Club Championship Underway

Almost as many players requested 1st Round byes as played in the round in the 2015 version of the Columbia Chess Club Championship with 10 players stepping up to compete and march towards claiming the title.  Current cross-table can be viewed here.

On board 1, current Club Champion Ben Caiello(2115) craftily took the victory against a resilient Ian Bell(1588) to start his defense of the title.  The battle decided was the trending 6. h3 line(Adams Attack) against the Sicilian Najdorf.

Check out the board 1 fireworks.

On board 2, Ron Tims(1459) returned to rated play but faced a tough opponent in previous club champion and perpetual powerhouse Keith Eubanks(2069).  Eubanks claimed the victory stating his case for the 2015 title.

In a well played and hard fought game Robert Folts(1735) and Richard "Kilo" Watts(1257) played it to a draw, agreeing to disagree and saving a decisive decision to another day.

Joshua"I don't play Hockey" Goley(1190) defeated Jared "Not from Subway" Whiting(1045) to claim the point and moving into third place.

In the longest game and highest number board Marty Anderson(1139) and Mark Woodman(995) fought hard into the night until a miscue broke the tension leaving "Mr. Anderson" on top.

Round 2 promises to be a barn burner on March 5 with others stepping back into the action to try and dethrone Caiello and Eubanks.

Call, email, or text your entry by 7:15 pm on Thursday to be counted.


Make sure you cheer on Ben Caiello and Ian Bell as they compete in the SC State Scholastic tournament in Mt. Pleasant,SC this weekend.  Caiello again defends his title, this time of SC State Scholastic champion.

Have some thoughts to share? You can comment below.

To start the topic: What is your favorite opening to play?  Do you have one?

Casual Night

Club members packed out the building on Thursday for a night of stress free chess.  Players rotated freely among the 6 active boards throughout the night while catching up with old friends and meeting new members.  Lots of noise, laughter and fun was had on the bughouse board as Sam did his best to carry Adam against Chris and Gil.

This week(Feb 19th) is a Themed Quick Night.  4 round G15/d3.  The themed opening will be announced shortly before the round. No Entry Fee.  TD Jordan Anderson.


On February 26th the 2015 Club Championship begins.  Last year's Club Champion Ben Caiello will have his work cut out for him as he defends against a strong club line-up this year.  The line-up includes the club's newest top-rated member NM Sam Copeland, past club champions and club veterans Keith Eubanks and James MacDougall, as well as the club's several rising stars including Brandon Jordan and Ian Bell.  The Under trophy will also be up for grabs as the club has seen a lot of new members join its ranks over the last year.  Good luck to everyone who comes out to participate!

The entry-fee for the Club Championship is $10 for club Members(can join onsite) and begins 2/26/2015 through 3/26/2015.  One 1/2 point bye is allowed in any round except the final fifth round.  Be sure to text/call Daniel Smith or Jordan Anderson the night of to confirm entry as registration ends at 7:15.


Upcoming Events outside of the club.  Check Club Calendar for more information

Sat 2/21/2015 Midlands Scholastic Chess League IV (Adult section also) Columbia, SC

Sat 2/28/2015 SC State Scholastic Championships Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Ashland Quick XLVI

Ten players joined us for Ashland Quick XLVI.

The top section formed a quad.  Ben Caiello took the open section with 2 points after suffering a first round blunder to Gil Holmes.

The second section played a six player swiss.  The tournament finished with the most exciting game of the night ending in a hard-fought draw between the undersection winners, Dan Smith and club newcomer Joshua Goley.  The game traded down to an imbalanced Queen and Rook vs Queen and Bishop situation with chances for both sides.  The game ultimately boiled down to King and King with just seconds left on both sides of the clock.

The final cross table is here.  Thanks to everyone who came out and supported.

Next week is Casual Night.  Come join us for some stress free chess (and hopefully some bughouse!)

Tonight Arts and Draughts is happening at the Columbia Museum of Art and South Carolina Chess will be representing!  Come out to support our hobby and have some fun.  The entry fee is $5 for museum members and $8 for non-members.  See the link or text/email Dan Smith for more details.

See you all next week!