The Columbia Open Results

Fifty-six players competed The Columbia Open circa 2015  this past weekend  Aug. 22-23 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Columbia!

Congratulations to Peter Suich of Morristown, TN on winning this year’s Columbia Open!
Peter finished with 4.0 points with his only loss coming in the second round to Kevin Seidler (CO).

Randal Ferguson of Greenville placed second with 3.5 points.

Emmanuel Carter (NC), Kevin Seidler (CO), Kevin Wang (GA), and Jonathan Tan (SC) tied for third in the Open Section - all four players finished with 3.0 pts.

In the U2000 Section, Sijing Wu (AL) won the first place prize with 5.0 pts!

Ernest E. Nix, Jr. (SC) won second place with 4.0 pts.;
third place was split by Daniel Andrzejewski, Jr. (NC) and Vignesh Sekar (GA) - both finishing with 3.5 pts.

In the U1600 Section, the first place prize went to Gunateja Guruvelli (SC) with 4.0 pts.

Marty Anderson (SC) won the second place prize with 3.5 pts.

Victor Suich (TN), Zachary R. Darga (SC), Aditya N. Dias (SC), and Joshua Gambrell (SC) tied for third place with 3.0 pts. each.


In the U1200 Section, first place prize went to Robert Hylton (SC) with 4.5 pts.; second place was split by Birney Blind (SC) and Richard Trela (SC) - both with 4.0 pts.;

The U1000 prize was claimed by Ed Stewart (GA) with 2.5 pts.

Congratulations to all our prize winners!
Special thanks to Jordan Anderson (TD duties), Andrew Plyler(TD and DGT board guru), and NM Sam Copeland (online game support).
Thank You to all players and family members who chose to come out and spend their weekend with us here in Columbia!
We hope you had a great time and would love to see you back next year and also at this same location for the SC State Championships October 30th - November 1st!

Full Crosstable can be seen here.


This Thursday starts our next weekly tournament.  Call email or text by 7:15pm to be counted.
Round 1 of Ashland XLV begins on Aug 27th 1 rd per week, Rd 5 is Sept 24th.
G75+30s incr. In two sections, Open and U1505   $10 for entry  or $3 per round.
Sept Ratings list will be used.

Ashland Rapid and Casual Night before The Columbia Open

Fifteen players joined in the fun for the Rapid Game 30 tournament.
In the top section, Sam Copeland and Adam Shaw split first place and Ian Bell finished third with 3 points.

In the U1505, Mike Mayfield dominated with 4 points.  Marty Anderson and Shaun McCoy tied for second with 3.5 points. There were some nice rating gains by a few players in this tourney.  Game 30 is a different beast.


Thursday 8/20/2015 is a casual stress free club night before the Columbia Open.
There will be an endgame lecture session before free play so come and join the fun an learn something.

Saturday 8/22/2015 is The Columbia Open.  If you haven't registered yet you still have time to do so at the early entry fee.  Feel Free to go here for more information and to register.

2014 Columbia Open Results

2014 Columbia Open

August 15-17

Results Columbia, SC

Hilton Garden Inn

434 Columbiana Drive, Columbia SC 29212

5SS, G90/30inc (2day Rd 1 G75/30inc)

In 4 Sections:

Open Section
1st	NM Sam Copeland 5.0 points
2nd	IM Alexander Matros 3.5 points
	Klaus Pohl 3.5 points
	U2200 Prize
	All with 2.5 points
	Ben Caiello
	Leo Rabulan
	Keith Eubanks
	Dr. Edsel Pena
	Kapish Potula
U2000 Section
1st	Adam Shaw 4.5 points
2nd	Tim Rankin 3.5 points
	Joseph Rochester 3.5 points
	U1800 Prize
	All with 3.0 points
	Bob Halliday
	James Dill
	Mike Eberhardinger
	John Yates
U1600 Section
1st	Mia Lopez 4.5 points
2nd	Gunatej Guruvelli 3.0 points
	Richard Watts 3.0 points
	U1400 Prize
	Leonid Matros 2.5 points
U1200 Section
1st	Rares Cristian 4.5 points
2nd	Ian Bell 4.0 points
3rd	Venkat Guruvelli 3.0 points
	Ravitej Guruvelli 3.0 points
	U1000 Prize
	Paul Pena 3.0 points
	Henri Murthy 3.0 points

The Columbia Open Results

NM Jeffrey Haskel(right) receiving the first place check.

National Master Jeffrey Haskel of Boca Raton, FL, managed three wins and two draws to take clear first place in the Open Section of the Columbia Open held at the Hilton Garden Inn in the Harbison area of Columbia, SC.  He waded through the tough field with IM Danny Kopec and NM Klaus Pohl to come out on top.  Patrick McCartney and Dominique Myers both scored 3.5 points sharing second place.
The U2200 prize had a three way tie with Tim Rankin, Gene Nix, and Sulia Mason all scoring 2.5 points.


The U2000 section created the most drama with the section not decided until the last game of the tournament.  Gary Branton Jr pulled out a win, putting him in clear first place with 4.5 points.
Rade Musulin and Kapish Potula shared second place with 4 points each.
Lillian Wanda took the U1800 prize with an impressive 3.5 points.

In the U1600 section, Jayashree Sekar and Columbia Chess Club regular, Andrew Manion, split first place honors and Bob Mahan claimed sole third place.
The U1400 prize went to Sri Uppaluri with 3.5 points.

U1200 Champ Akshat Jindal

Akshat Jindal scored the only 5-0 in the tournament giving him first the U1200 section.
Gunateja Guruvelli took sole second place with an impressive 4 points and third place was split between Sudhakar Avirinei, Zach Darga, and Rares Cristian.
The U1000 prize was claimed by Wouter Van De Groep.

Nine states were represented totaling 77 players playing in four sections. This set a record attendance for The Columbia Open.  Full results can be seen here.

Many Thanks to all who attended, parents and spouses and supporters of your players.
It was a great Columbia Open!

The great teamwork of Bob Halliday, David Grimaud, Drew Plyler and Daniel Smith led to a successful tournament.  Thanks to all.

IM Danny Kopec & The Columbia Open!!

 
IM Kopec visits the club on Thursday Aug 15! Dr Kopec will give a lecture then play a consult game with IM Alexander Matros. Each Master will be in separate room with a demo board and discuss the moves with the players in the room. This is a great opportunity to find out how an IM thinks during a game and discuss what you would like to play and why it is or isn't the best way to go. Dr Kopec will also have his books & DVDs for sale. Club opens at 7:00pm and this event is open to everyone! Come out and get your head ready for some Chess because....

The 8th Columbia Open is here!  The Hilton Garden Inn Harbison is the playing site for the fifth straight year. There are many restaurants and stores in the immediate area so food and entertainment is easily accessible. If you have not registered you can still register at the the club on Thursday and avoid lines on Fri evening or Sat morning. Players from eight states are registered and we expect to have our usual 65-75 players in attendance. The entry list can be found HERE.

Rated play returns next week, Thursday Aug 22 with Ashland Quick XXXIX. This will be our usual Quick Tournament, Game 20 Quads. Entry fee $10 for club members, $15 for non-members. First place each quad $20,  Second $15. Quad may become a Swiss based on the number of entries. Round 1 starts at 7:30.

Regular rated play will be back on Aug 29 with the start of Ashland XXXIV. Four round Swiss. Two Sections, Open & Amateur (U1505). One round a week for four weeks. Entry fee $2 for club members, $5 for non-members. One bye allowed.You do not have to play every round. You can play one round or four! Register by 7:15, Rounds start at 7:30. Game 75 +30s inc. 

Upcoming Tournaments:

Aug 10 - Make a Difference - Charleston, SC
Aug 12-15 - Chess Camp - Crooked Creek Park, Chapin, SC
Aug 16-18 - The Columbia Open, Columbia, SC
Aug 24 - Lowry Grand Prix #4 - Evans, GA
Aug 24 - Knights Templar V - Charlotte, NC
Aug 29- Sept 2 - Carolinas Chess Festival - Greensboro, NC
Sept 14 - Queen City Senior Quads, Charlotte, NC

Full Calendar in August!!

The Columbia Open is only TWO weeks away! You can enter at the club on Thursday evenings or online entry is available and the current entry list can be found HERE .

Although the club is in a dead time for rated play right now, there is a full slate of events for August starting this weekend with the The Charlotte City Championship Aug 3 & 4. The prize fund for this event has been increased to $2,150 thanks to a sponsor! Note that the Round 4 on Sunday does not start until 12:15. This late start makes it possible to commute from Columbia and save the hotel expense if you want.

Next up is a Chess Camp in Chapin for beginning players Aug 5 -8 and the Make a Difference 3 tournament is in Charleston on Aug 10.

An Intermediate Chess Camp for U1500 players is in Chapin Aug 12-15 which is a great chance to get ready for the Columbia Open Aug 16-18.

The Fourth Round of the Lowry Grand Prix Series is Aug 24 in Evans, GA. If Charlotte is closer to you, the Knights Templar V is also on Aug 24.

The month of August finishes with one of the Southeast's premier events, the Carolinas Chess Festival which consists of the U.S. Masters and the North Carolina Open in Greensboro, NC.

Plenty of choices to get out and play in August no matter where you live or what level player you are. Get out and support your local events!

Upcoming Tournaments:

Aug 3 & 4 - Charlotte City Championship - Charlotte, NC
Aug 5-8 - Chess Camp - Crooked Creek Park, Chapin, SC
Aug 10 - Make a Difference - Charleston, SC
Aug 12-15 - Chess Camp - Crooked Creek Park, Chapin, SC
Aug 16-18 - The Columbia Open, Columbia, SC
Aug 24 - Lowry Grand Prix #4 - Evans, GA
Aug 24 - Knights Templar V - Charlotte, NC
Aug 29- Sept 2 - Carolinas Chess Festival - Greensboro, NC
Sept 14 - Queen City Senior Quads, Charlotte, NC

Columbia Open Underway!

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.

Ashland XXII - Round 4

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 gets underway with 14 players competing

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.

Columbia Open Updated Results

The Final results are here.

Round 5

Round 4

Round 3

Round 2

Round 1