Chess in Spokane
Drew Bunch (4.5) won this year’s installment of the Eastern Washington Open by defeating Michael Cambareri (4.0) in the final round. Bunch gave up only a second round draw to frequent playing partner Mark Havrilla in the second round, while Cambareri defeated Missoula high school junior Declan Pham in round for to set up the title clash.
A full list of prize winners will be announced when the final contests are concluded.
The club’s Fall Championship started September 17 with exactly 17 players registered. The only upset of the first round occurred on board 7 where club newcomer John Mietus pulled off the victory.
The five week event runs through October 15. Drop by club to watch the action.
Tamsyn (tam-zin) Paige Shedlock, first child of Ben and Katie, was born September 8. Mother and daughter are doing fine. Here’s hoping the proud parents bring her to club soon. Congratulations!!
Michael Cambareri won the Warm up for Fall, a two-week four-round event, with a perfect 4.0 score. Dave Griffin and Jonathon Rorabeck shared second with 3.0 scores.
The USCF cross table link: WARM UP FOR FALL | US Chess Ratings
Several players and friends showed up Thursday for a night of casual chess play and Bennidito’s Pizza. Here are some photos from the evening.
The annual Ajeeb Quads completed action August 20th. Michael Cambareri and Travis Miller, having drawn each other, won Quad A with 2.5 points. Vibi Varghese was a perfect 3.0 in Quad B. A three-way tie for first in the six-person MiniSwiss featured Patrick Kirlin, Karl Milton, and Brian Thomas. Congratulations to all the winners! The USCF cross table link: 2026 AJEEB QUADS | US Chess Ratings
A unique quad pairing format — grouping players by age instead of rating — was used for the “Old Men Rule — Not Quick Quads” that was played July 9 through July 23. The One (formerly Elder) section saw Dave Rowles victorious with a perfect 3.0 score. The Middle Age quad was won by John Frostad (2.5), while Michael Cambareri won the Youngsters section with a 3.0 score.
The cross table (and a photo) can be found on our Recent Results page (link at top).
The Mid-Summer Night’s Dream event drew 8 players on June 25. Three tied with 3-1 scores for the top honors: Michael Cambareri, Ken Erickson, and John Frostad. The class D prizes were shared by Brian Thomas, Sean Thomas, and Jim Burney, each of whom scored 2.0 in the four round event.
Jo Ong took advantage of an early blunder and beat Michael Cambareri, who had entered the final round with the sole perfect score among a field of 20, to win the club’s Spring Championship. Michael and Travis Miller (4.0) tied for second place.
Spokane’s oldest weekend tournament was won by Eric Billaux and Drew Bunch. They each scored 4.0 to finish one-half point ahead of Michael Cambareri, Ken Erickson, and James Stripes. The competition at the top was intense — Ken beat Eric and lost to Drew, and only a half-point bye on Saturday night kept him off the top line.
A more complete story from TD Craig Moore is expected in coming days.
The USCF cross table link: 2026 Inland Empire Open | US Chess Ratings