Chess News Wire -- September 2024
Chess News Wire -- August 2024
Chess News Wire -- July 2024
Chess News Wire -- June 2024
6/10/2024 NM Nathaniel Moor Wins CCA's Eastern Class Championships NM Nathaniel Moor at 2023 CT Action Championship. On June 7-9, the Continental Chess Association held its Eastern Class Championships at the Bradley International Sheraton Hotel. 200 players, including sixty-nine form Connecticut, took part. Connecticut's NM Nathaniel Moor won the Open Section with a 4.0/5 score. "I would say my performance came from striving to be consistent," commented Moor, "an important skill I’ve honed more recently, and this tournament rewarded that hard work. After winning my final round against Uwakwe, it was huge feeling of relief and accomplishment. This is my first CCA tournament that I’ve won outright. I want to thank my coach, GM Alex Onishcuk, who has brought my chess to the next level in the past year." Meanwhile, IM Maximillian Lu, NM Jasmine Su and Michael Uwakwe tied for fourth in the Open. Other Connecticut top results were: Karim Naba won Class A. Owen Anantra tied for second in Class B. John Twombley won second in Class C. And Tanuj Maheshkumar tied for second in Class E. Complete final results from this event can be found at CCA's chessevents.com.
6/1/2024 US Chess SafePlay Deadline Decertifies Over 1,700 Tournament Directors
6/1/2024 Praharsh Varada is 2024 Musicant Champion; Jackson Joyce is 2024 Yazgoor Champion Praharsh Varada (left) and Jackson Joyce holding the Memorial Musicant and Yazgoor trophies. On June 1 at the Norwalk Public Library, the Connecticut State Chess Association held the 28th Annual Musicant-Yazgoor Memorial Tournament. The event is a fundraiser for the Norwalk Knight Library Chess Program, which the CSCA has co-sponsored with the library since 2022. It was formerly organized by long time library volunteer and CSCA Hall of Famer Local TD Christopher Potts of Norwalk. The program averaged over 60 registrations and filled all seats in all but its very first session in fall 2022, when it registered two players shy of full. RedBandit Chess' Founder and Senior TD NM Ian Harris has served as program instructor and volunteer TD since June 2022. Twenty-one players took part in this year's memorial tournament, and Praharsh Varada of Newington, who won the Yazgoor Top U1200 Prize last year, won the event and the Musicant Open title. Jackson Joyce of Ossining, New York won the 2024 Yazgoor Prize. See Rating Report. Standings and award reports coming soon.
Chess News Wire -- May 2024
5/20/2024 FM Zachary Tanenbaum is 2024 Action Champion, as CSCA Inducts Five Titans of Connecticut Chess Hall of Fame Action Championship mid-Round 1 at SHU's Theas Abbey. On May 19, the CSCA held the second annual Hall of Fame Action Championship and Induction. The tournament is a G/30+3 event, which seeks to draw top players to honor the Hall of Fame Inductees and the Connecticut Chess community with strong competitive play. This year nine Masters and total sixty-one players took part. New York's NM Charles Hua won the event, and Connecticut's FM Zachary Tanenbaum finished second, winning the title of 2024 Connecticut Action Champion, Zach's third Connecticut title of 2024. See Final Standings, Rating Report and Prize Awards. The event was co-organized by the CSCA with Sacred Heart University Chess. CSCA thanks Paul Rychlik and Bill Sweeney for all of their support since 2022, as well as in organizing this event. FM Richard "Rick" Bauer accepting his Hall of Fame plaque from CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky at the 2024 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. During the tournament lunch break, the CSCA held the Hall of Fame Inductions and 2023 Community Awards ceremonies. The 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees were five of the greatest individuals in Connecticut chess history:
Chess News Wire -- April 2024
4/22/2024 India's GM Gukesh D Wins 2024 Candidates Tournament Gukesh at the Board in Toronto. Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza India's GM Gukesh D, born Dommaraju Gukesh, wins 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament and will be the next World Champion Challenger. At only age 17, Gukesh is the youngest World Champion Challenger in history. Candidates 2024 was held April 3-23 in Toronto, Canada. American participants GM Hikaru Nakamura and GM Fabiano Caruana finished the event tied for second and just a half point behind first. The Championship match between Gukesh and current Champion China's GM Ding Liren is anticipated to take place later this year. FIDE has yet to announce the dates and location of the event.
4/14/2024 WIM Natasha Morales Santos is 2024 Connecticut Women's Champion WIM Natasha Morales Santos at the Women's Championship On April 14, the CSCA held the Connecticut Women's Championship at Wesleyan University. The event was postponed from March to April due to severe weather. WIM Natasha Morales Santos, who recently moved to Connecticut from Puerto Rico, won the event with a perfect score. Mridhulaa Rajagopal of Avon placed second. And Elle Cirillo of Glastonbury finished third. Connecticut is one of only a few states, and the only in the Northeast, to offer an all-women's state title event. See Rating Report.
4/13/2024 Brunswick School Hosts 2023-24 Connecticut Grade Championships On April 13, the National Scholastic Chess Foundation held the 2023-24 Connecticut Scholastic Grade Championships at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut. 138 players took part. The Grade Champions were as follows:
4/7/2024 GM Maxim Dlugy wins 2024 Connecticut Speed and Bullet Championships; FM Zachary Tanenbaum wins Quick and Blitz Championships GM Maxim Dlugy at the 2024 Speed Championships. On April 6, the 2024 Connecticut Speed Championships--a combination of the Quick, Blitz and Bullet Championships--returned to Eastern Connecticut State University for the second consecutive year. Forty-seven players took part in the event, including GM Maxim Dlugy, GM Sergey Kudrin, IM Jan Van de Mortel and new Connecticut FIDE Master and former Speed Champion, Zachary Tanenbaum. Also participating were Connecticut Champions Kushagra Bhargava, Lacey Wang, NM Mikhail Koganov and NM Mark Dedona. The event featured a $4,000 Prize, which was distributed among fifteen top participants. GM Dlugy won the overall Speed and Bullet titles. FM Tanenbaum won the Quick and Blitz events, finishing second in the overall competition. Michael Uwakwe, one of Connecticut's top non-title players, finished third overall. GM Kudrin won the Senior title. Lacey Wang won the Female and Elementary titles. Kushagra Bhargava took the Middle School title. And David Mashkov captured the High School title. The event was organized and directed by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky with assistance from ECSU Chess Club's President Timothy Jacques and Director Joshua Ramirez, and Hall High School's (West Hartford) Jake Lumelsky. See Combined Final Standings, Quick and Blitz Rating Reports, and the complete photo collage on our Facebook Page.
Chess News Wire -- March 2024
3/20/2024 Troop 67 Montville and CSCA Partner for Second Akela Classic Akela Classic ready for Round 5 at Lyme-Old Lyme High School. On March 17 at Lyme-Old Lyme Region 18 High School in Old Lyme, Boys Scouts Troop 67 Montville hosted their second regional scholastic tournament, the Second Akela Classic, a grade-based competition held in three sections: Grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-12. Forty players participated in the event, maintaining its status as the largest all-unrated tournament in the state. Following the out-of-state departure of a key volunteer, the Troop partnered with the CSCA, to assist with event administration. Troop Leader Scott Fagan took on the role of chief event organizer and led a team of Troop parent volunteers in assembling the tournament, while CSCA provided promotion and directing assistance. The Troop and CSCA would like to thank all of this year's volunteers for making the event a wonderful player and parent experience. Additional gratitude is expressed to Troop and CSCA volunteer Esteban Ramirez for his devotion in creating and helping to continue this important regional competition for the players and the Connecticut chess community. See event standings for final results.
3/3/2024 Greenwich High, Brunswick School, Bugbee-Braeburn Elementary and West Hartford Schools Are Scholastic Team Champions Scholastic Team Championships return to Manchester High School. On March 2, the 2024 Connecticut Scholastic Team Championships were held at Manchester High School for the second consecutive year, thanks to MHS Teacher, Chess Club Coach and CSCA Board Member Parag Joshi and the members of the MHS Chess Club and Team. The team-based event format, which was introduced and separated from the individual Scholastic Championships for the first time in 2023, provides schools a Swiss System competition, strictly based on team results. The format also relieves organizers and coaches from the frequently difficult effort of forming fixed roster teams. In all, 76 players and 15 teams, as well as about twenty individual competitors, participated in the event. Greenwich High School won the High School section, just a half point ahead of Brunswick School (Greenwich) and 1.5 points ahead of third place Cardinal Kung Academy (Stamford). In the Middle School section, Brunswick School edged out Mansfield Middle School to take the title, while Timothy Edwards Middle School (South Windsor) placed third. Meanwhile, Bugbee-Braeburn Elementary (West Hartford) combined team finished the event with a strong final round to win the Elementary title, with fellow West Hartford Norfeldt-Morley Combined and Duffy Elementary finishing second and third. West Hartford Schools also won the Primary title with a combined team of four district players from four district elementary schools. The event was directed by Senior TD NM Ian Harris and Hall High School's (West Hartford) Jake Lumelsky. See Rating Report.
2/26/2024 NM Mikhail Koganov Wins 2024 Senior Championship and Connecticut Irwin Nomination; Lisa Smith is Connecticut's First 65 and over Champion. NM Derek Meredith and NM Mikhail Koganov in their decisive Round 4 match at the 2024 Senior Championship at Wesleyan. On February 24, the 2024 Connecticut Senior Championship was held at Wesleyan University's Exley Science Center for the third consecutive year. Wesleyan Chess Club's Collin Holson and Theo Bussinger made an extra effort to assist in the event's organization. This year, thirteen seniors--players age 50 and over--took part in the event, including big names like the reigning three-time Champion GM Sergey Kudrin, former Champion NM Mikhail Koganov and West Hartford's NM Derek Meredith. Unlike in prior two years, however, this time the event did not finish in rating order and many surprises would transpire. GM Kudrin played two draws in the first three rounds, falling out of contention, and never reaching the decisive fourth round with second seeded, NM Koganov. Instead, NM Meredith took a commanding lead over the entire field with two wins and a third-round draw with Kudrin. In the fourth round, Meredith took an early controlling lead against Koganov and seemed on his way to his first Senior Title when he unexpectedly erred in the closing moments while short on time. As a result, NM Mikhail Koganov finished first, winning his second Senior Title and Irwin Nomination. GM Sergey Kudrin and Durham's Joseph Bihlmeyer finished tied for second, with Kudrin receiving Irwin Alternate Nomination status on tie breaks. Meanwhile, West Simsbury's Lisa Smith played an exceptionally strong fourth round match with South Glastonbury's Michael Pascetta, to win Connecticut's first 65+ Senior Title and also the Top U1800 placement. HCC's owner/founder Rod Groff won the Top U1400 prize, and Mansfield's Gary Kanaby won the Top U1000 prize. The event was organized and directed together with the Collegiate Championship by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky with assistance from Ocean State Chess Association's Matthew Freeman and Hall High School's (West Hartford) Jake Lumelsky. See Final Standings and Rating Report.
2/26/2024 SHU Dominates 2024 Collegiate Championship, Wins 1st in Open, U1600 and Team Sacred Heart's NM Mark Dedona facing teammate Brent McCreesh in the final round of the 2024 Collegiate Championship. On February 24, the 2024 Connecticut Collegiate Championship was held at Wesleyan University's Exley Science Center for the third consecutive year. Sacred Heart University's Chess Team participated in force and dominated the event from start to finish. Team captain, NM Mark Dedona, won the Open section with a perfect 4.0/4 score. Four players--SHU's Brent McCreesh, Hall High School's Ryan Zheng, Farmington High School's David Mashkov and West Side Elementary's (Nassau, NY) Jin Ma--tied for second. In the U1600, SHU's Joseph Cyr finished first with a perfect score, Yale University's Abhisar Mittal finished second, and a three-way tie for third included SHU's Mark Khalil, John Wallace Middle's (Newington) Praharsh Varada and Wesleyan's Amit Piryatinsky. Hopkinton High School's (MA) Matthew Beauvais won the U1800 prize in the Open section. Meanwhile, SHU's Treyden Medonis won the U1200 prize, and SHU's Jonathan Elliott won the U800 prize in the U1600 section. SHU also won the team competition, limited to the U1600 section, by a four-point margin. Wesleyan University finished second, and newcomers James Hillhouse High School (New Haven) finished third. In total, thirty-three collegiate and grade 6 to 12 scholastic players, who are invited to participate, took part in the event with SHU and host Wesleyan University fielding the largest teams. See Final Standings and Rating Report.
Chess News Wire -- February 2024
Chess News Wire -- January 2024
1/22/2024 Lilianna Gao Wins 2024 Girls Championship; Connecticut to Set US Chess Invitationals Record Gao sisters, Isabella (left) and Lilianna, playing one another in the third round at Greenwich Academy. On January 20, the 2024 Connecticut Girls Championship was held at Greenwich Academy. This was the second consecutive year the event is held at GA. Connecticut's Lilianna Gao won the event with a perfect 4.0/4 score. Sister Isabella Gao won second with a score of 3.0/4, and Connecticut's Sky Liu finished in third with 2.0/4. In the U800 Section, Arya Raguram won first place. Seventeen girls in all played in the event, down from 2023 but well above the Girls Championship's annual average. With a new Girls Champion crowned, Connecticut will set a US Chess Invitational record this summer as the only state in event history with three of four female scholastic Invitees. See Final Standings, Rating Report and Awards Summary.
1/8/2024 IM Max Lu, NM Jasmine Su, Lacey Wang, Alan Su and Max Rowland Win 2024 Connecticut Scholastic Championships Kushagra Bhargava (left) and NM Jasmine Su playing their tie break match. Background: Assistant TD Jake Lumelsky (left) and SHU Chess Team and event co-organizer, Paul Rychlik. Additional event photos are available here. On January 6 at Sacred Heart University, 105 players participated in the 2024 Connecticut Scholastic Championships. IM Maximillian Lu will return to the US Chess Denker Invitational for the second consecutive year as the Connecticut High School Champion. Likewise, NM Jasmine Su will return to the US Chess Barber Invitational for the second consecutive year as the Connecticut Middle School Champion. Meanwhile, the 2023 Connecticut Girls Champion, Lacey Wang, will return to the Invitationals as the Rockefeller Invitational Nominee and 2024 Connecticut Elementary School Champion. All three finished the Championships with perfect 4.0/4 scores, and Jasmine even survived an Armageddon tie break with two-time Connecticut Rockefeller Nominee and Elementary School Champion, Kushagra Bhargava, who also finished perfect after classical games, to win their grade level titles. Jasmine's brother Alan Su won the Primary School section with a perfect score, and Connecticut's Maxim Rowland won the K-1. The event was directed by Senior TD NM Ian Harris with assistance from Ismael Pagan and Jake Lumelsky. Games from the top high school boards were also broadcast over DGT and the CSCA website and can be reviewed here. See Final Standings, Rating Report and Awards Summary.
1/3/2024 GM Alexander Ivanov Wins Inaugural New Haven County & Meriden City Championships On December 30, 2023, the CSCA held the inaugural New Haven regional, the New Haven County & Meriden City Championships, at Meriden Public Library's new event hall. A total of fifty-nine players took part in the event from unrated beginners to famed Grand Masters. Massachusetts' GM Alexander Ivanov won first place on tie breaks following a four-way tie at the top of the Open section, which included Stamford's GM Sergey Kudrin, New Jersey's IM Ian Dudley and Ludlowe High School's (Fairfield) Max Ingargiola. This is GM Ivanov's third consecutive Connecticut regional title. In the U1800, Wallace Middle School's (Newington) Praharsh Varada finished with a perfect 4.0/4 to take first place. Meriden's John Pasco, Windham High School's Robbie Jay, St. Thomas and St. Timothy's School's (West Hartford) Krystian Tkaczewski, Jr. and New Haven's Tomas Gordon finished in a four-way tie for second. Ridgefield's Aaron Piao won the U1200 section with Westport's Harrison Solomon finishing second and North Carolina's Bryan Waltman finishing third. Bugbee Elementary's (West Hartford) Brian Dai won the U700 section with New London's John Ulett finishing second and Orange's Krystal Tang finishing third. Meriden's Daniel Farias won the Not Rated section with Manchester's Adam Zukowski and Orange's Diana Isaacs placing second and third, respectively. The tournament was held in support of the CSCA's library program and initiative at the Meriden Library. The event was organized and directed by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky with assistance from Bridgeport's Ismael Pagan and West Hartford's Samuel Lumelsky. See Final Standings and Rating Report .
1/2/2024 CSCA's Bullet to the New Year Arena Sets CSCA Event Record with 2,400 Participants
Click here for 2023 news archive or visit our History Section for prior years.