Knight Riders win Team Challenge II !!!

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

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!!

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.

Knight Riders stand alone after Three Rounds!!

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 2 - Team Challenge

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.

Eight Teams Battling in Ashland XIX - Team Challenge II

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!!

Ashland XIX - Team Challenge

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.

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

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.

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.

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 Quick XIX and Other Notes

Twelve players competed in Ashland Quick XIX. Phillip Lamby(2120) and Paul Farb(1822) shared first place in the Open quad. "Bullet" Ben Caiello(1497) took first and Adam Shaw second in the Amateur section. Ralph Buske(1112) continued his winning ways claiming first and newcomer Jose Contrares(UNR), made big splash in his first tournament, claiming second.

The crosstable of the tournament can be viewed here.

There will be no Casual Night between tournaments this time.
Ashland XVI will start on Thursday, July 29th with a possible format change.

If less that six players enter the Open section, we will have 1 open section with the following prizes:

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.


Registration ends at 7:15!! Email your entry by Wednesday night or you can call or text your entry by 7:15. If we do not hear from by 7:15 you will not be paired unless there is an odd number. Round will start at 7:30.

Online registration is now available for the Columbia Open and Early Entries have started to come in. Take advantage of the $15 early entry discount and get your registration in!