emilio Garrido
David Boyd
Birney Blind

If you have not entered you can still register at the club this Thursday during Casual Night.

Eubanks wins Ashland XX!!

2011-05-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

Twenty nine players competed in Ashland XX as Keith Eubanks (2076) defeated David Vetterlein (1800) in the final round to take clear first. Adam Shaw (1780) took the point from Paul Farb (1901) to finish in clear second with 3.5 points. Ben Caiello (1615) scored the win over Russell Thurmond (1600) as Dan Caiello (1515) outlasted Steve Boshears (1614).

Craig Patton (1298) defeated Mark Woodman (1152) to secure clear first in the Amateur Section. Mike Mayfield (1308) won over Mike Meekins (914) to take clear second. Richard Watts (1141) defeated Christian Dunlap (924) to score his third straight win. Pani Wickramasinghe (1383) won over Mark Acklie (879) as Birney Blind (1237) defeated Jonathan Bundy (105). Daniel Smith (1343) took the point from James Price (1098) and Max Witherell (1181) defeated Jason LeFebvre (UNR).

The rated tournament is HERE.

Next week, Thursday, May 19 is Casual Night. Come out for some "Stress Free Chess" before the Lee Hyder Memorial next weekend. Around a dozen Cola Chess members are entered at this time. You can register on site either Friday evening 5:00-6:45 or Sat morning 8:30-9:15.

The Award Standings have been updated.

Eubanks takes the lead!

2011-05-07T19:00:00.004-04:00

Twenty players do battle in the Penultimate Round of Ashland XX. Keith Eubanks (2036) grabbed the lead by .5 point with a win over former leader Paul Farb (1900). Adam Shaw (1810) took the point from Ben Caiello (1608) as David Vetterlein (1800) outlasted Steve Boshears (1638). Russell Thurmond (1600) found the win over Dan Caiello (1420) and George Morton (1728) settled peacefully with David Boyd (1317).

Craig Patton (1283) marched to the top of the Amateur Section with a victory over Mike Mayfield (1275). Mark Woodman (1177) posted his second straight win defeating Christian Dunlap (916) and moving into joint second. Mike Meekins (954) has regained his form with his second straight win, this time defeating Birney Blind (1194). Richard Watts (1151) also made it two straight with a win over James Price (1098). In a battle of Rookies, Megh Testerman (UNR) took the point from Jason LeFebvre (UNR) scoring her first tournament win.

The final round of Ashland XX will be Thursday, May 12.

If you're looking for a game on Saturdays head over to Augusta. The Chess Players of August a meet at Arsenal Games & Hobbies starting at 10:00 am. Around a dozen players made it out this past Saturday and fun time was had by all!

Be sure to take advantage of the early entry discount for the Lee Hyder Memorial May 20-22 here in Columbia. Entry fee is $65 until May 12 and $80 after. This week is your last chance to early enter at the club on Thurs night.

**Be sure to check out the Candidates Matches on your favorite site. US Champ Gata Kamsky holds a 2-1 lead over Veselin Topalov with the fourth game taking place Sunday at 7:00am.

Ashland XX Round 3

2011-04-30T16:13:00.016-04:00

Round 3 of Ashland XX had 22 players at the boards. Paul Farb (1900) stayed atop the crosstable by defending against Steve Boshears(1638) onslought. Keith Eubanks (2036) stayed close behind by outlasting Gil Holmes(1774). David Vetterlein(1800) settled peacefully with Ben Caiello(1608) after 47 moves and Adam Shaw(1810) defeated George Morton(1728) to round out the Open section action.

In the U1505 section we have a logjam with 3 players with 2.5 points. Ralph Buske(1489) and Mike Mayfield(1275) split the point with a draw. Craig "The General" Patton(1283) took the point from "Tenacious B" Birney Blind(1194), giving Craig 2.5 points total along with Buske and Mayfield. In the battle of the Marks, Woodman(1177) defeated Acklie(901). Young Christina Dunlap(916) claimed the point from younger Jon Bundy. In a tough battle Pani Wickramasinghe(1392) defeated David Boyd(1317). We also welcomed two unrated USCF members to our club, Jason Lefebvre and Megh Testerman. Newbies to the club but not to chess, they jumped right into the action and gave their opponents tough games but Richard "Mega" Watts(1151) defeated Lefebvre and James Price(1098) defeated Megh Testerman.

Next week, Cinco de Mayo, is Round 4 of Ashland XX.

Aiken/Augusta Players!! Jason LeFebvre has secured a meeting site for Saturday's starting at 10:00 am and going until...... A few of us are planning to head over on Sat May 7, if anyone else is interested let us know! You can find more information at Chess Players of Augusta .

The early entry deadline for the Lee Hyder Memorial is May 10. Early entry is $65 vs. $80 after and on site. You can early enter at the club on Thursday evening. Entry fee must be paid at the time of entry.

The club now has some tournament sets for sale. The combo (board, pieces & bag) is $20. Board separately is $5 Pieces are $7 and the bag is $12. We also have the spiral scorebook that holds 50 games for $3 or the hard cover scorebook that holds 100 games for $6. They will be available on Thurs nites while supplies last.

Farb leads Ashland XX after two rounds!

2011-04-23T18:00:00.002-04:00

Twenty players battled in Round 2 of Ashland XX. Paul Farb (1900) defended Board 1 from David Vetterlein (1800) to move into clear first at 2 points in the Open Section. Keith Eubanks (2036) defeated Adam Shaw (1810) , Gil Holmes (1774) took the point from George Morton (1728) and Steve Boshears (1638) outlasted Russell Thurmond (1600) creating a four way tie for second at 1.5 points. Ben Caiello (1608) broke into the win column scoring the point over Pani Wickramasinghe (1392).

Ralph Buske (1489) won over Birney Blind (1194) as Mike Mayfield (1275) defeated Mark Woodman (1177) creating a tie at the top at 2 points. Craig Patton (1283) took the point from Christian Dunlap (916), Mike Meekins (954) scored the win over James Price (1098) and Mark Acklie (901) picked up the point from Richard Watts (1151).

Round 3 will be Thursday, April 28.

The Columbia Open will be August 19-21. This year's edition features an increased prize fund of $5000 guaranteed and a reduced early entry fee of $59. We expect this to be the biggest and best Columbia Open to date! Be There!!

British Bulldog Chess Meetup

2011-04-17T22:04:00.009-04:00

Our first meetup on Sat April 16th was great fun and we had around 20 attendees, some new interested minds were opened up to chess along with USCF, ColumbiaChess and chess.com memberships.

Throughout the day there were many interested onlookers and some good publicity was created for chess and our wonderful venue, http://www.thebritishbulldogpub.com/

Officially the meetup and tourney started at 10AM and ended at 5PM, but 8 of us stayed until 11:30 PM playing 2 person teams of alternating move, no consult blitz, which is a great way to expand your chess horizons.

The official tournament had 10 players playing a dual rated Game 60 +5 sec Delay and results can be seen here.

Pictures from the event can be seen here

Ashland XX Begins!!

2011-04-17T12:00:00.004-04:00

Eighteen players competed in Round 1 of Ashland XX. Paul King (1912) defended Board 1 from George Morton (1728) and Paul Farb (1900) scored the win over Ben Caiello (1608). David Vetterlein (1800) took the point from Dan Caiello (1420) to share the early lead as Adam Shaw (1810) and Russell Thurmond (1600) settled peacefully in the evenings only draw.

In the Amateur Section, Ralph Buske (1489) outlasted Richard Watts (1151) as Mike Mayfield (1275) survived a scary attack to take the point from James Price (1098). Christian Dunlap (916) scored the only upset of the night defeating Cody Kyzer (1236). Birney Blind (1194) continued his solid play with a victory over Mark Acklie (901) and Mark Woodman (1177) won over Jonathan Bundy (105).

Round 2 is Thursday, April 21.

Be sure to check out the coverage of the U.S. Chess Champs. Coverage starts at 3:00 with GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade provide commentary.

Watch live streaming video from uschess at livestream.com

Casual Night - Ashland XX starts next week!

2011-04-09T00:00:00.024-04:00

Over a dozen players including three new eager minds and our bi annual visitor from PA enjoyed some stress free chess on Casual Night.

Paul Farb (1900) and visiting Steve Boak (1813) contested their latest battle in a series that started in CA around 20 years ago with Steve getting the upper hand this time. Klaus Johnson brought in a copy of the book Palma de Mallorca, 1970 Interzonal Chess Tournament and several of us enjoyed playing through a dozen or so of the games. Naturally bughouse broke out with a couple of our new players jumping in.

A handful of us visited the British Bulldog Pub afterwards to go over games and play some consultation blitz??! Be sure to check out this chess friendly Pub on Sundays as some casual players gather and if you can beat one of the owners you'll win a free pint! The April 16 Meet Up will be held in the back room of the pub from 10-4. Contact Daniel for more information.

Next week is Round 1 of Ashland XX. This tournament will be our normal, two section tournament: Five round Swiss. Two Sections. One round a week for five weeks. Entry fee $3 a round for club members, $5 a round for non-members. One bye allowed, No last round byes. Rounds start at 7:30. Game 90 Open Section First Place $35, Second Place $20, U1805 $15 U1605 $15. Club members with a floor of 1800 receive free entry, $15 will be deducted from any prize won. Amateur Section (U1505) First Place $35, Second Place $20, U1205 $15 U1000 $15. Perfect score (5-0, byes do not count) wins free entry into a Cola Club tournament. After going seven tournaments (1 year) without the free entry being claimed it's been claimed in the last two tournaments! Can someone post a perfect 5-0 in this one?

The Lee Hyder Memorial is coming up on May 20 here in Columbia. Be sure to take advantage of the early entry of $65 before May 10. The regular entry fee is $80 and this deadline is only 1 month away.

Lamby wins Ashland Quick XXIV!

2011-04-03T15:00:00.006-04:00

Sixteen players competed in four quads at Ashland Quick XXIV. Philipp Lamby (2099) scored a perfect 3 points to take clear first ahead of Edsel Pena (2019), Paul King (1905) & Klaus Johnson (1795) in the Top Quad.

Joerg Lohse (1765) and Gil Holmes (1551) tied with two points to finish first in the Candidates Quad ahead of Paul Farb (1774) and Steve Boshears (1593).

Adam Shaw (1445) posted a perfect 3-0 to take the Amateur Quad ahead of George Morton (1474), Erik Murrah (1435) and Mike Mayfield (1427).

David Boyd (1254) shared the top spot of the Reserve Quad with Cody Kyzer (1091) finishing ahead of Richard Watts (1066) and Christian Dunlap (726).

Note that posted ratings are Quick Ratings, not Regular.

Next week, April 7, is Casual Night. Come out for some stress free chess!!

The Year End Awards standings have been updated.

There will be 4 (FOUR!) tournaments here in Columbia this year. All will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn on Harbison.

The first is the Lee Hyder, that used to be held in Aiken, on May 20-22.

Next up is a new event, the South Carolina Class Championships on July 9-10. There is also a Blitz tournament Sat night during this event.

On Aug 19-21 is the Columbia Chess Club's signature event, The Columbia Open and the last tournament will be the 72nd South Carolina Championships.

There's plenty of action right here in town this year so get out and play!!

Eubanks takes the 2011 Club Championship!!!!

2011-03-26T18:00:00.005-04:00

Thirty four players battled for the 2011 Club Championship with Keith Eubanks (2027) defending Board 1 in the final round defeating Erik Murrah (1701) to finish with the first perfect score in the Club Championship and claim his second Title in dominating fashion!

2010 Champ Philipp Lamby (2188) defeated Paul Farb (1900) to take clear second with 4 points. Edsel Pena (1986) took the point from Dave Vetterlein (1800) as George Morton (1728) won over Ralph Buske (1489).

Birney Blind (1194) outlasted a determined Mark Woodman (1177) to take the final round point and secure the Top U1600 Trophy with 3 points. Russell Thurmond (1600) finished on a positive note with a win over Shiva Balasubramanian (1302) as Jason Arthur (1404) claimed the point from Alex Humphreys (830).

Paul Lowry (1108) secured the draw against David Boyd (1317) and it was enough to allow Paul to win the U1200 Trophy with 2.5 points. Richard Watts (1130) defeated Mike Meekins (954) to finish with a win.

Max Witherell (1204) defeated fellow Jr Player Christian Dunlap (916) to win the Top Jr. Player Trophy with 2 points. Amazingly, all five trophies were won outright! Each trophy winner also receives a one year club membership.

Thanks to everyone for making this the largest, strongest and most competitive Club Championship to date! Congratulations to the Trophy Winners!

Next week is Ashland Quick XXIV.

Be sure to check the Club Message board for the poll on trying the 30s increment instead our usual 5s delay in Ashland XX. Please give feedback on the message board or at the club Thursday evening.

Game of the Month #1 and Border Battle 2011

2011-03-22T21:16:00.009-04:00

The voting has ended and our first Game of the Month for 2011 is the round 5 game from the Ashland Team Tournament, Ashland XIX between James MacDougall and Paul Farb. This game features a classical Main Line Sicilian Najdorf (ECO B99) between two of our clubs top players. Enjoy this fierce Battle.

(show chess board)(hide chess board)

Both players will receive a free entry to a regular club tournament.

Game of the month #2 voting will begin soon so submit your games to the club database.

The Annual Border Battle took place this past weekend in Lake Norman, NC.
The featured match was between our Phillipp Lamby and NC Champion and full time chess coach Craig Jones. The champions battled to a even 2-2 but SC fought valiantly but succumbed to the on-slought of the NC players.

Live Games were broadcast and full recaps can be found at schess.org and ncchess.org.

This Saturday, March 26th there is a Reverse Angle in Charlotte, NC. If you have never been to a Reverse Angle its a great 1 day tournament with plenty of good competition to hone your game.

Thursday March 24th is the final round of the Club Championship. Awards will be given that night. Come out and have some fun.

Border Battle 2011 Underway

2011-03-19T11:06:00.003-04:00

Today the annual Border Battle begins.

Tune in for Live Games

http://columbiachess.com/DGT/BorderBattle/tfd.htm

Lamby and Kenzie Moore have black for round 1.

Eubanks still perfect going into the Final Round!!

2011-03-19T00:00:00.008-04:00

Twenty four players compete in Round 4 of the 2011 Club Championship.

Keith Eubanks (2022) defeated co leader Paul Farb (1908) and now stands alone at the top a full point clear of the field, ready to reclaim the title he won in 2008. Four players are tied at 3 points for the Runner Up spot led by Philipp Lamby (2190) who bounced back to win over Adam Shaw (1699). Also on 3 points are David Vetterlein (1800), who found the win over Steve Boshears (1626) in a tough Knight ending and Erik Murrah (1691), who had a solid upset win over Paul King (1924). Edsel Pena (1986) returned to pick up the point from Russell Thurmond (1600) .

Ralph Buske (1452) secured the draw with Gil Holmes (1805) as Birney Blind (1233) won over Mike Meekins (982) and both trail U1605 Trophy leader Mike Mayfield by .5 point.

Mark Woodman (1045) took the point from Christian Dunlap (851) to pull even for the U1205 Trophy with Paul Lowry (1060), who settled peacefully with Jason Arthur (1404).

Richard Watts (1129) split the point with Alex Humphreys (830) and Max Witherell (1110) defeated Mark Acklie (952).

The Final Round of the 2011 Club Championship will be Thursday, March 24. Trophies will be awarded that night.

The Border Battle is being contested this weekend in Cornelius, NC. Check the SCCA Website for updates over the weekend.

Here are the Team Rosters (Cola Chess members are in bold):

SC Champ: Philipp Lamby; NC Champ: Craig Jones

SC HS Champ: Kenzie Moore; NC HS Champ: Samuel Xin

Team South Carolina:

Expert--Keith Eubanks and Stephen Welt
Class A--Bill Taylor and John Vonderlieth
Class B--Joerg Lohse and Karl Bossmeier (Day 1) - Ron Gaskins (Day 2)
Class C--James Brown and Daniel Smith
Class D--Shiva Balasubramanian and Michael Boone
Class E--Torri Whatley and Gordon Miller

Team North Carolina:

Expert---John Timmel and Peter Giannatos
Class A---David High and Bill LeFew
Class B---Mike Eberhardinger and Mark Biernacki
Class C---Shawn Spencer and Anthony Cato
Class D---Ray Hight and Rudy Abate
Class E---Walter High and Ethan Yen

Eubanks & Farb lead after Three Rounds!!

2011-03-14T21:00:00.006-04:00

Twenty eight players battled in Round 3 of the Club Championship and two are left with perfect scores heading into the penultimate round.

Keith Eubanks (2022) upset defending champ Philipp Lamby (2190) and Paul Farb (1908) upset James MacDougall (1993) moving both to 3-0 and setting them up on Board 1 next week.

Paul King (1924) survived against Cody Kyzer (1252) and David Vetterlein (1800) won over Shiva Balasubramanan. Adam Shaw (1699) took the point from Birney Blind (1233), Erik Murrah (1691) scored the win over Jaime Sanyer (1185) and Steve Boshears (1626) defeated Mark Woodman (1045).

David Boyd (1330) settled peacefully with Mike Mayfield (1275) and both lead for the U1605 Trophy with 2 points. Gil Holmes (1805) survived to claim the point from Daniel Smith (1313) while George Morton (1728) took the point from Christian Dunlap (851). Russell Thurmond (1600) won over Richard Watts (1129), Paul Lowry (1060) picked up the point from Alex Humphreys (830) and Jason Arthur (1404) returned and scored the win over Mark Acklie (952). Mike Meekins (982) broke into the win column with a victory over Max Witherell (1110).

Two rounds to go and all six the trophies are still up for grabs! Trophies will be awarded to First, Second, Top U1605, Top U1205 and the Top Jr. Player. Who will claim the hardware??!!

Round 4 will be Thurs, March 17.

The Border Battle between SC & NC will be March 19 & 20 in Charlotte. The Columbia Club is represented by State Champ Philipp Lamby, Expert Keith Eubanks, Class C Daniel Smith & Class D Shiva Balasubramanian. Good Luck Team SC!!

Club Championship - Round 2

2011-03-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

Twenty eight players compete in Round 2 of the Club Championship with around another ten playing casually and watching the battles rage.

Philipp Lamby (2190) outlasted Edsel Pena (1986) on Board 1 to move to 2-0. Keith Eubanks (2022) defeated Paul King (1924) as Paul Farb (1908) won over George Morton (1728) creating a three way tie at the top. Ben Caiello (1509) scored an upset win over Russell Thurmond (1600), David Boyd (1330) defeated Richard Watts (1129) and Mike Mayfield (1275) escaped with the point from Daniel Smith (1313).

David Vetterlein (1800) broke into the win column with a victory over Dan Caiello (1420) as Adam Shaw (1699) outlasted Cody Kyzer (1252) and Erik Murrah (1691) defeated Shiva Balasubramanian (1236). Steve Boshears (1626) took the point from Birney Blind (1233), Ralph Buske (1452) won over Alex Humphreys (830), Jaime Sanyer (1185) picked up the point over Mark Acklie (952), Mark Woodman (1045) won over Mike Meekins (982) and Christian Dunlap (851) scored the win over visiting G.M. Boykin (1111).

Round 3 with normal pairings is Thursday, March 10.

***Breaking News*** Dan Caiello ties for the SC Scholastic Championship and wins the Denker Trip!!!

The Club Championship Begins!

2011-02-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

The 2011 Columbia Chess Club Championship kicked off with twenty-four players competing in Round 1. This is our strongest tournament to date with thirteen players in B Class or above! If you missed the first round you can still join in Round 2 with a .5 point first round bye.

Defending Champ Philipp Lamby (2190) defeated Gil Holmes (1805) to begin his title defense. Keith Eubanks (2022) was able to grind out a win over David Vetterlein (1800) in the evenings longest game. James MacDougall (1993) scored a first round win over Adam Shaw (1699) and a returning Edsel Pena (1986) was able to survive against Erik Murrah (1691). Paul King (1924) took the point with a little help from Steve Boshears (1626) and Paul Farb (1908) defeated Ralph Buske (1452) as the top half suffered no upsets in Round 1.

In the second half of the accelerated pairings Cody Kyzer (1252) won over Mark Woodman (1045) as Shiva Balasubramanian (1236) scored his sixth straight win defeating Mike Meekins (982). Birney Blind (1233) posted a win over Christian Dunlap (851) and new member Alex Humphreys (830) scored the upset win over Jaime Sanyer (1185). Daniel Smith (1313) was held to a draw by Richard Watts (1129) and Mike Mayfield (1275) settled peacefully with Drew Plyler (1054).

Round 2 will be Thursday, Mar 3. Pairings will be accelerated for this round then normal pairings take over.

Up Next - The Club Championship!!

2011-02-19T12:00:00.008-05:00

Casual night saw a dozen players come out and enjoy a fine presentation on the power of passed pawns by Daniel Smith. After the entertaining and informative lecture a Blitz tournament broke out among six players. Paul Farb was in rare form as he posted a perfect 5-0 to take clear first ahead of Kyle Oody, Joerg Lohse and Gil Holmes who all finished 3-2.

The Club Championship begins next week, Thurs. Feb 24. Here are the details:

Five round Swiss. One round a week for five weeks, Feb 24, Mar 3, 10, 17 & 24. Club members only, can join on site in any round. Registration ends at 7:15 each week.

Entry fee $10 ($2/rd). One bye allowed, No last round byes. Rounds start at 7:30.

Open Section only, Game 90. Accelerated Pairings will be used. Trophies to 1st, 2nd, Top U1605, Top U1205 and Top Jr. Trophy winners also receive 1yr club membership.

NO CASH PRIZES this tournament

Two time and defending Champ Philipp Lamby is expected to defend his title against main challengers Keith Eubanks (2008 Champ), James MacDougall (Runner Up in '09 & '10), Paul Farb ('10 Club Player of the Year), Paul King, and David Vetterlein as well as some of our young lions.

This is usually our largest tournament of the year with 30+ players competing and, as always, you are not required to play every round. You can show up for any round and be paired. Five trophies are up for grabs so everyone has a chance to take home some hardware in the Battle for the Midlands!

Sat, Feb 26 will be the Kings & Cops charity tournament in Lexington. Entry fee is only $10 for this three round tournament. Check the Flyer for full details

Ashland Quick XXIII and Other Notes

2011-02-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

Twelve players compete in three quads in Ashland XXIII. In the Top Quad, Keith Eubanks (1972) scores a perfect 3-0 to take clear first! Philipp Lamby (2114) takes second.Ben Caiello (1610) & Dan Caiello (1306) tied for first in the Middle Quad with 2 points. In the Lower Quad a final round showdown between Craig Patton (1030) and Cody Kyzer (953) decided First & Second with Kyzer getting the best of Patton to finish a perfect 3-0!

Next week is Casual Night, come out for some "Stress Free" chess!

The first standings for the Year End Awards have been posted. Note that the Team Challenge does not count toward POY or Most Active.

The Club Database has now grown to over 1000 games!! Thanks to Richard for keeping the database growing!!

The Kings & Cops tournament will be Sat, Feb 26 in Lexington.

There will be an event Mar 5, possibly a Club Match with Queen City or a small rated Swiss. Daniel Smith is organizing this. Check back for further details.

The Club Championship will begin on Thursday, Feb 24. Defending Champ and current State Champ Philipp Lamby is expected to defend his title in a field that should include Experts Keith Eubanks and James MacDougall as well as strong A players Paul King, Paul Farb and Joerg Lohse. Thirty three players competed in last year's edition. This will be an Open Section with Trophies awarded to First, Second, Top U1605, Top U1205 and the Top Jr. Player. You can join the club onsite and compete in the Battle for the Midlands!

Knight Riders win Team Challenge II !!!

2011-02-06T12:00:00.002-05:00

The Knight Riders draw the Patriots to win Ashland XIX!! Adam Shaw (1605) defeated Ben Caiello (1487) on board 1, Russell Thurmond (1600) drew with Dan Caiello (1436) on board 2 and Shiva Balasubramanian (1267) finished a perfect 5-0 with a final round win over Christian Dunlap (797) to secure first place for the Knight Riders.

The Gambiting Gamblers beat the Good Guys 2-1 to finish .5 point out of first. James MacDougall (1947) ground out the win over Paul Farb (1935), Daniel Smith (1364) outlasted Birney Blind (1225) and Richard Watts (1126) won over Mike Meekins (925).

We Three Kings finished with a win over Eighth Rank 2-1. Keith Eubanks (2012) won over Steve Boshears (1601) as Ralph Buske (1468) took the point from Paul Lowry (1032). The final point went to Cody Kyzer in a forfeit over the shorthanded Eighth Rank.

King and Two Pawns took down the Barnwell Board Busters in tough struggle 2-1. Paul King (1946) scored the win over David Vetterlein (1817), Mark Woodman (1045) took the point from David Boyd (1155) and Max Witherell (979) picked up the point over Roger Allen (UNR).

The board winners were:

Board 1: James MacDougall and Paul Farb tie with 3.5 points with the tie breaker going to Farb!

Board 2: Ralph Buske finishes with a win and 4 points to claim the prize by .5 point over Dan Caiello!

Board 3: Shiva Balasubramanian goes a perfect 5-0 to win the trophy!! Richard Watts finished second with 3.5.

Next week is Ashland Quick XXIII.

The Club Championship will start Feb 24.

Final Round Pairings

2011-01-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Pairings for the Final Round. Clocks will start at 7:30

(Patriots 2.0 vs. Knight Riders 4.0)

Board 1 Adam Shaw _____ Ben Caiello _____

Board 2 Dan Caiello _____ Russell Thurmond _____

Board 3 Christian Dunlap _____ Shiva Balasubrama _____

(The Gambiting Gamblers 3.0 vs. The Good Guys 2.0)

Board 4 James MacDougall _____ Paul Farb _____

Board 5 Birney Blind _____ Daniel Smith _____

Board 6 Mike Meekins _____ Richard Watts _____

(Eighth Rank 0.5 vs. We Three Kings 2.0)

Board 7 Keith Eubanks _____ Erik Murrah _____

Board 8 Ralph Buske _____ Paul Lowry _____

Board 9 Jonathan Bundy _____ Cody Kyzer _____

(Barnwell Board Busters 2.0 vs. King & Two Pawns 0.5)

Board 10 David Vetterlein _____ Paul King _____

Board 11 David Gongre _____ Mark Woodman _____

Board 12 Roger Allen _____ Mark Acklie _____

Knight Riders move to 4-0 with One Round to go!!

2011-01-29T14:00:00.002-05:00

The Knight Riders moved to 4-0 in convincing fashion as they scored their second sweep in a row defeating the Barnwell Board Busters 3-0! Ben Caiello (1487) scored the upset on Board 1 over David Vetterlein (1817). Dan Caiello (1436) defeated Mark Woodman (1045) and Shiva Balasubramanian (1267) took the point from Roger Allen (UNR) and is the last player with a perfect 4-0. The Knight Riders lead by one point heading into the final round.

The Gambiting Gamblers stayed a point off the lead by beating We Three Kings 2-1. James MacDougall (1947) took care of business on Board 1 defeating Erik Murrah (1677) and was the only board 1 not to be upset. Cody Kyzer (1202) won over Mike Meekins (925) which meant the tense struggle on Board 2 would decide which team stayed a point off the lead. The final game of the night saw both players battling time trouble as Daniel Smith (1364) was left standing when the dust cleared handing Ralph Buske (1468) his first defeat of the tournament.

The Good Guys scored the win over Eighth Rank 2.5-.5. Paul Farb (1935) kept the night of Board 1 upsets going as he defeated Keith Eubanks (2012). Birney Blind (1225) battled to a draw with Paul Lowry (1032) and Richard Watts (1126) scored the win over Jonathan Bundy (104) to secure the match for the Good Guys.

The Patriots bounced back taking the point from King and Two Pawns 2.5-.5. Adam Shaw (1605) upset Paul King (1946) on Board 1 as Steve Boshears (1601) and Russell Thurmond (1600) settled peacefully on Board 2. Christian Dunlap (797) scored the upset win over Mark Acklie (952) to secure the point for the Patriots.

The Board Standings are:

Board 1: Paul Farb 3.5, Ben Caiello 3.0, David Vetterlein & James MacDougall 2.5

Board 2: Ralph Buske & Dan Caiello 3.0, Russell Thurmond 2.5

Board 3: Shiva Bala 4.0, Richard Watts 2.5, Three tied at 2.0

Pairings for Round 5 will be posted at noon on Sunday.

The Final Round is Thursday, Feb 3.

Round 4 Pairings

2011-01-23T12:00:00.002-05:00

Here are the pairing for the penultimate round. Clocks will start at 7:30.

Round 4

(Knight Riders 3.0 vs. Barnwell Board Busters 2.0)

Board 1 Ben Caiello _____ David Vetterlein _____

Board 2 Mark Woodman _____ Dan Caiello _____

Board 3 Shiva Balasubrama _____ Roger Allen _____

(We Three Kings 2.0 vs. The Gambiting Gamblers 2.0)

Board 4 Erik Murrah _____ James MacDougall _____

Board 5 Daniel Smith _____ Ralph Buske _____

Board 6 Cody Kyzer _____ Mike Meekins _____

(The Good Guys 1.0 vs. Eight Rank 0.5)

Board 7 Paul Farb _____ Keith Eubanks _____

Board 8 Paul Lowry _____ Birney Blind _____

Board 9 Richard Watts _____ Jonathan Bundy _____

(King & Two Pawns 0.5 vs. Patriots 1.0)

Board 10 Paul King _____ Adam Shaw _____

Board 11 Russell Thurmond _____ David Gongre _____

Board 12 Mark Acklie _____ Christian Dunlap _____

Knight Riders stand alone after Three Rounds!!

2011-01-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Knight Riders took control of the Team Challenge moving to a perfect 3-0 by sweeping the Gambiting Gamblers 3-0. Ben Caiello (1487) scored the win on Boad 1 over Daniel Smith (1364) who had to play up a board as a higher rated sub for the absent MacDougall couldn't be found. Dan Caiello (1436) used a crushing attack to defeat substitute Max Witherell (979) and Shiva Balasubramanian (1267) completed the sweep with a win over Mike Meekins (925).

Top seed We Three Kings continued their march back from the round 1 upset defeating the Patriots 2-1 to move into a tie for second place with 2 points. Adam Shaw (1605) won on board one for the Patriots over Erik Murrah (1677) but the Kings took wins on boards 2 & 3 as Ralph Buske (1468) scored the upset over Russell Thurmond (1600) and Cody Kyzer (1202) took down Christian Dunlap (797).

The Barnwell Board Busters posted their second straight win to move into the tie for second with a victory over the Good Guys 2-1. Paul Farb (1935) and David Vetterlein (1817) settled peacefully on board 1 as did Richard Watts (1126) and Roger Allen (UNR) on board 3. The match was decided in a tense battle on board 2 that saw Mark Woodman (1045) outlast Birney Blind (1225) to secure the point for the Busters.

The final match of the evening was a draw between a King & Two Pawns and Eighth Rank. Keith Eubanks (2012) scored the win on board 1 over Paul King (1946). Paul Lowry (1032) drew with David Gongre (978) and on board 3 Mark Acklie (952) took the point from Jonathan Bundy (104).

Pairings for Round 4 will be posted noon Sunday.

The Board Standings are:

Board 1: Paul Farb & David Vetterlein (2.5) Ben Caiello (2.0)

Board 2: Ralph Buske (3.0) Russell Thurmond & Dan Caiello (2.0)

Board 3: Shiva Bala (3.0) Mike Meekins (2.0)

Next week, Jan 27 is Round 4.

The Land of the Sky is next weekend Jan 28-30 in Asheville, NC. A handful of club members are going. Check the message board or at the club Thursday if you'd like to car pool or share a room.

Round 3 Pairings

2011-01-16T12:00:00.002-05:00

Round 3 - Clocks start at 7:30

(The Gambiting Gamblers 2.0 vs. Knight Riders 2.0)

Board 1 (Sub)Klaus Johnson_____ Ben Caiello _____

Board 2 Dan Caiello _____ Daniel Smith _____

Board 3 Mike Meekins _____ Shiva Balasubrama _____

(Patriots 1.0 vs. We Three Kings 1.0)

Board 4 Adam Shaw _____ Erik Murrah _____

Board 5 Ralph Buske _____ Russell Thurmond _____

Board 6 Christian Dunlap_____ Cody Kyzer _____

(Barnwell Board Busters 1.0 vs. The Good Guys 1.0)

Board 7 David Vetterlein _____ Paul Farb _____

Board 8 Birney Blind _____ Mark Woodman _____

Board 9 Roger Allen _____ Richard Watts _____

(King & Two Pawns 0.0 vs. Eight Rank 0.0)

Board 10 Paul King _____ Keith Eubanks _____

Board 11 Paul Lowry _____ David Gongre _____

Board 12 Mark Acklie _____ Jonathan Bundy _____

Round 2 - Team Challenge

2011-01-15T14:37:00.004-05:00

Eight teams battled the cold and each other in Round 2 of Ashland XIX, Team Challenge II.

The Gambiting Gamblers moved to 2-0 as they took down the Patriots. James MacDougall (1947) held down Board 1 defeating Adam Shaw (1605) but when Russell Thurmond (1600) found the win over Daniel Smith (1364) the match would be decided by a tense battle on Board 3. Mike Meekins (925) outlasted Christian Dunlap (797) to claim the point for the Gamblers.

Knight Riders kept pace defeating The Good Guys as Paul Farb (1935) with experience and wisdom defeated youth and enthusiasm in the person of Ben Caiello (1487) on Board 1. The Riders bounced back on Boards 2 & 3 as Dan Caiello (1436) took the point from Birney Blind (1225) and Shiva Balasubramanian (1267) scored the win over Richard Watts (1126).

We Three Kings recovered from a first round loss to crush King & Two Pawns 3-0. Erik Murrah (1677) took care of business on Board 1 winning over substitute David Boyd (1155). Ralph Buske (1468) grabbed the point from David Gongre (978) and substitute Jaime Sanyer (1040) completed the sweep with a win over Mark Acklie (952).

The Barnwell Board Busters scored a second round win over Eighth Rank. David Vetterlein (1817) got the easy point when Keith Eubanks (2012) couldn't make it. Paul Lowry (1032) held the draw with Mark Woodman (1045) and Roger Allen (UNR) secured the point over Jonathan Bundy (104).

Pairings for Round 3 will be posted noon Sunday.

The Board Standings are:

Board 1 - Paul Farb, David Vetterlein (2.0), James MacDougall (1.5)

Board 2 - Russell Thurmond, Ralph Buske (2.0), 3 way tie for third.

Board 3 - Shiva Balasubramanian, Mike Meekins (2.0), 3 way tie for third.

Columbia Chess is now on Twitter! Be sure to follow us there as tournament results both from the club and on the road will posted there as well as the latest breaking news on SC Chess!

Next week, Jan 20 is Round 3.

Round 2 Pairings

2011-01-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

Here are the pairings for Round 2. First Player has White. Clocks will start at 7:30.

The Good Guys vs. Knight Riders

Board 1 Paul Farb _____ Ben Caiello _____

Board 2 Dan Caiello _____ Birney Blind _____

Board 3 Richard Watts _____ Shiva Balasubrama _____

The Patriots vs. The Gambiting Gamblers

Board 4 Adam Shaw _____ James MacDougall _____

Board 5 Daniel Smith _____ Russell Thurmond _____

Board 6 Christian Dunlap_____ Michael Meekins _____

We Three Kings vs. King & Two Pawns

Board 7 Erik Murrah _____ Paul King _____

Board 8 David Gongre _____ Ralph Buske _____

Board 9 Cody Kyzer _____ Mark Acklie _____

Eight Rank vs. Barnwell Board Busters

Board 10 Keith Eubanks _____ David Vetterlein _____

Board 11 Mark Woodman _____ Paul Lowry _____

Board 12 Jonathan Bundy _____ Roger Allen _____

Eight Teams Battling in Ashland XIX - Team Challenge II

2011-01-08T06:00:00.008-05:00

Eight Teams took the boards to battle in Ashland XIX, Team Challenge II.

Knight Riders took down top seed We Three Kings as Ben Caiello (1487) won over Erik Murrah (1677), Ralph Buske (1468) evened the score by beating Dan Caiello (1436) which meant the match would be decided on Board 3 where a fierce battle raged between Shiva Balasubramanian (1267) and Cody Kyzer (1202). Shiva's pawns were just fast enough to secure the win and the match for Team One 2-1.

David Vetterlein (1817) was able to defeat Adam Shaw (1605) to get the Barnwell Board Busters started with a win but they were unable to hold off the Patriots as Russell Thurmond (1600) took the point over Mark Woodman (1045) and Christian Dunlap (797) squeezed out the win over Roger Allen (UNR) to claim the match 2-1.

In a dominating performance The Good Guys defeated King & Two Pawns 3-0. Paul Farb (1935) defeated Paul King (1946), Birney Blind (1225) outlasted David Gongre (978) and Richard Watts (1126) secured the point over Mark Acklie (952).

The Gambiting Gamblers won 2-1 over The Eighth Rank as Keith Eubanks (2012) agreed to a draw with James MacDougall (1947), Daniel Smith (1364) held a draw with Paul Lowry (1032) and Mike Meekins (925) secured the point for the Gamblers with a win over Jonathan Bundy (104).

Pairings for Round 2 will be posted at Noon Sunday.

This tournament has players competing from Clinton, Sumter, Barnwell and Grovetown, GA! If you live in those areas and are looking to play Contact Us!

Next week, Jan 13, will be Round 2.

New and Beginning Players Welcome!! Casual play is available, sets and clocks provided. A non rated 3 round tournament can be formed if there's enough players. No membership required for casual or non rated play!!

Steve Boshears is putting together a team to travel to Orlando and compete in the U.S. Amateur Team South Feb 18-20. If you would like to be on the team contact Steve.

The Database has been brought up to date thanks to the efforts of Richard. Feel free to email him your games in PGN format if you have some you would like added.

The only change to the Rules for the Year End Awards is that your Dec 2010 Rating will be used to calculate the Most Improved. The full Rules can be found on the Awards Page.

This year looks to be even busier than last year with the number of events scheduled. Be sure to check the SCCA Calendar and NCCA Calendar to see what's coming up. There are both weekend and Saturday tournaments being scheduled. Get out and play!!

Murrah puts on a Simul at Lexington High School

2011-01-04T14:03:00.000-05:00

Erik Murrah put on a simultaneous exhibition for the Lexington High School Chess club last month. Erik finished with 8 wins and 1 loss.

Ashland XIX - Team Challenge

2011-01-03T18:00:00.007-05:00

A handful of players have inquired about playing but are not on a team. Teams can still be formed Thurs evening. If you would like to play be sure to come out Thurs! There will be rated games based on available players each week if you are not on a team.

A Dark Wood Bishop & Pawn walked off work detail last week. If this pair is spotted please contact Erik Murrah. They are not considered dangerous.

The Team Challenge starts this week!

These teams are registered at this time:

We Three Kings:
Board 1: Erik Murrah (1677)
Board 2: Ralph Buske (1468)
Board 3: Cody Kyzer (1202)

Four:
Board 1: Paul Farb (1935)
Board 2: Birney Blind (1225)
Board 3: Richard Watts (1126)

The Gambiting Gamblers:
Board 1 - James MacDougall (1947)
Board 2 - Daniel M. Smith (1356)
Board 3 - Mike Meekins (950)

One:
Board 1 - Ben Caiello (1487)
Board 2 - Dan Caiello (1436)
Board 3 - Shiva Balasubramanian (1267)

Five:
Board 1: Dave Vetterlein (1817)
Board 2: Roger Allen (UNR)
Board 3: Mark Woodman (1045)

You can still register your team on site by 7:15 this Thursday. Teams can be formed on site. This tournament will be a great chance to improve your game for the Club Championship that starts on Feb 24.

Rated games depending on player availability or match play will be available for members that do not wish to play in the team tournament .

If six or more teams register this will be a five round tournament, five teams will be a four round tournament with one team having an off week each round.

Time control will be G90. Entry fee $30/team. Trophy prizes. Each player on the First Place team will receive a trophy (3). The players with the highest score on each board at the end of the tournament will receive a trophy (3).

Teams cannot take a bye and no teams will be added once the tournament starts.

1. Each team will have 3 players and designate a Captain.

2. The combined rating of a team’s players must be under 4350. Dec Supplement will be used. Unrated players will be assigned a rating of 1200 for team purposes. Rated but unpublished players will use their unpublished rating for team purpose.

3. Board order must go by rating, highest rated plays board 1, second highest board 2, third on board 3.

4. Substitutes are allowed if a team member is unavailable. Substitute cannot be rated higher than the player being replaced unless opposing team agrees.

Teams will be listed on the Msg Board as they register and the pairings will posted there on the Monday before each round except the first round as teams can still register on site before Round 1.

Gray & MacDougall take Ashland Action!!

2011-01-01T06:00:00.004-05:00

Donny Gray (2082) & James MacDougall (1947) finish tied for first with 3.5 points at Ashland Action!!

Fourteen players played their last rated games of 2010 at Ashland Action this week. Donny Gray defeated Shiva Balasubramanian (1267), Erik Murrah (1677) and Philipp Lamby (2206) before agreeing to a draw with James MacDougall (1947).

MacDougall defeated visiting Mike Boone (1218) from Greenwood, Adam Shaw (1605) and Klaus Johnson (1846) on his way to the final round showdown that didn't decide first place. This tournament finished off a strong year for MacDougall who is on the fast track back to Expert after winning a whopping 85% of his games at the club this year and lifting his rating up to 1993.

Philipp Lamby (2206) and Paul Farb (1935) finished tied for third with 3 points.

Craig Patton (1193) and David Boyd (1155) tied with 2 points to claim the Under prizes.

Next week, Jan 6, Ashland XIX, Team Challenge II begins.

Happy New Year!!

Ashland Action - This week!

2010-12-27T18:00:00.008-05:00

Your last Rated Games of 2010! This is a Four Round Game 30 Swiss, so it is Dual Rated!

Open Section 4 round SS G30. Prize fund $480 b/28 Chief TD: Halliday

Entry fee $20 club members, $30 non members (Members of out of town clubs receive $20 entry!).

Prizes: 1st $150 2nd $100 3rd $50 U1605 $95 U1205 $85

Rounds 7:00 8:15 9:30 & 10:45 Registration for first round ends at 6:50. Register by 8:05 and receive a .5 point bye for first round.

Two half point byes available. Must commit before 8:05

Email to preregister or register on site.

These players are registered at this time 12/30:

Philipp Lamby (2206)
James MacDougall (1947)
Paul Farb (1935)
Erik Murrah (1677)
Adam Shaw (1605)
Steve Boshears (1601)
Daniel Smith (1364)
Shiva Balasubramanian (1267)
Craig Patton (1193)
David Boyd (1155)
Emilio Garrido (431)

Casual Night - Farb wins Player of the Year!

2010-12-25T06:00:00.005-05:00

Over a dozen Woodpushers took a break from last minute Christmas Shopping to play a little blitz and recognize this year's Top Players.

Ralph "Ironman" Buske claimed his third Most Active Player Award logging a new high of 46 games this year!

Dan Caeillo took the Most Improved Jr. Player Award by boosting his rating 364 points this year finishing at 1436.

Daniel Smith used a late charge to win the Most Improved Player Award raising his rating 243 points to post a 1364 rating to finish the year.

"Bullit" Ben Caiello raced to an early lead and won the Jr. Player of the Year Award finishing with 44 points to beat out brother Dan who finished with 39 points.

Paul Farb held on to become the Columbia Chess Club's 2010 Player of the Year edging out Ralph Buske and Erik Murrah by 3 points!

Congratulations to all the Winners!!

Next week is Ashland Action. This is a Four Round Game 30 Swiss. Full details are Here.

Four Teams are now entered in Ashland XIX . The teams are listed HERE.

Fourteen compete in Ashland Quick XXII

2010-12-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

Fourteen competitors took a break from the Holiday rush to battle in Ashland Quick XXII. Philipp Lamby (2114) and Paul King (1896) tied for first in the Top Quad with 2.5 points. Mike Mayfield (1479), Adam Shaw (1433) and Dan Caiello (1306) created a logjam for first in the Amateur Quad with 2 points each. The final section was a six player swiss with Daniel Smith (942) having to settle for a tie for first after being swindled with a stalemate by Max Witherell (857) in the final round with both finishing at 2.5 points.

Next week is Casual Night and the Year End Awards will be handed out at around 8:00. Blitz or Bughouse likely to break out. First time visitors encouraged to come out!!

Dec 30 will be Ashland Action. This will be an Open Four Round Game 30 Swiss. Round 1 will be at 7:00 and two byes are available. This Dual Rated and will be your last rated games of 2010!

Ashland XIX will start on Jan 6 and will be a Team Tournament. Two teams are confirmed at this time with two more being formed. Get your team together!!

Congratulations to Paul Farb for taking clear second at the Florence Championship last weekend!

Eubanks & MacDougall tops in Ashland XVIII!

2010-12-11T06:00:00.005-05:00

Eubanks and MacDougall dominate Ashland XVIII finishing 2 points ahead of the field! Twenty five players competed in our last weekly tournament of 2010.

Keith Eubanks (2012) defeated Erik Murrah (1677) as James MacDougall (1947) ground out the point over Paul King (1946) to give them joint first place with 4.5 points, a full two points ahead of the field! Paul Farb (1935) claimed a last round win over Steve Boshears (1601) and David Boyd (1155) extended his undefeated streak to 11 games with a win over Daniel Smith (1364).

Ben Caiello (1497) defeated Dan Caiello (1411) to take clear first in the Amateur Section and Birney Blind (1282) finished strong with a win over Shiva Balasubramanian (1242). Jaime Sanyer (1008) was in good form this tournament scoring a final round win over Cody Kyzer (1202) to finish with 3 points and boost his rating by 145 points! Richard Watts (1141) was held to a draw by new member Max Witherell and Mike Meekins (925) scored the point over Drew Plyler (1248)

Next week, Thur, Dec 16 will be Ashland Quick XXII. There will be NO PRIZES for this tournament. Entry fees will be donated to our host site, Ashland United Methodist Church.

Dec 23 will be a Casual Night and Year End Awards will be given out.

Dec 30 will be Ashland Action. This is a four round swiss, Game 30 starting at 7:00pm which is earlier than our normal time. Two byes are available but must be requested before the 2nd round starts.

Good Luck to those competing in the Florence Championship or the Queen City Championship this weekend!

There was NO Refutation - James MacDougall

2010-12-07T21:00:00.006-05:00

It’s been a while but I’m still here, and the game of chess leaves many a story to tell. I chose this game because it is a variation I’ve used with nothing but success against an opening I used to struggle with: The Bird.

It was the week after Thanksgiving, and I knew who I was going to be playing, and what color I would have about 2 weeks in advance. I also knew that he almost religiously plays 1.f4 with the white pieces, so I had 2 weeks to prepare my game. In fact, the only time I have witnessed my opponent stray as white was against me, on a day where once again I “prepared” for 1.f4 when to the surprise of everyone there, he triumphantly opened with 1.Nf3.

Before this game (before my opponent arrived) I was discussing with Bob Halliday and Dan Smith the possibility that he might try that again, considering his success with it and his lack of success with The Bird against this system. When he in fact opened 1.f4, I knew that either
a) He had finally done his homework and was ready to put this line to the test, or
b) this was going to be an early night, and I could go home and rest. I expected and was hoping for the latter, as I was not feeling well. I would not be disappointed.

The game proceeded
(show chess board)(hide chess board)

Ashland XIX - Team Challenge II - Jan 6 - Feb 3

2010-12-06T08:00:00.004-05:00

A19 beginning on Jan 6 will be a Team Tournament.

Rated games depending on player availability or match play will be available for members that do not wish to play in the team tournament .

A minimum of 4 teams must be registered by January 3 or team tournament format will be cancelled and A19 will use A18 format.

If six or more teams register this will be a five round tournament, five teams will be a four round tournament with one team having an off week each round and four teams will be a three round tournament.

Teams cannot take a bye and no teams will be added once the tournament starts.

1. Each team will have 3 players and designate a Captain.

Teams will be listed on the Msg Board as they register and the pairings will posted there on the Monday before each round.

Anyone can form a team! Don't wait to be asked if you'd like to be on a team. If you need contact information for players you can Email me.

Ashland XVIII - Round 4

2010-12-04T06:00:00.009-05:00

Eighteen players compete in the Penultimate Round of Ashland XVIII. Keith Eubanks (2012) found the win over Paul King (1946) as James MacDougall (1947) defeated Paul Farb (1935) to stay tied at the top. Erik Murrah (1677) outlasted Robert Folts (1761) and Ralph Buske (1468) battled to a draw with Daniel Smith (1364).

In the Amateur Section, Ben Caiello (1497) escaped with a draw against Cody Kyzer (1202) to stay in clear first by a half point heading into the final round. Dan Caiello (1411) took the point from Birney Blind (1282) as Shiva Balasubramanian (1242) settled peacefully with Jaime Sanyer (1008). Mike Mayfield (1355) defeated Christian Dunlap (754) and Richard Watts (1141) claimed the point from Drew Plyler (1248).

The Final Round will be Thurs, Dec 9.

Next weekend, Dec 10-12, is the Greater Charlotte Championship . This is being held at the same hotel the 200 player NC Open was at so this should be another good one!

If you can't take a weekend for chess head over to Florence for the Florence Chess Club Championship on Sat, Dec 11. This is a one day, five round, G30 Swiss with trophies to the top two finishers and the entry fee is only $10! Reg is from 9-9:15 with Round 1 starting at 9:45. Inquiries: John Zeimetz (843) 229-7468 or check with Drew Plyler at our club on Thursday evening. A few club members are heading over so check on Thurs evening if you'd like to car pool. This club is starting to get rolling and we may be able to set up a Club Match with them soon.

The first weekly tournament next year starting on Jan 6, Ashland XIX, will be a Team Tournament. Full Details will be posted Monday, Dec 6.

Steve Boshears is forming a team to compete in the 2011 US Amateur Team - South in Orlando, Fl Feb 18-20. This will be a 4-player team (plus optional alternate), Team Avg rating below 2200 using Jan ratings. There are six players interested right now so we may have enough for the club to field two teams. If you would like to be on this team contact Steve by Email or at the club on Thursday evenings.

In case you missed it, Garry Kasparov sat down with Google for this Q&A. It's an hour long and worth watching if you have the time.

Leaders stay on top as Twenty Players compete in Round 3

2010-11-20T06:00:00.006-05:00

Twenty players compete in Round 3 of Ashland XVIII as Keith Eubanks (2027) and James MacDougall (1940) agree to a grandmaster draw to stay tied at the top of the Open Section. Paul King (1946) battled to a draw with Paul Farb (1931) to stay a half point off the leaders. Adam Shaw (1610) outlasted Ralph Buske (1481) as Russell Thurmond (1600) survived to take the point from Daniel Smith (1352). Robert Folts (1761) split the point with Steve Boshears (1600).

Ben Caiello (1497) scored the win over Shiva Balasubramanian (1242) to stay alone at the top of the Amateur Section. Dan Caiello (1411) defeated Jaime Sanyer (1008) as Birney Blind (1282) took the point from Christian Dunlap (754). Cody Kyzer (1202) executed a successful kingside attack against Mike Mayfield (1355) to secure the point and David Boyd (1129) claimed the full point from Drew Plyler (1248)

The club WILL NOT meet next week, Thursday, Nov 25. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Round 4 will be Thursday, Dec 2.

Upcoming Tournaments!
Sat Dec 4 - Charleston's Scholastic Kickoff - Charleston
Dec 10-11 - Greater Charlotte Championship - Charlotte

Steve Boshears is forming a team to compete in the 2011 US Amateur Team - South in Orlando, Fl Feb 18-20. This will be a 4-player team (plus optional alternate), Team Avg rating below 2200 using Jan ratings. If there is enough interest the club could field two teams. If you would like to be on this team contact Steve by Email or at the club on Thursday evenings.

Speaking of Teams, start forming your three player team for Ashland XIX! This tournament will begin Jan 6. Full details will be posted soon. Here's how it worked last time Team Challenge I

Ashland XVIII - Eubanks & MacDougall Lead!

2010-11-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

Sixteen warriors battle in Round 2 of Ashland XVIII with Keith Eubanks (2027) protecting Board 1 in an exciting win over Paul Farb (1931). James MacDougall (1940) kept pace with a win over Robert Folts (1761) to share the lead at 2 points. Both games are available on the Live Game link . Steve Boshears (1600) settled peacefully with Daniel Smith (1352) as did Russell Thurmond (1600) and Ralph Buske (1481).

Ben Caiello (1497) took control of the Amateur Section scoring a quick win over fellow speed demon Mike Mayfield (1355). Dan Caiello (1411) couldn't crack the stubborn defense of Shiva Balasubramanian (1242) as they split the point. Birney Blind (1282) scored a win over new club member Marc Vellucci (UNR) and Christian Dunlap (754) posted an upset win over Drew Plyler (1248).

Round 3 will be next week, Thursday, Nov. 18. Note that Round 4 will be Dec 2. The club will not meet on Nov 25, Thanksgiving.

Upcoming tournaments!
Sat Nov 20 - Folloween Open - Charleston
Sat Nov 20 - GSSM November Open - Hartsville
Sat Dec 4 - Charleston's Scholastic Kickoff - Charleston
Dec 10-11 - Greater Charlotte Championship - Charlotte

Columbia Chess Dominates 71st SC Champs!

2010-11-09T18:00:00.004-05:00

The Columbia Chess Club showed both quantity and quality at the 71st SC Champs as the club gave strong support with EIGHTEEN members competing in the field of 48.

Current Club Champ, Philipp Lamby (2195), claimed his second State Championship scoring 3.5 points. Donny Gray (2082) posted 3.0 points to finish with a positive score in the Open Section.

Adam Shaw (1610) tied for first in the Amateur Section with 4 points but since Adam is from GA he is not eligible for the state title. Robert Folts (1761) scored 3 points finishing with a plus score and Steve Boshears (1600) scored 2.5 points not losing a game this weekend with a win and three draws in four rounds.

The Cola Club owned the Reserve Section as nine members competed claiming the top six spots. David Boyd (1129) took the Championship scoring 4.0 points finishing just a .5 point ahead of Birney Blind (1282) and Shiva Balasubramanian (1242). Mike Meekins (938) and Emilio Garrido (700) both finished on the plus side with 3.0 points. Mike Mayfield (1355), David Gongre (978) and Jose Contreras (UNR) all finished with an even score at 2.5 points.

Congratulations to our TWO State Champions! Great job everyone!!

Ashland XVIII - 18 Players for Round 1

2010-11-06T06:00:00.010-04:00

Ashland XVIII is off to a strong start with eighteen players competing in Round 1. In the Open Section, Keith Eubanks (2027) successfully defended Board 1 from Russell Thurmond (1600) and Paul King (1946) took the point from Steve Boshears (1600). James MacDougall (1940) defeated Ben Caiello (1497) as Paul Farb (1931) claimed the point over Ralph Buske (1481) and Erik Murrah (1700) defeated Daniel Smith (1352) in the section's final game.

The Amateur Section saw Dan Caiello (1411) held to a draw by Cody Kyzer (1202) as Mike Mayfield (1355) won over Richard Watts (1141). Jaime Sanyer (1008) upset Birney Blind (1282) while Shiva Balasubramanian (1242) scored the point over Christian Dunlap (754).

Next week, Thursday, Nov 11, is Round 2.

The 71st SC Champs is this weekend! The annual SCCA meeting will be Sunday from 1:00-2:00. If you can't play be sure to stop by and check out the action!

BUSY Casual Night!!

2010-10-30T09:50:00.004-04:00

Around twenty chess enthusiasts came out for some "Stress Free" Chess on Casual Night. Our first Bughouse Tournament saw seven teams entered and do battle for six rounds. When the dust settled and the confusion stopped Philip Lamby & Russell Thurmond finished tied with Paul Farb & Ben Caiello for First Place with five points! Donny Gray & Mason Wiest used a second half charge posting three straight wins to climb into Third Place with four points.

Six rounds of Bughouse wasn't enough to fill the need for speed tonight as eight players continued on in a three minute, double round robin Blitz Tournament. Donny Gray finished at the top of the crosstable with an amazing 11-3 record!! James MacDougall scored five points in the last three rounds to pull into clear second with 9.5 points just ahead of Philipp Lamby who finished with 9 points.

If you missed this Casual Night you missed a Fun, Fast and Exciting one!!

Next week, Thursday, Nov 4 begins Ashland XVIII. This will be a Two Section tournament and our final weekly tournament of 2010. We plan to start broadcasting the Top Board again with this tournament. Here are the details:

Five round Swiss. Two Sections. One round a week for five weeks. Entry fee $3 a round for club members, $5 a round for non-members. One bye allowed, No last round byes. You do not have to play every round. Play when you can!

Rounds start at 7:30. Game 90

Open Section First Place $35, Second Place $20, U1805 $15 U1605 $15. Club members with a floor of 1800 receive free entry, $10 will be deducted from any prize won.

Amateur Section (U1505) First Place $35, Second Place $20, U1205 $15 U1000 $15.

Perfect score (5-0, byes do not count) wins free entry into a Cola Club tournament

Registration ends at 7:15. You can also register by emailing by Wed night before each round or by calling or texting the Chief TD by 7:15.

Chief TD: Halliday

The 71st South Carolina Championships start THIS Friday, Nov 5. You can take advantage of the pre registration discount by registering at the club Thursday. There is also a $20, trophy only registration available. Check the SCCA site for full details.

Get out and Play!!

Ashland Quick XXI - Lamby-Eubanks-King Tie!!

2010-10-23T06:00:00.012-04:00

Sixteen players competed in Ashland Quick XXI with a Three-way tie in the Top Quad!! Philipp Lamby (2120), Keith Eubanks (1965) and Paul King (1873) all scored two points to finish in a tie for first. In the second quad, Klaus Johnson (1800) and Ben Caiello (1535) drew their game to tie for first with 2.5 points. Quad Three saw another tie at the top as Dan Caiello (1269) and David Boyd (1197) drew their battle and both finished with 2.5 points. Shiva Balasubramanian (1066) took the only clear first of the night with 2.5 points yielding a draw to second place finisher Daniel Smith (952).

The final crosstable is HERE.

Next week, Oct 28 is Casual Night. Open night for casual play and we will also have a Bughouse Tournament! This will be just for fun. No entry fees, no prizes, Just Bragging Rights! No membership required!! Anyone can play in this tournament for Free!

Registration will end at 7:50. Round 1 will start at 8:00. Round Robin if six teams or less, five round swiss if seven teams or more. Teams can be formed on site.

These are Blitz games. Game 5 minutes, no delay.

Bughouse Rules are HERE.

The 71st South Carolina Championships will be Nov 5-7 here in Columbia at the Hilton Garden Inn-Harbison. The early registration deadline is 11/3 but you will be able to register at the club for the early entry fee of $60 (a $10 savings, must pay when registering) on Thurs, Nov 4. Full details are HERE.

Here's a chess show that you may have missed. ChessTV (formerly World Chess News) is a half-hour long TV-show about chess, aired weekly on local channels in Sweden and on the Internet. The ChessTV team consists of five siblings from Stockholm, Sweden, currently in the ages between 21 and 14. Adriana, Antonia and Amelia Krzymowska (23-20) and Alfred and Albert Krzymowski (18 and 16) created the idea and concept of the show. They do a good job with it. Check it out:

Farb Wins Ashland XVII!!!

2010-10-16T06:00:00.004-04:00

Twenty eight players compete in Ashland XVII as Paul Farb (1906) defeats Paul King (1863) to finish in clear first with 4 points! James MacDougall (1940) defeated David Vetterlein (1805) to grab clear second. Erik Murrah (1654) finished on a positive note taking the point from a rapidly improving Shiva Balasubramanian (1190) as Dan Caiello (1365) won over Christian Dunlap (754). Steve Boshears (1600) scored a victory over Mike Mayfield (1390) and Ralph Buske (1470) continued his drive toward Player of the Year with a win over Mark Woodman (UNR). Ben Caiello (1417) defeated Birney Blind (1298) and Keith Eubanks (2022) scored the win over Steve Boak (1816) who was visiting from PA.

The final crosstable is HERE.

Next week, Thursday, Oct 21 is Ashland Quick XXI. Email by Wed night or call/text by 7:15 to register. Chief TD: Daniel Smith

Also on Oct 21 at Dutch Square Mall Five Time SC Champ Charles Walter will give a simul beginning at 6:00. Full details are HERE.

Bughouse Tournament on Casual Night, Oct 28. This is open to everyone, no membership required! Casual play will also be available.

Ashland XVII Round 4

2010-10-12T18:37:00.005-04:00

Ashland XVII Round 4 saw 12 competitors come to the boards.

Paul Farb(1906) defeated Shiva Balasubramanian(1190) to keep pace with David Vetterlein(1805) who defeated Erik Murrah(1654). James MacDougall(1940) defeated Christian Dunlap(754) who earned the right to play the higher rated opponent. Fearless Daniel Caiello(1370) defeated Bullet Ben Caiello(1417) in a very interesting game. Steve Boshears(1600) and Ralph Buske(1470) fought hard but decided on a draw. Newcomer to the club, Mark Woodman claimed his first rated point against tough competitor Birney Blind(1298).

Round 5 is on Thursday Oct 14, 2010. Please reserve your spot by 7:15.

Ashland XVII Round 3

2010-10-06T09:42:00.001-04:00

We had 12 competitors come out for the glory in Round 3.

On board 1, Paul King(1863) defeated David Vetterlein(1805) to stay in first place with 2.5 pts. Paul Farb(1906) defeated Mike Mayfield(1390) and Daniel Caiello(1365) claimed the point against Mark Woodman. Erik Murrah(1654), slogged it out with Ben Caiello(1417), to claim the point. James MacDougall(1940) returned to the club to win versus Birney Blind(1298). Rounding out the regular games Christian Dunlap(754) and Craig Patton(1205) split the point. In an extra game, Keith Eubanks(2022) and Paul Farb's(1906) game ended in a draw.

There are two rounds left for this tourney. Remember there are class prizes so every round counts. You aren't out of the prizes until its over. So come out and move some wood around.

Round 4 is Thursday Oct 7th.

Busy End to 2010!!

2010-10-02T06:00:00.025-04:00

Year End Awards are winding down.

If you're chasing a year end award your prize is in sight! The cut off for ratings based awards (Most Improved and Rookie of the Year) is Friday, Nov 5. The SC Champs will be after this deadline so it won't help (or hurt!) your rating for award purposes.

Here are upcoming events before the rating deadline:
Oct 9-10 - 1st Annual National Chess Day and Festival - Charleston
Oct 23 - Reverse Angle 20 - Charlotte
Oct 29-31 - LPO - Greensboro

and after the deadline:
Nov 5-7 -71st SC Champs - Columbia
Nov 20 - Folloween Open 3 - Charleston
Dec 10-12 - Greater Charlotte Championship - Charlotte

We still have Ashland Quick XXI, Ashland XVIII & Ashland Quick XXII remaining that count toward the Player of the Year Awards and Most active.

Remember! You must play in at least 10 rated club sponsored games and at least 2 games in the last 3 months to be eligible for awards!

The complete rules are HERE.

Here are the Current Leaders:

Player of the Year: Ralph Buske***** Jr. Player of the Year: Ben Caiello
Rookie of the Year: Micah Goss **** Jr. Rookie of the Year: Thomas Sylvia
Most Improved : Birney Blind **** Jr. Most Improved: Dan Caiello
Most Active: Ralph Buske

Full Standings are HERE.

Trophies will be awarded Dec 23.

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Bughouse Tournament! Casual Night Oct28.

This will be just for fun. No entry fees, no prizes, Just Bragging Rights! No membership required!! Anyone can play in this tournament for Free!

Registration will end at 7:50. Round 1 will start at 8:00. Round Robin if six teams or less, five round swiss if seven teams or more.

These are Blitz games. Game 5 minutes, no delay.

Bughouse Rules are HERE. If you are going to play, please read them to avoid confusion!

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Beginning with Ashland Quick XXI (Oct 21) the Chief TD will be listed for each tournament. You can email him by Wed evening or call/text BEFORE 7:15 Thurs to be paired. If you wander in unannounced after 7:15 you will only be paired if there is an odd number of players and after the tournament round has been paired and started.

We plan to begin broadcasting the Top Board(s??) again with A18.

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New format for Ashland XVIII!

Five round Swiss. Two Sections. One round a week for five weeks. Entry fee $3 a round for club members, $5 a round for non-members. One bye allowed, No last round byes.

Registration ends at 7:15, Rounds start at 7:30. Game 90

Open Section First Place $35, Second Place $20, U1805 $15 U1605 $15. Club members with a floor of 1800 receive free entry, $10 will be deducted from any prize won.

Amateur Section (U1505), Game 90, First Place $35, Second Place $20, U1205 $15 U1000 $15.

Perfect score (5-0, byes do not count) wins free entry into a Cola Club tournament.

Chief TD: Halliday

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A final tournament has been added for Dec 30. We're going to try something new, and it will be dual rated (it affects your regular and quick ratings).

Ashland Action Chief TD: Halliday

Your last rated games of 2010!

One Open Section 4 round SS G30. Prize fund $480 b/28

Entry fee $20 club members, $30 non members.

Prizes: 1st $150 2nd $100 3rd $50 U1605 $95 U1205 $85

Rounds 7:00 8:15 9:30 & 10:45 Registration for first round ends at 6:50. Register by 8:05 and receive a .5 point bye for first round.

Two half point byes available. Must commit before 8:05.

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Plenty of Chess coming up in the next three months! Get out and play!!

Cola Chess vs QCCA rematch (11-3)

2010-09-27T02:59:00.004-04:00

Columbia Chess claims shocking 11-3 victory over QCCA!

Gimme a good hearty Viking Quest yell, VICCCCTORRRRY!!! (If you watch Entourage you will understand)

The Columbia Chess Club traveled to the Queen City Chess Association on Saturday, Sept 25th for a club rematch. The previous match ended in a tie.

The Crosstable of the event is HERE.

More on this event to follow.

Ashand XVII Round 2 results

2010-09-27T01:19:00.011-04:00

Round 2 of Ashland XVII was a great night to be at the Columbia Chess Club.
There was a chess buzz in the air with twenty-two competitiors in the tournament and others in the skittles room playing king of the hill in Game 5 blitz.

On board 1, newcomer to the club, David Vetterlein(1805) defeated Paul Farb(1903) to take a share of first with 2 points. On board 2, Shiva Balasubramian(1190) defeated Richard Watts(1160) to also rise to two points in tournament. Paul King(1863) defeated Daniel Caiello(1365) on board 3. In the only draw of the night, Erik Murrah(1654) and Mike Mayfield(1390) agreed to disagree to a degree. Ben Caiello(1417), with the black pieces, defeated Ralph Buske(1470) and Craig Patton(1205) defeated Drew Plyler(1207). David Boyd(1089) defeated Mike Meekins(1035) and Jaime Sanyer claimed the point against newcomer Mark Woodman. Christian Dunlap(754) claimed victory against Emilio Garrido(700). Daniel Smith(1148) claimed the point against tough competitor Birny Blind(1298). In the largest upset of the night, "Mr. President" David Grimaud(1688) defeated the powerful Keith Eubanks(2022). See Below.

Come join the fun for round 3 on Sept. 30th 2010.

Registration ends at 7:15PM, email,call or text to be included in the pairings.

Just play your best and see what happens!! - Donny Gray

2010-09-15T17:25:00.007-04:00

This was submitted by Donny Gray and originally published in the TN Chess News. Donny gave me permission to share this. It may give you a better outlook next time you play someone much higher rated that you.

When playing someone that is vastly higher rated than you it is very easy to get discouraged and almost be defeated before you even move one pawn. There is the other side of this subject as well. What about when you are the higher-rated player in this situation? Then you have the tendency to play fast and careless.

But the truth is that anyone can play way over their head on occasion. You just have to forget ratings and go for it!At the recent TN Senior Open my 2nd round game had all the above and then some. Most likely in all my tournaments my 2nd round opponent was the lowest player I have ever played. If I have played others in his rating range I have forgotten. - Donny Gray

Road Warriors Needed!! - Rematch Sept 25

2010-09-13T13:30:00.003-04:00

Time to settle this war between the states!

A rematch with the Queen City Chess Association has been scheduled for Saturday, Sept 25. Our first match ended in a very exciting tie!

The Border Battle which featured matches between the State Champs, the State High School Champs and matches between class players all ended with tie scores when the dust settled.

The first two battles were fought in South Carolina. This time we take the battle North to Charlotte at their home, Asian Herald Library. Two rounds starting at 10:00, Game 90.

We're looking to field a ten player team to bring back bragging rights not only in this North-South rivalry but also in the battle between each state's largest club!

Final Team Rosters:

Team Columbia:
Board 1 - Philipp Lamby
Board 2 - Paul Farb
Board 3 - Joerg Lohse
Board 4 - Daniel Smith
Board 5 - Shiva Balasubramanian

QCCA Team
Board 1 - Gary Newsom
Board 2 - Mark Sturman
Board 3 - Mike Eberhardinger
Board 4 - Windy Gatlin
Board 5 - Hassan Hashemloo

Ashland Quick XX and other News

2010-09-12T14:15:00.004-04:00

Fourteen players completed in Ashland Quick XX. Phillip Lamby and Donny Gray finished 1 and 2 respectively in the very strong top quad. Mason Wiest and Adam Shaw claimed 1 and 2 in the second quad.
In the final 6 person swiss, Craig Patton claimed clear first and Mike Meekins and Emilio Garrido split second.

Ashland XXVII starts on Thursday Sept 16th. Registration ends at 7:15. Email or call or text to make sure you get paired.

The club match is scheduled for Sat Sept 25th in Charlotte, NC. Let me know if you are interested in playing.

The Weak Square covers the North Carolina Open

2010-09-09T13:08:00.003-04:00

Mash that link for some hilarious Weak Square action.

http://weaksquare.blogspot.com/

Congratulations to Paul King

2010-09-09T12:35:00.000-04:00

A big congratulations to Paul King for finishing in clear first place in the U1900 section of the North Carolina Open!

Ashland XVI in the books

2010-09-03T01:34:00.009-04:00

Ashland XVI concludes with 14 players competing in round 5. On board 1 Erik Murrah defeated Paul Farb to claim an overall share of 1st. Ben Caiello and Steve Boshears agreed to disagree, to a degree, and called it a draw. Adam Shaw defeated Mike Mayfield and Ralph Buske claimed the point vs Cody Kyzer. The Birney Blind, Richard Watts game came down to an interesting endgame and they played it to a draw. Daniel Caiello defeatd Craig Patton and Jaime Sanyer and Paul Lowry agreed on a draw.

Overall winners and class prizes are listed below.

1st Place: Paul Farb, Erik Murrah
3rd Place: Ben Caiello

Class Prizes
Class B: George Morton, Steve Boshears
Class C: Adam Shaw, Ralph Buske
Class D: Dan Caiello, Mike Mayfield
Class E: Richard Watts, Cody Kyzer

The final results can be seen here.

Next Thursday, Sept 9th is Ashland Quick XX. Registration ends at 7:15pm.

Ashland XVI Round 4

2010-09-01T00:20:00.022-04:00

Round 4 of Ashland XVI continued with Paul Farb(1917) claiming clear first by outlasting Paul King(1802). Erik Murrah(1657) moved into second place defeating Mike Mayfield(1377) on board 2. "Bullet" Ben Caiello(1438) defeated Cody Kyzer "Sose"(1011). Keith Eubanks(2023) defeated Richard Watts(1198) to stay in the hunt. Ralph Buske(1412) earned upset of the night by defeating Gil Holmes(1805). Steve Boshears(1614) ground out the win vs Birney Blind(1315). Jerry Rothstein(1340) returned to the club to claim a win vs "Fearless" Dan Caiello(1378). Drew Plyler (1207) and Craig Patton(1205) settled peacefully with a draw. Newcomer to the club, David Boyd(1089) defeated Jaime Sanyer(989) and also claimed victory Paul Lowry in and Extra Game.

The tournament concludes, with Round 5 on Thursday Sept 2nd.

The prizes are still undecided so be there for Round 5 to claim your share of the winnings.

1st $40
2nd $30
3rd $20
Top B (1600-1799) $15
Top C (1400-1599) $15
Top D (1200-1399) $15
Top E (1000-1199) $15

Note these are Class prizes and not under prizes. Only players in the rating class can win their class prize.

In some past news, IM Alexander Matros(2449) put on a simul exhibition at the club on August 19th, claiming 7.5 out of 8. Thank You to all who participated and Congratulations to Paul Farb who earned a draw vs the player 650 points higher than him.

Columbia Open Updated Results

2010-08-18T01:07:00.019-04:00

The Final results are here.

Round 5

Round 4

Round 3

Round 2

Round 1

Ashland XVI Round 3

2010-08-18T00:40:00.005-04:00

We had 20 players compete in Round 3 along with some new faces visiting the club.

On the top two boards the higher rated players remained undefeated with Paul Farb(1917) defending against Ben Caiello's(1438) attack and Paul King(1802) defending against Richard Watts(1198).
George Morton(1680) won with white vs Ralph Buske(1412). Erik Murrah(1657) won, with the black pieces, against Daniel Caiello(1378). Cody Kyzer(1011) pulled the upset of the night against Steve Boshears(1614). Adam Shaw(1578) defended against Birney Blind(1315) and Thomas Sylvia(1038) won vs David Gongre(999). Gilbert Holmes(1805) defended vs Mike Meekins(1124) and Shiva Balasubramanian(1168) outlasted Jaime Sanyer(989). In an extra game, Keith Eubanks(2023) honed his expertise against Daniel Smith(1204).

On Thursday August 19th, IM Alexander Matros will give a presentation and a Simul exhibition.

We will continue Ashland XVI on Thursday the 26th.

The Columbia Open is upon is. I hope to see you there.