Connecticut State Chess Association
a 501(c)(7) nonprofit corporation



























History 2011


Master Harris Appelman Crowned 2011 CT Blitz Champion

Dec 16 - On December 14 at the New Britain Chess Club, Harris Appelman won the 2011 Connecticut State Blitz Championship with a score of 8.5 - 0.5. 21 players competed in this year's event. Ted McHugh was second and Danny Rozovsky was third. There was a 5-way tie for the Under 1900 prize among Marcus Komons, Norman Burtness, Jozef Madej, Bob Kozlowski and Matt Faille.

Yale Beats Harvard !

Nov 18 - The Yale/Harvard Chess Match closed tonight with Yale winning a close victory with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. GM Robert Hess (2717, ES '15) and IM Bogdan Vioreanu (2453, GSAS '12) handily won on boards 1 and 2 versus Jake Miller (2121) and Bram Louis (2208P). Patrick O'Keefe (2140, CC '13) and Adam Weser (2147, SY '13) secured draws against Josh Bakker (2151) and Naor Brown (2023) in tough games. Gordon Moseley (1840, SM '12), the wildcard of the Yale College Chess Club, who brought wins to Yale in years when no one else could do so, lost in a tragic and unclear endgame (KQN a-pawn, c-pawn vs. KQ a-pawn, g-pawn, h-pawn) after his knight proved unable to stop the passed g and h pawns after a queen trade. Both players had under one minute, and both played well--kudos to Tony Blum (2099), the only Harvard player to secure a win. Both Bogdan and Gordon also get honorable mentions, as this is their last year playing at Yale. Both of them have played hard matches the last four years, and both leave with great results--3/4 for Bogdan and 2/4 for Gordon. Bogdan plans to graduate with a PhD from the applied math department and Gordon with a bachelor's degree in the neuroscience track of psychology. Good luck gentlemen. Stay Hungry! Check Full Results under Results Section of this website or see EDUTECH site

GM Mikheil Kekelidze Wins 2011 Fall GNHO!

Nov 14 - GM Mikheil Kekelidze (NY 2524), took first place in the 2011 Greater New Haven Open Chess Championship held Saturday Nov 12 at Hopkins School in New Haven. In a tight contest with 20 players, Master Derek Meredith (2184) had a great showing, taking second with 3 wins on tiebreaks, ahead of IM Justin Sarkar (NY 2489), last year's winner Yale math grad student IM Bogdan Vioreanu (2453) and Yale Chess Club president David Steinberg (1864). First Place U1600 went to Daniel Motoc (1313) of Ezra Academy; First Place U1200 was Daniel Frndjibachian (1079) of Hopkins with a perfect 5-0; First Place U1000 went to Jordon Groff (783) of Bear Path School, and First Place U800 went to Hawon Lee (698) of Eastern Middle School with a perfect 5-0. Top 3 school teams were Hopkins School (1st), Foote School (2nd) and Cold Spring School (3rd). 86 chessplayers participated in the event, with all scholastic chessplayers receiving a Hopkins School commemorative chess set. Check Full Results under Results Section of this website or see EDUTECH site

NBCC wins against UCONN CC

Oct 26 - The New Britain Chess Club defeated the UCONN CC Tuesday night, October 25th, by a score of 8 - 7. The match hung in the balance until the very last game between Tom Hartmayer and Dennis Himes, ( whose son, George, played for UCONN ). Trailing New Britain by a point and needing a win in the last game to draw the match, Mr. Hartmayer missed a winning shot in the waning minutes, allowing Mr. Himes to draw by perpetual check and secure the match win for New Britain. The match involved a total of 30 players, 15 from each club, and featured exciting games from top to bottom. For those who have not yet visited the NBCC at their quarters at the Assyrian Club in New Briatin, the venue is immaculate, well lit and well worth the trip. Parking is easy. The excellence of the site parallels the hospitable bonhomie exuded from the club members and especially their gracious, spiritual leader, Derek Meredith. Detailed and individual results may be viewed at NBCC site .

Strongest Field Ever at 2011 CT Open State Championship!

May 16 - In the strongest CT Open field in the state's history, 25 players including 5 GMs, 2 IMs, 2 Life Masters, and 4 National Masters battled this past weekend at Hopkins School in New Haven for the CT State Champion title. The winners were GM GIORGI KACHEISHVILI of NY, who took sole possession of 1st Place, and IM BOGDAN VIOREANU, Yale graduate student in Mathematics who as top CT resident, became the new 2011 CT State Champion! In a field of 16, Arslan Otchiyev won the U1600 Section. Congratulations to all participants in what proved to be an exciting day of chess in CT. For Results: EDUTECH site or Results page at this website.

Ted McHugh Crowned 2010 CT Blitz Champion!

Jan 3 - Tuesday, December 21, the New Britain Chess Club held the 2010 Connecticut State Open Blitz Chess Championship. The format of the event was a single-section, ten Round Robin with a time control of 5, 3. Results follow: 1st Place – USCF NM Edward “Ted” McHugh – 9 points; 2nd Place – FM Nelson Castaneda - 8.5 points; 3rd Place – NM Alex Fikiet - 7.5 points; Top U2005 – Ilya Gofman – 6.5 points; Top U1805 – Julio Echevarria – 6 points; Top U1605 – Bob Kozlowski – 4 points. 35 chessplayer participated in the event. Congratulations to Ted, once again the CT Blitz Champion!