2024 Spring Championship (May 16-June 13)
The intermittently scheduled spring championship made a return in 2024. The five round event, directed by Michael Cambareri, was won by Cam Leslie with a perfect 5.0 score. Matt Goodale (4.0) was second. Eighteen players took part.
The USCF event cross table: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 (Event 202406130622)
2024 Winter Championship (January 25-February 22)
Michael Cambareri went a perfect 5.0, defeating second seed Dave Rowles in the final round, to claim the club’s Winter Championship. Nikolay Bulakh finished second with a 4.0 score, and Rowles, Neal Bonrud, Matt Goodale, and Keith Brownlee tied for third with scores of 3.5. Kevin Korsmo (3.0) won the under 1650 section, with five others tying for second with 2.5 scores: Steve Brendemihl, Logan Faulkner, Dave Griffin, Craig Moore, and Vibi Varghese. Benjamin Legard (3.0) won the under 1500 section, with Casey Peterson and Stan Soderberg (2.0) tying for second. Peterson also won the biggest upset prize. Congratulation to all of the winners!
The club’s winter championship, traditionally the largest Thursday night event, started January 25th. There were 26 participants this year. The USCF cross table link: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP (Event 202402223622)
2023 Fall Championship (September 18-October 26)
It took 28 years, but Dave Rowles is once again club champion, winning the Fall Championship with a perfect 5.0 score. His most recent club championship was the 1995 Winter Championship! Work and family obligations kept Dave away from regular club night events for most of that time period, but retirement is allowing the club stalwart to actively participate in our weekly competitions once again.
Dave defeated Nikolay Bulakh (3.5) on board one in the last game of the night October 19. Makeup games kept most of the prize categories up in the air through October 26th, but North Central student Benjamin Legard (2.5) won the D/unrated section on the 19th. He fought through a tough position to ultimately force Dave Griffin to play for repetition in a game that ended just before board one reached its conclusion.
After the makeup games were played, the other prize winners fell into place. Griffin Herr (4.0) won the class A prize, while Nikolay Bulakh won the class B prize. The top two class C prizes were shared by David Peoples and Vibi Varghese with scores of 3.5. There was a five-way tie for the third class prize among the following 3.0 scores: Steve Brendemihl, Jeremy Burnett, Matthew Goodale, Dave Griffin, and Jack Johnson. The second class D/unrated prize went to Pat Kirlin (2.0).
Congratulations to all of the winners!! The USCF cross table link: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for FALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2023- FC1 (Event 202310266792)
2023 Winter Championship (January 12-February 16)
The fifth round showdown between the two perfect 4.0 scores — third seed Michael Cambareri and eleventh seed Walter van Heemstede Obelt, delayed until February 16th due to Covid — was resolved in favor of Michael on makeup night. The frequent champion finished 5.0 to win the event by one game. Walter tied for second with Andrew Beeksma and David Rowles with 4.0 scores. The threesome split the second, class A, and class C prizes.
The class B prize was shared by Tito Tinajero and Vibi Varghese with 3.5 scores. The class D prize went to Patrick Kirlin with a 3.0 score. Sam Bethmann scored 2.5 to win the class E/unrated section. Congratulations to all of the winners!!
The 26 player turnout was the largest winter championship event since the 2002 tourney that drew 29 participants!
The USCF cross table link: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for WINTERCHAMP23- 23ACHAMP (Event 202302161932)
2022 Fall Championship (September 23 — October 20)
Ryan Ackerman is the club’s Fall Champion, topping top seed Michael Cambareri to grab first place with a perfect 5.0 score. Second place went to Kevin Korsmo and David Rowles with scores of 4.0. David Griffin (2.5) won the class C prize, while Jordan Fischer and Ben Shedlock shared class D with score of 3.0. The cross table link: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for FALL CHAMPIONSHIP (Event 202210222412)
2022 Spring Championship (June 2-23)
Ryan Ackerman continued his club winning streak, extending it to nine games in a row, by topping Jeremy Burnett in the final round to claim the Spring Championship with a perfect 4.0 score. Jeremy (3.0) tied for second with Michael Cambareri and claimed the u/1700 prize. Logan Faulkner (2.5) won the u/1500 prize and newcomer Ben Patterson (2.5) took the u/1300 prize. Ben’s performance rating for the event was 1740!
The USCF cross table link: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for JUNE ’22 (Event 202206239452)
2022 Winter Championship (January 20 — February 24)
Ryan Ackerman and Michael Cambareri are the co-champions of the club’s Winter Championship. The two drew with each other in round four and then held serve in their final round games to jointly finish with 4.5 scores and the title. Jeremy Burnett (3.5) was tops in the u/1600 category, while Logan Faulkner and Abe Kenney (3.0) tied for second in that section. Arnav Wadikar, who lost to Cambareri on board one in the final round, won the u/1300 section with a score of 3.5. Casey Bruer and Mike Byrne each scored 3.0 to tie for second in the section.
The USCF cross table link: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for WINTER2022CHAMP- WINTER2022B (Event 202202244092)
2021 Fall Championship (September 23 — October 15)
Top seed Michael Cambareri was a perfect 4-0 in winning this year’s Fall Championship, played at the Inland Chess Academy between September 23 and October 15, 2021. Michael defeated second seed James Stripes and third seed Jason Cross to distance himself from the field. James (3-1) took the over 1500 prize, while newcomer Andrew Beeksma, who also scored 3-1, won the under 1500 prize.
The USCF cross table link: US Chess MSA – Cross Table for FALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2021- CHAMPIONSHI (Event 202110152402)
2020 Fall Championship (September 24– October 15) — Online
Rob Fisette won a final-round thriller to claim the club’s online Fall Championship, defeating Ken Erickson, the only undefeated player through the first three rounds. Rob’s 3.5 score claimed first, with Ken, Cam Leslie, and James Stripes all finishing 3.0 for second place. Thirteen players took part in the club’s first effort at an online championship event.
2020 Winter Championship (January 23 — February 20)
Antonius Raelund won his first club championship, defeating Rob Fisette in the final round to finish with 4.5 points (he took a first round bye). Rob, Jason Cross, and Walter van Heemstede Obelt tied for second place with 4.0 scores. The 26 player field was the largest in more than a decade.
In the earlier rounds, we reported —
Round 4: After four rounds, top seed Rob Fisette stands alone at the top of the heap with the only perfect 4.0 score. He will play Antonius Raelund (3.5) on board 1 in fifth round play February 20. Fisette defeated second seed Michael Cambareri, while Raelund dropped fourth seed Jason Cross from the undefeated list in their respective fourth found battles.
Round 3: There were many interesting games played in the third round of the Winter Championship on February 6. When the dust settled, tops seeds Rob Fisette (#1), Michael Cambareri (#2), and Jason Cross (#4) emerged with the only perfect 3-0 scores. Third seed Antonious Raelund, who took a first round bye, is alone in the next category with a 2.5 score. Those four should clash in round four.
Cross finally broke the winning streak of Cecelia Valeriotte who had come into the round with the two biggest upsets of the event. Fisette and Cambareri defeated Walter van Heemstede Obelt and Tito Tinajero, respectively, on the top two boards.
Round 2: The Winter Championship expanded to 26 players for round two, and the upset action continued with three more higher seeds upended. Cecelia Valeriotte improved upon her first round biggest upset (defeating the #7 seed) with a victory over the #5 seed to giver herself the two biggest upsets of the event. The other top seeds continued to win, which should lead to some very nice matchups in round three.
Round 1. The club’s Winter Championship kicked off its five round, six week run on January 23 with 24 players entered. There were three upsets in the 11 games played, with Cecelia Valeriotte claiming the big honors with a 500+ point victory.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202002202792
2019 Fall Championship (September 19 — October 24)
Rob Fisette cruised to another perfect 5-0 finish to win the Fall Championship. Second place was shared by Jeremy Burnett and Jason Cross at 4-1. Each of them lost to Rob as he steadily mowed down the higher seeds in the late rounds.
Three make up games on October 24 resolved the remaining section prizes. Griffin Herr (2.5) won the u/1850 prize and Kevin Korsmo (3.5) claimed the 1600 section prize. Craig Moore (2.5) won the class C prize. The class D/under first prize went to Ben Shedlock (2.5). Scores of 2.0 gave second place in the class to Miguel Calvillo, Cecelia Valeriote, and Jason Babcock.
There were 20 players entered in this year’s event, with another two players taking part as needed “house” players.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201910249532.0
2019 Spring Championship (May 30 — June 27)
Rob Fisette won this 22 player, four-round event with a 3.5 score, finishing 1/2 point ahead of Louis Blair, Jason Cross, John Dill, Pat Herbers, Sam Sauder, and Tito Tinajero. All entrants received books from a collection donated by Rusty Miller.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201906274432.1
2019 Winter Championship (Jan. 14 — Feb. 21)
Robert Fisette was a perfect 5.0 in sweeping the Winter Championship title. He defeated Jason Cross (3.5), the only player who had a chance to catch him, in an endgame battle that saw both players reach about one minute on their clocks.
Second place saw a tie between Tito Tinajero and Austin Yeo, each of whom scored 4.0 to claim second place. They shared the second place and first in class B prizes. Second place in class B was a tie between Jason Cross and John Frostad with 3.5 score. Ted Baker topped class C with a score of 3.0, while newcomer Martin Moylan (2.5) won the class D/unrated section. Alex Rosenkrantz, Bill Rottmayer, and Ben Shedlock scored 2.0 to share second in that class.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201902210982
2018 Fall Championship (Sept. 20 — Oct. 25)
Michael Cambareri reclaimed his Fall Championship crown with a perfect 5.0 score. Second place at 4.0 was high school sophomore Sam Sauder, whose effort won him the 1400 section prize. Scores of 3.5 resulted in Jason Cross and John Frostad winning the 1700 section.
The 1600 section prize was shared by Kevin Korsmo, Walter van Heemstede Obelt, and John Wheaton with scores of 3.0. That same score secured David Peoples the 1500 section prize. Pat Kirlin and Alex Rosenkrantz (2.0) won the 1300/under section prize.
There were 20 participants in this year’s event.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201810250762
2018 Winter Championship (Jan. 18 — Feb. 22)
Michael Cambareri won the Winter Championship, finishing with a perfect 5.0 score after defeating Walter van Heemstede Obelt in the final round. Cam Leslie and Tito Tinajero finished second with scores of 3.5 and claimed the second place and class B prizes. Austin Yeo (3.0) won the class C section, and David Peoples and Bill Rottmayer each scored 2.0 to share the class D section prize. Fifteen players took part in the event, joined by two house players.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201802224782
2017 Fall Championship (Sept. 21 — Oct. 26)
Cam Leslie is the club’s 2017 Fall Champion, winning the five round event with a score of 4.5. He downed Michael Cambareri in round five after holding off one of Michael’s patented attacks that had Cam defending against multiple mate threats. The make up game in week six between Louis Blair and Tito Tinajero resolved the second place and class prizes. Louis was able to force a draw by repetition, creating a three way tie for second place and the under 1700 class prize between Louis, Kevin Korsmo, and Tito, all of whom finished at 3.5. Bill Rottmayer, 3.0, won the under 1500 section.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201710260272
2017 Spring Championship (June 1-29)
The revived Spring Championship saw Louis Blair pull off the big upset of the tourney in the final round by defeating Michael Cambareri. That dropped Michael into a first place tie with Jason Cross, both of whom scored 4.0. Walter van Heemstede Obelt won the u/1800 prize with 3.0. Louis claimed the u/1600 prize with a score of 3.5, and Bill Rottmayer scored 2.5 in taking the u/1400 prize.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201707023132
2017 Winter Championship (Jan. 19-Feb. 23)
James Stripes won his first club championship, coming back from a lost position when Karl Reutter’s time trouble led to imprecise play that allowed James to mount a winning counter attack. The new champion claimed to have been lost in four of his five games, but survived all of them to achieve a score of 4.5. Improving on the old Ben Franklin adage, James sagely stated: “mental discipline and hard work improves luck.”
For awhile, it looked like there was possibly going to be a massive tie for first, as Karl appeared to have James on the ropes and close games among the other contenders suggested multiple draws were in the offing. However, on a night when white won only two of the games, James’s escape on board one led to a single champion. When the other games concluded, Michael Cambareri and John Frostad tied for second place with scores of 4.0. Michael claimed the second place prize and John the 1600 category prize. The 1500 prize went to Jason Cross (3.0), while Alex Herron (3.5) won the 1400 category. Logan Faulkner (2.5) claimed the under 1400 category prize. The biggest upset prize went to Cecelia Valeriotte, whose upset final round draw just edged Ron Weyland for the prize.
The club’s Winter Championship began its five round run on January 19 with 19 players taking part. The field expanded to 20 players for round two.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201702230812
2016 Fall Championship (Sept. 15-Oct. 24)
Four players shared the club’s Fall Championship title. The baseball adage, “It ain’t over til it’s over,” also applies to chess. The club’s fall championship remained in the balance pending the make-up game between Pat Herbers (4-0) and Michael Cambareri (3-1) that was played October 24. Michael pulled out the win, leaving four players on top of the event with 4-1 scores. Michael and Pat were joined at the top by Karl Reutter and Tito Tinajero, creating a large number of winners for a small (16 player) field.
In addition to sharing first place, Karl had the best score in the u/1800 section and Tito topped the the u/1600 category. Alex Herron (3.0) won the u/1400 prize.
The cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201610248932
2016 Winter Championship (Jan. 21 — Feb. 18)
Michael Cambareri claimed the title of Winter Champion, but he was unable to make it a perfect 5-0 score after giving up a draw to your editor in last round action on February 18. That draw was one of four fighting draws seen in the final round. Brad Bodie (4.0) finished a half point back of Michael and claimed the over 1600 prize. The 1500 class prize was shared by Sam Comi, Tito Tinajero, and Walter van Hemested Obelt, each of whom scored 3.0. Pat Kirlin (3.0) won the 1400 section prize. Four players shared the D prize: Isaiah Dasen, Arelene Hiatt, Bill Rottmayer, and Ron Weyland each scored 2.0. The under 1200 prize was shared by Rob Harder and Colin Phelps, both of whom also scored 2.0. Rob also won the biggest upset prize, pulling off a victory over a foe rated 292 points higher.
The cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201602189082
2015 Fall Championship (Sept. 17 – Oct. 22)
Travis Miller topped Michael Cambareri in their final round board one encounter to claim the title of Fall Champion with a score of 4.5. Second place went to Jeremy Krasin (4.0). The u/1800 section was shared by John Frostad and Kevin Korsmo (3.0), who drew their fifth round game. Four players shared the u/1600 prize with scores of 2.5: Ted Baker, Dave Griffin, Ron Weyland, and Austin Yeo. Arlene Hiatt captured the biggest upset prize with her first round victory (541 points). Arlene also shared the u/1400 prizes with Steve Wallace.
The cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201510229552
2015 Winter Championship (January 22 — February 22)
Club newcomer Darren Russell is the club’s Winter Champion, completing a 5-0 sweep of the field with a hard earned victory over Jeremy Krasin in the fifth round. Darren ably defended against Jeremy’s bishop sacrifice in an effort to build a mating net, then slowly traded down material to win the endgame. David Dussome (4.0) finished first in the over 1800 section, while Travis Miller (3.5) won the 1500-1700 section prize. Austin Yeo (3.5) won the 1300-1500 section, while (2.0) secured first place in the under 1300 section for Isaiah Dasen, Alex Herron, Cecelia Verliriote, and Jim Waugh. Dave Griffin claimed the biggest upset prize.
The cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201502264292
2014 Fall Championship (Sept. 19 – Oct. 16)
Michael Cambareri has won the club’s Fall Championship, defeating Jeremy Krasin in the final round to finish with a 4.5 score. Jeremy (4.0) finished tied for second with Brad Bodie and Dave Griffin. Brad and Jeremy shared the u/2000 prize while Dave took the u/1800 prize. Other prize winners included Sam Comi (3.0), who won the u/1500 prize, while the u/1200 prize was shared by Bill Rottmayer and Cecelia Valeriote (2.0).
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201410167072
2014 Winter Championship (January 16- Feb. 20)
Michael Cambareri scored a perfect 5.0 score to win the club’s winter championship crown by a wide margin. Four players tied for second with scores of 3.5: Nikolay Bulakh, Brad Bodie, David Dussome, and Kevin Korsmo. Nikolay, Brad, and Kevin shared the over 1700 prize, while David claimed the 1300-1700 prize. The under 1300 prize was won by Steve Wallace, while Travis Jones and Alex Popescu shared second place in that category.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201402206112
2013 Fall Championship (September 19 — October 24)
Jeremy Krasin outlasted Michael Cambareri in a fifth round time scrabble to become the club’s Fall Champion for 2013. Jeremy scored 4.0 to finish one half point ahead of Michael and six others who tied for second: Brad Bodie, Kevin Korsmo, Ted Baker, John Frostad, David Dussome, and Chet Paulson. Brad, Michael, and Kevin shared the second prize, while the others won their section prizes: Ted (u/1700); John (u/1400); David (u/1250); Chet (u/1000). A total of 22 players took part in this event, which was directed once again by Dave Griffin.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201310241332
2013 Winter Championship (January 17-February 21)
Michael Cambareri (4.5) is the club champion after a fighting draw with Jeremy Krasin (4.0) secured the title on February 14. Nikolay Bulakh also finished with 4.0 to share second place honors with Jeremy. Kevin Korsmo (3.5) won the u/1800 prize. Three shared the u/1600 prizes with 3.0 scores: Ted Baker, Louis Blair, and Ben Blue. Jim Waugh (2.5) won the u/1400 section, while Arlene Hiatt won the u/1000 prize and the biggest upset.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201302214032
2012 Fall Championship (September 20 — October 25)
It took five rounds, but Jeremy Krasin and Tim Moroney finally caught Nikolay Bulakh to become tri-champions of the club’s Fall Championship, Nikolay had a perfect 4.0 score, but lost to Jeremy in the final round to create the three way tie. Walter Van Heemstede Obelt won the under 1600 prize, while Jim Burney won the under 1400 prize and Arlene Hiatt won the under 1000 prize.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201210251802
2012 Winter Championship (January 26 — March 1)
After a week’s delay due to snow, and an extra week to make up games, Jeremy Krasin won the club’s winter championship. He finished with a 4.0 score after drawing with Michael Cambareri in their final round board one encounter. Michael, John Julian, and Kevin Korsmo tied for second with 3.5. Michael and John split second place, while Kevin won the class B category prize. Jim Burney (2.5) won the under 1500 category, while Ted Baker, Alton Blue, and Ron Weyland tied for second in that category with 2.0.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201203011392-10328357
2011 Fall Championship (September 23-October 29)
It took a few evenings of make-up games, but the club’s fall championship is finally over. Top seeds John Julian and Michael Cambareri, who drew in their fourth round encounter, each scored 4.5 to top the field. Loyd Willaford and Pat Kirlin each finished 3.0 to win the section prizes for the over and under 1400 categories. Nathan Sacpopo and Tristen Udby finished second in the under 1400 category with 2.0 scores. A total of 18 participated in this year’s event, which began September 23 and was completed October 29.
This event largely played out according to ratings with few upsets — an unusual occurrence for a club championship tourney. The field was augmented by five provisionally-rated youngsters making their first club appearances, which accounts in part for the lack of major upsets. All showed good sportsmanship and a nice grasp of the game — and a strong future in chess!
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201110292431-10328357
2011 Winter Championship(January 20 — February 17)
The club’s Winter Championship concluded February 17with the top three boards playing to the final minutes, and the end result was a three-way tie for first! Expert Tim Moroney clashed with Nikolay Bulakh on board one in a match that was the last game to conclude. They reached a thrilling draw with Nikolay having a queen against rook and two pawns, but only 15 second left to hold his position! They played several dozen moves with no progress being made, nor any time running off the clock, before agreeing to the draw. On board two, Pat Herbers topped Michael Cambareri, who had a mere six second left when he resigned. On board three, Kairav Joshi held Kevin Korsmo to a draw despite being down at least one pawn nearly the entire game. Kevin was unable convert the point and join the threesome at 4.0. It was a first club championship for both Bulakh and newcomer Moroney, while old hand Herbers has some prior championships under his belt. The three split $180 in prizes covering first, second, and top over 1700.
Ron Weyland (3.5) was the tops in the 1400-1700 category, while Pat Kirlin (2.5) won the under 1400 prize. Kairav took home the top upset award. The USCF cross-table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201102185011
2010 Fall Championship (September 23 — October 21)
There were quite a few things decided in the final round of the Fall Championship, but the identity of the winner was not one of them. That determination was made after Cyrus Desmarais and John Julian played their postponed round 4 matchup on October 28. John won the game and claimed sole possession of first place, with Cyrus finishing alone in second. Nine players tied for third with 3 points!
The other prize winners included Pat Kirlin, who won the under 1600 prize, and four players who shared the under 1800 prize: Niles Desmarais, Dave Griffin, Kairav Joshi, and Loyd Willaford. All five scored 3.0.
The 17-player field competing in this year’s Fall Championship included an expert, four Class A players, and several Class B players, making this event is one of the strongest fall championships the club has ever seen. Loyd Willaford directed.
The USCF cross table: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201010286731-10328357
2010 Winter Championship (Jan. 21– Feb. 25)
John Julian is again the club champion. John won his final game in convincing fashion to finish with 4.5 points and claim the title again. James Stripes, who nicked John for a fourth round draw, finished clear second at 4.0 and won the over 1700 section prize. Third place at 3.5 was shared by Steve Brendemihl, Dave Griffin, and Doug Trainor. Steve and Dave split the 1500-1700 section prize, while Doug (whose provisional rating jumped 125 points) won the 1300 section prize. Ron Weyland (3.0) won the 1400 section prize. The under 1200 section prize was won by Jimmy DeRocher with a score of 2.0.
The USCF cross-table: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201002252941-10328357
2009 Fall Championship (Sept. 24 — Oct. 30)
John Julian once again claimed the title of Fall Champion, winning the tourney with a 4.5 score. Nikolay Bulakh was clear second second with a 4.0 score. Ryan Ackerman and Kevin Korsmo (3.5) finished third. The 1400-1700 section was won by Alton Blue, Chris Copeland, and Dave Griffin (3.0). Arend Smith (3.0) won the under 1400 prize, while Ron Weyland (2.5) was second.
USCF cross table: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200910305121-10328357
2009 Winter Championship(Jan. 22 — Feb. 26)
Ron Weyland defeated Ryan Ackerman in their fifth round encounter to tie Ryan for the title of club champion. Both finished at 4-1. Kevin Korsmo was third with 3.5. Ron and Ryan split the $55 cash prize for first place and the best over 1500. The best under 1500 prize went to Ted Baker with a 3-2 score.
Ted Baker’s first round conquest of Kevin Korsmo stood as the biggest upset of the tourney.
In addition to the cash prizes, each of the section winners and the biggest upset winner received one year WCF memberships as part of the prize packages.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200902260011
2008 Fall Championship (Sept. 19-Oct. 23)
Top seed John Julian was a perfect 5-0 in easily winning the club’s 2008 Fall Championship. Second seed Pat Herbers finished second a 3.5. There were six players tied for the best U/1800 and the best U/1500 went to Alton and Ben Blue. Jim Waugh claimed the biggest upset. The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200810238191
2008 Winter Championship (Jan. 24-Feb. 28)
Dave Meliti won the Winter Championship — and then left town! Dave’s six months in town, in which he participated in every event that he could, came to an end when he had to return to the Phoenix area to help care for his ailing father. Chris Copeland finished second with a 4.0 score and claimed the U/1600 prize. Kevin Korsmo and James Stripes (3.5) shared the best under 1800 prize, while Taylor Roberts and Ron Weyland (3.0) were best under 1400. Alton Blue scored the biggest upset with his first round victory. The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200803096921
2007 Fall Championship
John Julian continues to reign as club champion, scoring a perfect 5-0 in the 2007 Fall Championship after defeating James Stripes in a final round match to finish a perfect 5-0. Second place went to Michael Cambareri and Alex Chow, each of whom finished 4-1. Alex defeated Taylor Coles in a battle of 3-1 scorers to join Michael in second place. They shared the best over 1600 prize.
The Julian-Stripes match was a thriller played until each contestant was down under three minutes on the clocks. Julian had an early exchange advantage that disappeared in a furious attack in a very complex position as the clocks wound down. As John had earlier, James missed some opportunities in the late-going with limited time to think and act. The game had the complete attention of all the remaining spectators.
The remaining games settled the other class prizes. Chris Copeland upended David Griffin and finished with 3.0 to tie Ryan Ackerman for the best over 1400 prize. The best over 1200 prize went to Taylor Coles and Taylor Roberts, both of whom also finished at 3.0. Jim Burney won the $50 under 1200 prize with a 2.5 score despite only playing 3 games! The biggest upset prize went to Ted Baker who won $25 for pulling off an upset victory over a player 437 points above him back in the first round.
The night of the 18th saw a lot of exciting chess. Michael Cambareri sacrificed a Queen against Ryan Ackerman and the two fought through a thrilling middlegame before Michael secured the win in the late-going. Another thrilling finish came in the game between Ben Blue and Jim Waugh. The old veteran was up material and time with a mate in three in the offing. Young Ben, down to less than a minute on the mechanical clock, managed to sac more material to set up a draw by repetition to save the half point.
The Club Championship began its five week run September 20. Always an event that features lots of upsets, it was bucking tradition with only one upset in each of the first two rounds. Then the lower-rated players struck with a vengeance in round three. Of the nine games completed on October 4 the lower rated player won or drew in seven of them. There were three draws and four upset victories to scramble the standings at the midpoint of the event. The fourth round saw two more upsets, but for the most part the higher rated players held their own.
The USCF cross table: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200710255451
2007 Winter Championship
John Julian is once again the club’s champion, winning the Winter Championship by defeating Alex Chow in their final round board one match. John finished the tourney with a 4.5 score. He won $70 and a year’s membership in the Washington Chess Federation (WCF). Second place went to Zach Countryman and James Stripes, both of whom scored 4.0. They shared the best over 1500 section prize of $45. James won a year’s membership in the WCF by virtue of his head-to-head victory over Alex.
The best under 1500 was decided when Ryan Ackerman defeated Ron Weyland to finish 3.0 and win the section by a full point. He won $45 and a year’s membership in the Washington Chess Federation. Second place was a five-way tie with a 2.0 score winning $4.
Unlike usual, the event started with a quiet first round. Round 2 saw the first upsets of the 20 player tourney. Pat Kirlin defeated Ted Baker and Kevin Korsmo managed a draw with John Julian. Round 3 saw some more upsets, including old warhorse Jim Waugh upending Dave Griffin. Waugh, 77, seems to pull off at least one upset every tournament he enters — and he plays every event the club sponsors! Round 4 saw the biggest upset when young David Blue bagged a player 619 points above him! David’s victory won him the prize for the biggest upset — a year’s membership in the Washington Chess Federation
The cross table for the event: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200702159341
2006 Fall Championship
Phil Weyland is the new club champion, capturing the annual fall tournament with a 4.5 score. Second place went to Alex Chow with a score of 4.0. Third place was shared by Ben Blue, John Downes, Clint Fait, and James Stripes with 3.5 scores. They also accounted for the best u/1800, u/1600, and u/1400 prizes. Annette Weyland won the best u/1200 section and also had the two biggest upsets!
The cross table from this event: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200610186631
2006 Winter Championship
John Julian added to his streak of recent club championships by besting the field in this year’s winter championship tourney with a 4.5 score. He gave up only a last round draw with second seed Pat Herbers, who finished second at 4.0. Tying for third with 3.5 scores were Alex Chow and Dave Griffin, who shared the under 1700 prize, and John Downes. Vern Johnson won the under 1400 section and also scored the biggest upset victory of the tourney. In addition to cash prizes, all of the winners received subscriptions to Northwest Chess Magazine.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200602236761
2005 Fall Championship
John Julian claimed the club’s Fall Championship with a 4.5 score in the five round tourney. The event secured John a place in next year’s City Championship contenders match and will move his rating into the Expert category. He also won the $75 first place prize and a one year club membership.
Michael Cambareri and Kirk Steinocher scored 4.0 to finish second and share the $50 Over 1700 prize.
Grade school teammates Alex Chow and Zach Countryman each scored 3.0 to tie for first place in the 1400-1700 category. They shared the $50 category prize.
Veteran Vern Johnson also scored 3.0 on his way to claiming the $50 first prize in the Under 1400 category. He beat both of the second place finishers in that class, Ted Baker and Jim Waugh, who each scored 2.0. Ted and Jim split the $24 second prize. Ted also won $24 for the biggest upset with his first round victory over Countryman.
There were18 contestants in this year’s event, which was held between September 15 and October 22, 2005.
The USCF cross table link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200510225581
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2005 Winter Championship
John Julian is the new club champion, winning the Winter Championship with a 4.5 score. A total of 17 players competed in this year’s tourney. John received a year’s membership to the Washington Chess Federation (WCF) and $30 for his victory. He also will be seeded into the City Championship tourney in August.
Kirk Steinocher scored 4.0 to claim the over 1700 category prize — a WCF membership and $20. The 1300-1700 category was won by Adam Attwood and Ron Weyland with 3.0 scores. The under 1300 category was won by Ted Baker and Zach Countryman with 2.5 scores. All four of the category winners won WCF memberships. Vern Johnson also won a membership by claiming the biggest upset.
The USCF cross table: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200502242621
2004 Fall Championship:
Copeland & Herbers are new Club Champions.
Top-seed Pat Herbers and tenth-seed Chris Copeland are the current club champions. The two tied for the Fall Championship with 4-1 scores. They each received $62.50 for their efforts. Herbers was touched for draws by the second and third seeds, John Julian and Kirk Steinocher, while Copeland’s only blemish was a loss to Steinocher in the second round. Julian, Steinocher, and Ron Weyland finished in a third place tie with 3.5 scores.
Chris reports that this is the first event in which he has ever produced a positive score! The veteran has seen his rating rise steadily in the past year. Herbers, a youth star in Spokane during the 1960s, has been one of the top players at the club since his return to the Spokane chess scene four years ago. Herbers was a co-champion in the club’s 2000 Fall Championship.
Julian and Steinocher tied for the best score in the over 1700 category. Steve Brendemihl and Dave Griffin tied for the best in the 1400-1700 category with 3.0 scores. Ron Weyland won the under 1400 category. Patrick Kirlin finished second with a 3.0 score. Zach Countryman (1166) posted the largest upset of the tournament with his first round conquest of Phil Weyland (1712). He won $25 for that achievement.
Twenty players competed in the five round event (and two others helped out as club players in the first and last rounds), which was conducted in the six weeks between September 16 and October 21, 2004. This event was one of the few recent tourneys where the old guard veterans turned back talented youth. The younger crowd frequently dominates the prizes in other club events, but failed to garner most of the prizes in this one.
The USCF cross table: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200410148230