Chess News Wire -- December 2023
12/4/2023 GM Alexander Ivanov Wins Back-to-Back Regionals, Finishing First at 2023 Hartford County & City Championships The Washington Room at Trinity College during the 2023 Hartford County & City Championships. On December 3 at Trinity College in Hartford, the CSCA, together with Trinity College and Trinity Chess Club, organized the first Hartford County & City Championships. Eighty-five players participated in the tournament, making it the largest Connecticut regional, so far and, ironically, matching the attendance of the 2022 Connecticut State Championship, held exactly one year ago. GM Alexander Ivanov again traveled from Boston, Massachusetts to participate and win back-to-back CSCA Regionals, taking first on tie breaks after finishing in a three-way tie for first with GM Sergey Kudrin and NM Jordan Groff. Hartford's Jose Pedrosa, participating in the Open section won the Hartford City Champion title, as well as a two-way share of the top under 2000 prize. In the U1800 section, Trinity College Chess Club's President Edward Fleming won clear first with a score of 3.5/4, while four players tied for a share of the second and top under 400 prizes. Meanwhile, Arush Ghosh, Sai Palepu and Leroy Morrison won the U1200, U700 and NR sections, respectively. The event was organized and directed by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky and co-organized by Trinity Chess Club President Fleming. Special thanks is extended to Trinity's Director of Community Service & Civic Engagement, Joe Barber, for his efforts to coordinate Trinity events to facilitate the Hartford Championships within just weeks of the event. See Final Standings, Rating Report and Awards Summary.
12/3/2023 CSCA's Open Events Club Championship Draws 652 Participants
Chess News Wire -- November 2023
11/26/2023 Nearly 1,700 Take Part in CSCA's Great Turkey Bullet
11/20/2023 GM Alexander Ivanov Wins 2023 Windham County & Willimantic City Championships Round 4 at the 2023 Windham & Willimantic Championships, November 18 at ECSU. Front to back and left to right: Kushagra Bhargava facing GM Alexander Ivanov and Punyavrat Upadhyay facing Joseph Bihlmeyer, with Matthew Marshall looking on. On November 18 at Eastern Connecticut State University, the CSCA, with the help of the ECSU Chess Club, organized the first Windham County & Willimantic City Championships. GM Alexander Ivanov traveled from Boston, Massachusetts to participate and win the event with a perfect score of 4.0/4. Joseph Bihlmeyer of Durham won second with a score of 3.0/4. In the U1800, Avon's Max Wang won first place with a perfect score, while AJ Alvares-Filshtein, Adam Clough and Timothy Jacques finished in a three-way tie for second. In the U1200, Nadav Hartman of Mansfield won the section with 3.5/4, David Zheng Lei also of Mansfeild finished in second, and Willimantic's Robbie Jay won third, as well as the Willimantic City Champion title. Meanwhile, Gary Kanaby, new to rated play, won the U700 section with West Hartford's Brian Dai taking second and New Fairfield's Matthew Carlacci winning third. Finally, ECSU's Matthew Marshall won the NR (not rated) section with Glastonbury's Samar Bist winning second and New London's Carlos Rivera taking third. The event was organized and directed by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky and co-organized by ECSU Chess Club President Timothy Jacques. Special thanks is extended to the Bhargava family for assisting in post-event administration. See Final Standings, Rating Report and Awards Summary.
11/13/2024 GM Maxim Dlugy Wins 2023 Connecticut Championship; Record 221 Players Participate Round 2 of the 2023 State Championship at Wesleyan's Fayerweather event hall. On November 12 at Wesleyan University, the CSCA held the 2023 Connecticut State Championship. The Association received a total of 241 registrations for this annual tournament, of which 221 participated, setting a new State Championship attendance record. GM Maxim Dlugy won clear first in the Championship section with a score of 3.5/4, becoming the 2023 Connecticut Champion. Two-time defending Champion GM Nico Checa finished in clear second with a score of 3.0/4. The next seven players finished tied with a score of 2.5/4. In the U2200 section there was a three-way tie at the top with Chris Brooks of New York winning first on USCF tie breaks. In the U1700, Philip Adams of Massachusetts won clear first with a perfect score. In the U1200, Sacred Heart University's Mark Khalil won clear first with a perfect score. In the U800, a three-way perfect score tie between Nathan Dandrea, Ryan Cheung and Benny Rosenbloom was decided by two rounds of Armageddon tie breaks. The three, ironically, still finished in USCF tie break order with Nathan winning the section, Ryan finishing second and Benny finishing third. Finally, Wesleyan's Ro Barrett won clear first in the NR (not rated) section with a perfect score. The event's Chief Tournament Director was Senior TD NM Ian Harris, who was assisted by ANTD Frank DelBonis and Local TD Matthew Freeman, as well as floor assistants Jake Lumelsky and Shaina Mezheritskiy. The tournament was organized by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky and Wesleyan Chess Club co-President Collin Holson with assistance from CSCA Vice President NM Mikhail Koganov and Treasurer Gert Hilhorst, as well as several local club leaders and organizers. The tournament also featured a ceremonial first move by Wesleyan's President Michael Roth and a book signing by Connecticut's 2023 Champion GM Dlugy. See Final Standings, Rating Report and Awards Summary. [See official event page for more.]
11/5/2023 CSCA's Fawkes Vendetta Draws Over 2,000 Players Worldwide
10/31/2023 Renowned Player, Author and Philanthropist FM James Eade to Guest Lecture November 6 Meeting of CSCA's Fall Club Online
10/28/2023 IM Yoseph Theolifus Taher Wins CSCA Bullet King
10/25/2023 CSCA Joins FB!
Chess News Wire -- October 2023
10/24/2023 CM Zachary Tanenbaum Wins First New London County & City Championships The top boards in Round 3 at the New London Championships hosted by Connecticut College. On October 21, the CSCA continued its efforts to bring state-level chess to all corners of Connecticut with the First New London County & City Championships. The event was hosted by Connecticut College and co-organized with the Connecticut College Chess Club. CM Zachary Tanenbaum made the trip from Greenwich, Connecticut, to go perfect in the Open Section with a 4/4 score and win the first New London County Champion title. In second place was a four-way tie, shared in tie-break order by Pennsylvania's NM Mitch Fishbein, NBCC's Joseph Bihlmeyer, Connecticut Open and Women's Champion NM Jasmine Su and Fairfield's Max Ingargiola. Jasmine's brother, Alan Su, won the U1700 section with a score of 3.5/4. Bristol's Luca Festa won the U1200 section also with 3.5/4. West Hartford's Mark Krechet won the U800 section with a perfect 4/4 score. New London's Eli Prybyla won the NR (not rated) section on tie-break over New London's Jordan Morgan, IV. And U.S. Navy's and New London's John Ulett, playing in the U1200, won the New London City Champion title, scoring 2/4. 63 players took part in this inaugural competition, directed by Alexander Lumelsky and Matthew Freeman with surprise assistance and visit from NTD Alex Relyea and Senior TD Nita Patel, who recently moved to Connecticut from New Hampshire. The CSCA would like to thank CCCC co-Presidents Williams Mears and Adithya Saranathan for their extensive and devoted efforts over the past four months in organizing this tournament with the Association. See Final Standings and Rating Report.
10/22/2023 Connecticut State Chess Association Sets Record with $10,000 in Prizes at 2023 Connecticut State Championship The 2022 State Championship at Wesleyan's Fayerweather event hall last December, which will once more host the state's flagship tournament. After another year of records and firsts, the CSCA will close out 2023 in style with yet another state, if not national, record: a $10,000 single-day event prize fund at the 2023 Connecticut State Championship. The CSCA's flagship annual tournament and US Chess mandated annual event, will be held on Sunday, November 12 at Wesleyan University's Fayerweather main event hall. The CSCA is pulling all of the stops to create a year-end celebration where all Connecticut players can come together for high quality play, comfort, appreciation and entertainment. In addition to prize and excellent collegiate venue, players and accompanying family and friends can expect player friendly entry fees with many discount options, on site dining at Wesleyan's Usdan Student Center cafe and dining hall, a DGT broadcast of live games from the event hall, and a top directing team lead by Senior TDs NM Ian Harris and Frank DelBonis. Participants will also be part of a new expanded tournament format, which increases the number of sections from three to six with new U800 and NR sections, as well as 32 cash prize placements in the Championship, U2200, U1700 and U1200 sections. As a courtesy to our state's masters and top players, the Championship section will be open to Connecticut residents, students, alumni, business owners and employees, only. However, out of state players rated under 2200 can play for prizes in any of the other five sections. The U800 will also include a team competition for collegiate and scholastic players. The CSCA plans to utilize the latest in expedited event management, including multiple time controls for multiple skill levels, online posting of pairings and standings, live online updates, and email and, possibly, text notifications of Round starts. Please visit the 2023 State Championship Event Page for all updates and information.
Chess News Wire -- September 2023
9/23/2023 Russia's GM Dmitry Andreikin Wins CSCA Fall Open 2|1 Arena on Lichess.org; Event Draws 960 Participants from Around the World GM Dmitry Andreikin, shown here at the FIDE Grand Prix in March 2022 in Belgrade, wins the CSCA first Fall Open 2|1 Arena on Lichess.org. Photo courtesy of Mark Livshitz, Chessbase.com. On Saturday, September 23, the CSCA held its first open online event on Lichess.org, the CSCA Fall Open 2|1 Arena. The two and a half hour bullet event brought 1,740 members to the CSCA Open Events team, of which 960 joined the competition and over 850 played. The competitors included five GMs, thirteen IMs and overall nearly fifty masters from around the globe. Many players finished over 40 games, several over 60 games, and one player, the fourth-place finisher from Hungary, came within one of 80. As the competition unfolded, the battle for first place became a back and fourth struggle between Russia's GM Dmitry Andreikin and France's GM Maxime Lagarde. The lead changed hands multiple times, and the two faced one another four times with Andreikin taking the first three. In the final thirty minutes, Lagarde appeared to take a commanding double-digit lead, but with just minutes or less remaining, Andreikin stormed back to recapture the lead and finish first, scoring 155 on 58 games. Lagarde finished in close second, scoring 153 on 58 games. IM Jakub Pulpan of Czech Republic finished third, scoring 121 on 71 games. The top Connecticut finish was by NM Mikhail Koganov, who came in 64th place with 57 points on 34 games. The results of the event were verified by Lichess.org competition integrity. See final standings.
9/10/2023 NM Mark Dedona Wins 2023 Fairfield County & Norwalk City Championships Full house at Norwalk Public Library Auditorium, as 79 players compete in CSCA's 2023 Fairfield County & Norwalk City Championships. Norwalk Knights regular Anabelle Berg poses with her first place trophy at the FCNCC. On Saturday, September 9, the CSCA held its inaugural Fairfield County & Norwalk City Championships at the Norwalk Public Library. Seventy-nine players, including six Masters, competed in the five-section, four-round, Game 30 event. NM Mark Dedona won the hard-fought Open section on tie breaks over NM Jordan Groff and New York's NM Furqan Tanwir, who all finished 3.5/4. Norwalk resident Gilad Drillich won the Norwalk City crown with 2.5/4 in the Open section. Connecticut tournament staple, Kevin Zimmerman, won the U1700 section with a perfect score. Praharsh Varada won the U1200 section with 3.5/4, and John Tembeck won the U700 section with a perfect score. Finally, Norwalk Knights devotee, Anabelle Berg won the NR (not rated) section with a perfect score. The Championships raised nearly $1,000 for the Connecticut chess community and the Norwalk Knights library program. The tournament was directed by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky with assistance from CSCA Board Member Ismael Pagan and Jake Lumelsky. See final standings and rating report.
Chess News Wire -- August 2023
8/15/2023 Kushagra Bhargava Dominates at Inaugural CSCA Summer Clash!!! Front: Local players Jayce Adams (sitting) and Kaison Bennett squaring off at Summer Clash!!! Back, left to right: Kushagra Bhargava facing Wilson Estrella and Adam Clough facing Omkar Maralappanavar. On Sunday August 13, the CSCA held the inaugural Summer Clash!!! in Montville, Connecticut, which may be the first CSCA tournament to be organized in New London County, ever. Connecticut's Rockefeller Nominee Kushagra Bhargava won the event and the Juggernaut Prize, losing only two of twenty games, both in the Blitz event. Kushagra placed first in the Bullet, second in the Blitz and first in the Action tournaments. Mark Wilkin and NM Derek Meredith finished second and third in the Bullet. Omkar Maralappanavar won the Blitz tournament, and Mark Wilkin finished third. In the Action, Punyavrat Upadhyay finished second, and Albert Dong finished third. The event was directed by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky with assistance from Ocean State Chess' Frank DelBonis and CSCA Regional Events Coordinator Esteban Ramirez, who was instrumental in securing the wonderful outdoor venue in the village of Oakdale. See final standings and rating reports: Action and Blitz.
Chess News Wire -- July 2023
7/11/2023 Inaugural Chess960 Weekend Held at Taino Chess Club Players set up their boards for Round 1 of the Inaugural Chess960 Classical Championship. From July 7 to July 9 at the Taino Chess Club in Berlin, the CSCA held a three-day Chess960 Championship event. Friday night was the Chess960 Blitz with G/5 d2 time controls. Ten players participated, and Nadav Hartman of Mansfield won the competition, while Shanmugam Vangili of Manchester took second. Saturday was the Classical Championship with G/75 d10 controls. Eight players took part, and Arthur Nagel of Salem won the State Chess960 Champion title, while Matthew Gerdon of Milford won the U1700 section and Andrew Nguyen of Farmington won the U1000. Finally, on Sunday, ten scholastic players participated in the Scholastic Chess960 Championship with G/25 d5 controls. Ali Hamed of Rhode Island won the event, and Zaydan Siddiqui of South Windsor, Andrew Nguyen of Farmington and Mark Krechet of West Hartford won the Connecticut High, Middle and Elementary School Chess960 titles, respectively. See final standings: Blitz, Classical and Scholastic.
7/6/2023 Connecticut Chess Journal On the National and International "Senior Circuit" by NM Mikhail Koganov (Below at FIDE World Senior Championship 2022. Photo courtesy of Andreas Kantokanis/FIDE)
7/4/2023 Connecticut Chess Journal Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction: Acceptance Speech by Beatrice Low
7/4/2023 Connecticut Chess Journal Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction: Acceptance Speech by FM Kapil Chandran
Chess News Wire -- June 2023
6/12/2023 CM Jasmine Su Wins 2023 Connecticut Open; First Female Player to Win Connecticut Major CM Jasmine Su at the board in Round 5 of the Connecticut Open, facing NM Jordan Groff. This past weekend, fifty-four players participated in the CSCA's 2023 Connecticut Open, a rare Connecticut two-day tournament, which was held at the new Cambria Hotel in South Windsor. This was the first Connecticut Open held since 1997 and the first CSCA two-day tournament going back over a decade. However, the biggest news from South Windsor was the Open section winner: CM Jasmine Su, who finished with a score of 4/5 and in clear first, notably tying GM Sergey Kudrin in Round 2 and defeating NM Jordan Groff in Round 5. Kudrin and Groff finished second and third, respectively. In winning the Open, Su set several Connecticut records, including becoming the first female player to win the Connecticut Open and a Connecticut major tournament. Meanwhile, Massachusetts' Evan Banerjee won the Under 1800 Section and Ryan Zheng won the Under 1200. The event was directed by STD Frank DelBonis, assisted by CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky and NM Arslan Otchiyev. Additional administrative support was provided by CSCA Treasurer and Web Administrator, Gert Hilhorst. See rating report and final standings.
6/4/2023 Ethan Shemo Wins Musicant Cup at 27th Musicant-Yazgoor Memorial Scholastic players mid-round at the 27th MYMT at the Norwalk Library Auditorium. Yesterday, forty-one players took part in the CSCA 27th Annual Robert Musicant-Donald Yazgoor Memorial Tournament at the Norwalk Public Library. The tournament raised funds for the 2023-24 Norwalk Knights chess program. Directed once more by NM Ian Harris, assisted by Harlan Keller, the event consisted of four rounds with G/25 d5 time controls. Ethan Shemo won the Musicant Cup with a perfect 4/4 score. Praharsh Varada won the Yazgoor Cup for the top payer Under 1200 with a score of 3.5/4. Lucas Routhier won the Reserve Section. Weston Middle School won the Open team title, and the Norwalk Knight library club won the Reserve team title. See rating report and final standings.
Chess News Wire -- May 2023
5/21/2023 CSCA Celebrates Connecticut Chess with Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction and First Hall of Fame Class GM Sergey Kudrin (center left) and FM Kapil Chandran (center right) pose for a photograph with Chandran's parents at the Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May 20. Also yesterday at Sacred Heart University, the CSCA held its first ever Hall of Fame Induction. The first Hall of Fame class was a collection of some of the greatest contributors and personalities in Connecticut chess history. The honored inductees were:
5/21/2023 NM Nathaniel Moor Wins Connecticut Action Chess Championship NM Nathaniel Moor at 2023 Connecticut Action Championship Awards Ceremony. Yesterday at Sacred Heart University, fifty players took part in the Inaugural Hall of Fame Action Chess Championship. NM Nathaniel Moor, GM Sergey Kudrin and NM Zachary Tanenbaum finished in a three-way tie for first in the Open section with a score of 4/5. However, on tie breaks, it was Moor finishing in first, Kudrin in second and Tanenbaum in third. In the U1600 section, Sebastian Lopez finished in first with 4/5. In the U1200, Esaimani Balabishegam and Kashvi Madhwani finished tied for first with 4/5, and Balabishegam took first on tie breaks. This part state championship and part celebration was organized by the CSCA in honor of thirteen Hall of Fame inductees and was directed by NTD Harold Stenzel. See rating report and final standings.
4/30/2023 China's GM Ding Liren is New World Chess Champion! GM Ding Liren at press conference after winning Game 12, to tie the 2023 World Championship at six all. (Photo courtesy of David Llada/FIDE.) Today in Astana, Kazakhstan, China's GM Ding Liren defeated Russia's GM Ian Nepomniachtchi on rapid-play tie breaks 2.5-1.5 after never leading in the 14-game classic stage, which the two finished deadlocked at 7-7. Ding is the first player from China to become World Chess Champion. After being unlikely to participate in the Candidates Tournament and mounting an improbable comeback to finish second there, Ding was catapulted into the Championship match by GM Magnus Carlsen's surprise decision to decline another defense of his World Champion title. Against Neponiachtchi in the final, Ding mounted three wins with white to tie the match, after his opponent took a one-point lead on those three occasions. However, after winning Game 12, Ding would not allow Neponiachtchi another lead, tying Game 13 and 14 and the first three rapid games in the first tie break, before winning the final rapid game and the match.
4/29/2023 NM Rajesh Shanmugasundaram Wins Herr Direktor's Cup at 2023 Hartmayer Memorial Game 50 Open and U1600 (right) and Game 25 Scholastic (left) sections compete at HMT23 at the Wilson-Gray YMCA in Hartford. Open winner NM Rajesh Shanmugasundaram (left) facing Jonathan Smucker in Round 4 for the Herr Direktor's Cup. Today, 73 players competed in the 2023 Thomas E. Hartmayer Memorial Tournament at the Wilson-Gray YMCA in Hartford. Rhode Island's NM Rajesh Shanmugasundaram, who was the event's and is Rhode Island's top rated player, won the Open section and Herr Direktor's Cup. Sebastian Lopez of Bridgeport won the Under 1600 Section. Ryan Zheng of West Hartford, Jack Qian of South Glastonbury, Eric Gu of Massachusetts and Jay Mehta of Farmington won the K-12 U1000, K-8 U800, K-5 U500 and K-12 Unrated sections, respectively. Scholastic team titles were awarded to Manchester High, Edwards Middle (South Windsor) and Bugbee Elementary (West Hartford). The event was co-organized by the CSCA, YMCA and Kevin Zimmerman. Play was directed by STD Frank DelBonis and TD Matthew Freeman of Rhode Island. See rating report and final standings.
Chess News Wire -- April 2023
4/5/2023 CSCA Holds Its First Ever Online Events: New England Online Scholastic and Blitz Championships NTD Judit Sztaray (top left) directs the CSCA-organized 2023 New England Online Scholastic Championships. On March 24 and 25, the CSCA held the first ever New England Online Scholastic Championships and Blitz Championships. These were also the first New England Chess Association tournaments, to be organized by the CSCA. 25 players from 8 states participated in the Blitz Championships on Friday, March 24. 48 players from 11 states participated in the Rapid/Classical Championships on Saturday, March 25. Connecticut notables were as follows:
4/2/2023 CM Jasmine Su Wins 2023 Connecticut Women’s Championship CM Jasmine Su receives State Champion trophy and first place prize from CSCA Board Member Saurabh Kumar and Vice President Mikhail Koganov at the 2023 Connecticut Women’s Championship, held at Play More Chess Academy in Hamden on April 1. On April 1, 2023 at Play More Chess Academy in Hamden, sixteen women took part in the Connecticut Women's Championship. This marked only the third time that the event was organized and only the second time as an independent event. CM Jasmine Su won the competition with a score of 3.5/4, drawing her final match with new comer Marfa Esaulova, who finished second on tie breaks. Sophia Rosenholtz of Massachusetts finished third, Mridhulaa Rajagopal finished Top Under 1400, Shesh Budhabhatti finished Top Under 1000, and Annika Kumar won the Top Unrated. See final standings and rating report.
3/19/2022 Thirty Eight Players Take Part in NKSC23; Sebastian Imperati Cruises to Second Knights Title Brent McCreesh managing the floor at the 2023 Norwalk Knights Spring Championship; CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky conducting the awards ceremony. (photo courtesy of STD NM Ian Harris/RedBandit Chess) On March 18, the CSCA with the aid of Norwalk Library and RedBandit Chess held the Spring Championship of its Norwalk Knights Library Chess Program at the Norwalk Library. Sebastian Imperati won the Open section with a perfect five-win score, repeating as Program Champion. Kenan Al-Jajeh won the Reserve section, also with a perfect 5-0 score. The event was directed by volunteers STD NM Ian Harris and Brent McCreesh. See final standings Open and Reserve and the event's rating report.
Chess News Wire -- March 2023
3/6/2023 Greenwich High, Avon Public, Norfeldt Elementary and Calvin Leete Elementary Are 2023 Scholastic Team Champions Greenwich High Chess Team (left to right: Victoria Liu, Isaac Dcruz, Elias Orrell, Carl Homan and IM Maximillian Lu) with CSCA President Alexander Lumelsky at the 2023 Scholastic Team Championships high school awards presentation at Manchester High School On March 4, 2023 at Manchester High School (MHS), the CSCA held its annual Team Championships, for the first time in a new team-focused format. 80 players and 24 teams took part. Greenwich High School, led by IM Max Lu, edged out West Hartford Schools by one point to win the High School title. Avon Public Schools dominated the Middle School section, finishing with a five-point lead over the rest of the field and the state title. Norfeldt Elementary (West Hartford), competing without State K-3 Champion Louise Lu, captured the Elementary School crown on tie breaks over town rival Braeburn Elementary (West Hartford). Calvin Leete Elementary, featuring K-1 State Champion Rylan Chang and K-3 placement holder and older brother Leroy Chang, put on a dominant performance, finishing undefeated, to win the Primary School title. The event was delayed by 90 minutes due to inclement weather over night and into the morning. Regardless, the Elementary and Primary sections were completed by 3 PM, well ahead of the original schedule, and the upper sections concluded on schedule at 6 PM. The CSCA thanks Chief TD NM Ian Harris for another efficiently run CSCA tournament. CSCA also thanks Parag Joshi of MHS and the MHS Chess Club and volunteers for hosting and coordinating a great event. See Final Awards and Rating Report. Additional photos follow.
2/26/2023 GM Sergey Kudrin Wins Third Consecutive Connecticut Senior Title Sergey Kudrin at the board in Round 3 of 2023 Connecticut Senior Championship The 2023 Connecticut Senior Championship was held at Wesleyan University, Exley Science Center on February 25. Twelve players took part. GM Sergey Kudrin won his third consecutive senior title scoring 3.5/4. NM Mikhail Koganov finished second with 3/4. Both will repeat as Connecticut's Irwin National Nominee and Alternate. Other prizes included NM Derek Meredith finishing third, Elizabeth Smith finishing top U1800, Charles Rutan finishing top U1400 and Graig Simera finishing top U1000. New comer Hennadii Vasylenko, recently from Ukraine, finished fourth and top unrated. The story of the event, however, may have been the participation of Wesleyan alumnus and New Jersey resident Doran Race, who took multiple trains and a snowy 25-mile bike ride from New Haven to Middletown to play in this tournament. See Final Awards, Standings and Rating Report.
Yale's Maxim Yaskolko Wins Collegiate Championship; Wesleyan Wins 2023 Team Crown Round 1 gets under way at 2023 Connecticut Collegiate and Senior Championships at Wesleyan
Chess News Wire -- February 2023
2/21/2023 Connecticut at 2023 USATE Six Connecticut teams and about 40 Connecticut players took part at the 2023 US Amateur Team East, held in Pasippany, NJ this past President's Day weekend. Top Connecticut Team was "In Memoriam: Mr. Melvin Patrick", comprised of IM Maximillian Lu, CM Nathaniel Moor, Jack Klein and William Ewald. Nathaniel Moor also won Top Board on Board 2 with a score of 5.5/6. Meanwhile, the Top Under 1600 Team was Sacred Heart University: NM Mark Dedona, Brent McCreesh, Declan Coleman and Ryan Richter. Addiitonally, the Top Corporate Team was Azure Knightmare, featuring Connecticut's Harlan Keller on Board 3. Other Connecticut teams were "Dracarys" (NM Ian Harris, NM Mikhail Koganov, Oliver Chernin and Hannon Russell), "Carlsen's Niemasis" (Daniel Cooper, Jeffrey Lawrence, Christopher Potts and Sebastian Botta), "CT Knights" (Vedanta Bhargava, Kushagra Bhargava, Truman Kaczmarczyk and Lacey Wang) and "Magnus Won't Play Me, Either" (NM James Nitz, Michael Pascetta, Mario Guevara-Rodriguez and Norman Burtness). In all, 328 teams took part.
2/19/2023 Wesleyan Chess Club to Offer First CSCA Open Club Wesleyan Chess Club is opening its doors to the chess community as the first CSCA Open Club, starting March 2. Club sessions will be held from 4 to 6 PM on select Thursdays during the spring semester when school is in session. Participation is free. Registration through the CSCA calendar registration system is required. WCC leadership is excited to share their club and make this valued contribution to the Middletown area and statewide chess communities.
2/15/2023 NECA Approves CSCA Proposal to Add Blitz to 2023 New England Online Scholastic Championships The New England Chess Association approved the Connecticut State Chess Association's additional proposal for the 2023 New England Online Scholastic Blitz Championships. The Blitz event will take place on March 24 in the evening, starting at 6 PM. Registration will open soon. [updated 2/23: new event date/time]
2/13/2023 GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez wins the 2023 Connecticut Speed Championships GM Corrales Jimenez (right) playing IM Jan van de Mortel in Round 5 of the Quick Championship at the 2023 Speed Championships, held at Eastern Connecticut State University on February 11. On February 11, the CSCA held its second Speed Chess Championships, a combined tournament of Quick, Blitz and Bullet chess. The event was hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University and Chess Club at the beautiful ECSU Student Center and Betty Tipton Room. 55 players from six states, including eight masters, participated. New York's GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez finished first, winning two of the three Speed events--Quick and Bullet--finishing third in the Blitz. Yale student GM Nicolas de Checa finished second overall and earned the title of Connecticut Speed Champion. Checa won the Blitz event, and finished second in the Quick, also attaining the titles of 2023 Connecticut Blitz and Quick Champion. Meanwhile, defending Connecticut overall and all three specific event Champion CM Zachary Tanenbaum repeated as Connecticut Bullet Champion, placing second in that competition. For complete results, standings and more photographs, please visit the Speed Event Page. Click here for more info.
2/8/2023 CSCA Awarded NECA's 2023 Online Scholastic Championships The New England Chess Association awarded the Connecticut State Chess Association the 2023 New England Online Scholastic Championships. The tournament is scheduled for March 25, 2023 and will be held over Chess.com. NTD Judit Sztaray of Northern California and other highly experienced national online directors will direct the event. Competition parameters include three to three and a half hours of online time and over 80, and possibly as many as 150, prizes for players and teams from all six New England states and those from outside the region.
Chess News Wire -- January 2023
1/24/2023 Connecticut Chess Journal The Advent and History of the Fairfield Interscholastic League by Alvin Hamilton
1/22/2023 Lacey Wang Wins 2023 Connecticut Girls Championship! Zaynab Chasmawala Wins U800!
1/9/2023 Norwalk Knights Winter Program is Full As of 5:40 am this morning, the CSCA Norwalk Library Chess Program, featuring instructor NM Ian Harris is full. All 40 slots are now registered. Players interested in participating, who did not make the cut off should register for the wait list option, added to the registration. Wait listed players will be notified, if they may participate.
1/7/2023 IM Max Lu (HS), Jasmine Su (MS), Kushagra Bhargava (ES), Louie Lu (PS) and Rylan Chang (K-1) are Connecticut Champions!
Click here for 2022 news archive.
