Mabe wins the 4th Annual Lee Hyder Memorial!!

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!

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!!

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!!

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!

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 Augusta 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

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.

Lee Hyder Memorial - Aiken May 21 - 23

The Lee Hyder Memorial is this weekend in Aiken. It's less than an hour down the road! Byes are available so if you miss the first round you can jump in starting in the second round with a .5 point! The second round begins at 1:00 on Saturday.

Full details are HERE.

Hosted by the Aiken County Chess Club.