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July 1st, 2009 Harlow B. Daly Memorial Round 1 (of 5) We were blessed by the appearance of two new players who just joined the USCF, and a former club champion whom we haven't seen in nearly eight years. Joining us in our new tournament are Trilok Shahi, who is a senior at St. John's Prep School in Danvers, and Parker Henry, who played some years ago in the Monday night scholastic unrated tournaments held at Crocker Elementary School in Fitchburg. Coming back after an absence is 1967 Wachusett Chess Club champion Paul Godin of Bedford, who is a Fitchburg native as well as a USCF and MACA life member. The last time we saw Paul was in the second round of the Johnny Appleseed Open on September 12, 2001, when the club was meeting at the Unitarian church in Leominster. Welcome all three! - George Mirijanian   Brian Biglow 0-1 Paul Godin Bruce Felton 0-1 George Miller Mike Sheridan 0-1 George Mirijanian Larry Gladding 1-0 Max Sewell Ernest Fandreyer 0-1 Ken Gurge Paul Giovino 1-0 Stephan Chromiak Ken Carabba 0-1 Lenny Arsenault Eduardo Valadares 1-0 Richard Chromiak Trilok Shahi 1/2-1/2 Eugene Bedard Tom Fratturelli 1-0 Parker Henry Martin Laine and Dave Couture received half-point byes. CURRENT STANDINGS Points   1.0 Godin, Mirijanian, Gladding, Gurge, Giovino, Arsenault, Valadares, Fratturelli, Miller 0.5 Laine, Couture, Bedard, Shahi 0.0 Felton, Biglow, Sheridan, Sewell, Fandreyer, S. Chromiak, Carabba, R. Chromiak, Henry Projected Round 2 pairings on July 8 (30th anniversary of the death of Harlow B. Daly): TBD June 17th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Makeup Round   Larry Gladding of Leominster is the new club champion!  Congratulations Larry!   Larry Gladding of Leominster became a three-time club champion by defeating rival Gary Brassard of Leominster in the final game of the 2009 Wachusett Chess Club championship. Brassard, who had the white pieces and needed only a draw to clinch his first club championship title, faltered in the middlegame and lost a crucial a-pawn that led to his defeat when Gladding queened his own a-pawn that put him a rook ahead and paved the way to victory. In the only other make-up game from the "A" division, Martin Laine of Lunenburg defeated Dave Couture of Westminster and garnered clear fourth place in the process. Tournament winner Gladding had previously been club co-champion in 1998 and 1992. - George Mirijanian   FINAL "A" DIVISION STANDINGS Player            W   L   D   Pts   Pct Larry Gladding    5   1   1   5.5  .786 Bruce Felton      3   0   4   5.0  .714 Gary Brassard     4   1   2   5.0  .714 Martin Laine      3   1   3   4.5  .643 Dave Couture      3   3   1   3.5  .500  Ken Gurge         2   4   1   2.5  .357 Len Arsenault     2   5   0   2.0  .286 Geoff LePoer      0   7   0   0.0  .000   Congratulations to the following players whose ratings increased more than 50 points:   EDUARDO VALADARES      +120 WAYNE L STEADMAN        +77 LAWRENCE DAVID GLADDING +64 MARK ROBERT NORRIS      +55   June 24th, 2009 Barry Spiegel Quick Chess Memorial Tournament Four-round Swiss, Game/25, USCF-rated   Round-by-round results   Round 1 Bruce Felton 0-1 George Miller Mike Sheridan 0-1 Eugene Bedard Paul Giovino 1/2-1/2 Eduardo Valadares Wayne Steadman 1-0 Brian Biglow Ken Carabba received a full-point bye.   Round 2 Bedard 1-0 Steadman Miller 1-0 Carabba Biglow 0-1 Giovino Valadares 0-1 Felton Sheridan received a full-point bye.   Round 3 Miller 0-1 Bedard Giovino 0-1 Felton Steadman 1-0 Sheridan Carabba 0-1 Valadares Biglow received a full-point bye.   Round 4 Felton 1-0 Bedard Giovino 0-1 Miller Valadares 1-0 Sheridan Carabba 1-0 Biglow Steadman did not play the round.   FINAL STANDINGS POINTS 3.0 - Felton, Bedard, Miller 2.5 - Valadares 2.0 - Steadman, Carabba 1.5 - Giovino 1.0 - Biglow, Sheridan   Congratulations to the following players whose Quick Chess ratings increased more than 50 points:   GEORGE MILLER  +115 WAYNE STEADMAN +103 KEN CARABBA     +81 GENE BEDARD     +52

Check Out This Year's Stat Leaders

June 17th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Round 7 (of 7)   "B" Division   It's Eduardo In A Runaway!   Eduardo Valadares of Marlborough came back from his first loss last week to win this week's final round game and take the "B" division by a full point and a half!  Congratulations also to Mike Sheridan of Petersham and Arthur Barlas of Chelmsford for tying for 2nd place.   George Miller 0-1 Eduardo Valadares Mike Sheridan 1-0 Arthur Barlas Paul Giovino 1-0 Tom Fratturelli Eugene Bedard 1-0 Max Sewell Brian Biglow  1-0 Mark Norris Wayne Steadman 1-0 Stephan Chromiak Richard Chromiak 0-1 Ken Carabba     Ernest Fandreyer received a half-point bye and Jeff Lischer did not play the round.   FINAL "B" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   6.0 Valadares (winner) 5.5 ----- 5.0 ----- 4.5 Sheridan, Barlas 4.0 Giovino, Bedard, Biglow, Miller, Steadman 3.5 Fratturelli, Carabba 3.0 Lischer, Fandreyer 2.5 Sewell, Norris 2.0 S. Chromiak, R. Chromiak "A" Division Gary Brassard Still In The Driver's Seat In the end, it all comes down to the last game between the 2 friends and leaders - Gary Brassard and Larry Gladding, both of Leominster.  Next week Gary will have white against Larry in a makeup game.  If Gary wins or draws, he will be the club champion for the first time.  If Larry wins, HE will be the club champion.  Larry has shared the club championship title twice in 1992 and 1998, but this would be his first time as the sole club champion.  It promises to be an excellent game.   Len Arsenault  0-1 Gary Brassard Dave Couture 1/2-1/2 Bruce Felton Martin Laine 1/2-1/2  Ken Gurge Geoff LePoer 0F-1F  Larry Gladding   CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Winning %) Player W L D PCT GB GR Gary Brassard 4 0 2 .833 - 1 Larry Gladding 4 1 1 .750 ½ 1 Bruce Felton 3 0 4 .714 ½ 0 Dave Couture 3 2 1 .583 1½ 1 Martin Laine 2 1 3 .583 1½ 1 Ken Gurge 2 4 1 .357 3 0 Len Arsenault 2 5 0 .286 3½ 0 Geoff LePoer 0 7 0 .000 5½ 0   Final pairings on June 24: Brassard-Gladding Laine-Couture

June 10th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Round 6 (of 7)   Brassard Moves Into Driver's Seat Gary Brassard of Leominster defeated Dave Couture of Westminster tonight to move into first place in the club championship (see A Cautionary Tale on the Games page).  Gary has 2 rounds to go and if he wins both he will be the club champion for the first time.   Click here to see all of the remaining scenarios.   Click here to see the current crosstable.   "A" Division   Gary Brassard 1-0 Dave Couture Ken Gurge 0-1 Bruce Felton Larry Gladding 1-0 Lenny Arsenault Martin Laine 1F-0F Geoff LePoer   CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Winning %) Player W L D PCT GB GR Gary Brassard 3 0 2 .800 - 2 Bruce Felton 3 0 3 .750 - 1 Larry Gladding 4 1 1 .750 - 1 Dave Couture 3 2 0 .600 1 2 Martin Laine 2 1 2 .600 1 2 Ken Gurge 2 4 0 .333 2½ 1 Len Arsenault 2 4 0 .333 2½ 1 Geoff LePoer 0 7 0 .000 5 0   GB - Games Behind GR - Games Remaining    CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Point Total) Points   4.5 Felton, Gladding 4.0 Brassard 3.5 ----- 3.0 Couture, Laine 2.5 ----- 2.0 Gurge, Arsenault 1.5 ----- 1.0 ----- 0.5 ----- 0.0 LePoer (withdrawn)   "B" Division Eduardo Stopped - But Still In The Lead!   Eduardo Valadares 0-1 Arthur Barlas George Miller 1-0 Brian Biglow Tom Fratturelli 1-0 Wayne Steadman Paul Giovino 1/2-1/2 Eugene Bedard Mark Norris 0-1 Mike Sheridan Max Sewell 1-0 Ken Carabba Ernest Fandreyer 1-0 Stephan Chromiak   Jeff Lischer received a half-point bye and Richard Chromiak received a full-point bye.     CURRENT "B" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   5.0 Valadares 4.5 Barlas 4.0 Miller 3.5 Fratturelli, Sheridan 3.0 Giovino, Bedard, Lischer, Biglow, Steadman 2.5 Sewell, Norris, Fandreyer, Carabba 2.0 S. Chromiak, R. Chromiak

June 3rd, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Round 5 (of 7)   The "A" division is becoming more interesting, now that Larry handed Dave his first loss. As Yogi Berra once said: "It ain't over 'til it's over." - George Mirijanian   With only 2 rounds left (for most of the players), ALL of the active players are still in the running for 1st place.  It's possible, albeit highly unlikely, for there to be a 7-way tie for 1st place!  Only Gary Brassard and Dave Couture, who play each other next week, completely control their own destinies though.  IF either Gary or Dave win all their remaining games, they will be the club champion.   "A" Division   Dave Couture 0-1 Larry Gladding Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2 Gary Brassard Lenny Arsenault 1-0 Martin Laine Geoff LePoer 0F-1F Ken Gurge   CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Winning %) Player W L D PCT GB GR Dave Couture 3 1 0 .750 - 3 Gary Brassard 2 0 2 .750 - 3 Bruce Felton 2 0 3 .700 - 2 Larry Gladding 3 1 1 .700 - 2 Martin Laine 2 1 2 .600 ½ 2 Ken Gurge 2 3 0 .400 1½ 2 Len Arsenault 2 3 0 .400 1½ 2 Geoff LePoer 0 7 0 .000 4½ 0   GB - Games Behind GR - Games Remaining    CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Point Total) Points   3.5 Felton, Gladding 3.0 Couture, Brassard, Laine 2.5 ----- 2.0 Gurge, Arsenault 1.5 ----- 1.0 ----- 0.5 ----- 0.0 LePoer (withdrawn)     "B" Division Eduardo STILL Unstoppable! Congratulations to Eduardo on his 5th consecutive victory!  Eduardo, with a point and a half lead, needs only a draw next week to clinch to clinch the "B" division championship. Brian Biglow 0-1   Eduardo Valadares Arthur Barlas 1-0   Tom Fratturelli Wayne Steadman 1/2-1/2 Paul Giovino Eugene Bedard 1/2-1/2 Mark Norris Stephan Chromiak 0-1 George Miller Ernest Fandreyer 0-1 Jeff Lischer Max Sewell 0-1 Mike Sheridan Ken Carabba 1-0 Richard Chromiak         CURRENT "B" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   5.0 Valadares 4.5 ----- 4.0 ----- 3.5 Barlas 3.0 Biglow, Miller, Steadman 2.5 Giovino, Bedard, Lischer, Fratturelli, Sheridan, Norris, Carabba 2.0 S. Chromiak 1.5 Sewell, Fandreyer 1.0 R. Chromiak

The following link takes you to the Massachusetts top 200 players list.  We have 6 club members listed there - not bad! http://main.uschess.org/datapage/top-players2.php?state=MA&limit=&players=M&current=C Ranking                     Rating 111  BRUCE FELTON           1949 129  GEORGE M MIRIJANIAN    1913   169  GEOFFREY LEPOER        1828   182  GARY R BRASSARD        1807   189  MARTIN LAINE           1800   199  KENNETH W GURGE        1788

Multi-Time Massachusetts Open Winners                    Total Sole Winner First Win-Last Win                  ----- ----------- ------------------ John Curdo        17       14           1948-1985 Alexander Ivanov   9        6           1988-2009 Igor Foygel        5        3           1992-2005 Weaver Adams       4        4           1937-1945 James Rizzitano    4        3           1981-1987 Gerhard Katz       3        2           1943-1949 John Peters        3        1           1969-1975 Julian Keilson     2        2           1953-1954 Fred Keller        2        2           1944-1947 Harlow Daly        2        2           1940-1942 William Paschall   2        1           1994-2003 Ilya Gurevich      2        1           1988-1991

May 27th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Round 4 (of 7)     "A" Division   Larry Gladding 1/2-1/2 Bruce Felton Ken Gurge 0-1 Gary Brassard Geoff LePoer 0-1 Len Arsenault Martin Laine postponed Dave Couture Geoff LePoer has withdrawn from the tournament so his remaining games will be forfeited.  Geoff's remaining games are with Ken Gurge, Martin Laine, and Larry Gladding so these forfeit wins have been credited to those players.  Because of Geoff's withdrawal and a couple of postponed games, the remaining  players have 2, 3, or 4 games left.  The best reflection of the current standings is the table below that lists the players in order of winning %. CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Winning %) Player W L D PCT GB GR Dave Couture 3 0 0 1.000 - 4 Gary Brassard 2 0 1 .833 ½ 4 Bruce Felton 2 0 2 .750 ½ 3 Martin Laine 2 0 2 .750 ½ 3 Larry Gladding 2 1 1 .625 1 3 Ken Gurge 2 3 0 .400 2 2 Len Arsenault 1 3 0 .250 2½ 3 Geoff LePoer 0 7 0 .000 5.0 0   GB - Games Behind GR - Games Remaining    CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Point Total) Points   3.0 Couture, Felton, Laine 2.5 Brassard, Gladding 2.0 Gurge 1.5 ----- 1.0 Arsenault 0.5 ----- 0.0 LePoer     Round 5 pairings on June 3: Couture vs. Gladding Felton vs. Brassard Arsenault vs. Laine LePoer 0F-1F Gurge "B" Division Eduardo Unstoppable! Congratulations to Eduardo on his 4th consecutive victory and congratulations to Stephan Chromiak on his first-ever tournament victory!   Paul Giovino 0-1 Eduardo Valadares Eugene Bedard 0-1 Brian Biglow Mark Norris 0-1 Arthur Barlas Jeff Lischer 0-1 Tom Fratturelli Stephan Chromiak 1-0 Ken Carabba Mike Sheridan 1-0 Richard Chromiak         CURRENT "B" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   4.0 Valadares 3.5 ----- 3.0 Biglow 2.5 Barlas, Fratturelli, Steadman 2.0 Giovino, Bedard, Miller, Norris, S. Chromiak 1.5 Lischer, Sheridan, Sewell, Fandreyer, Carabba 1.0 R. Chromiak   Projected Round 5 pairings on June 3:   Biglow-Valadares Barlas-Fratturelli Steadman-Giovino Bedard-Norris S. Chromiak-Miller Fandreyer-Lischer Sewell-Sheridan Carabba-R. Chromiak

New England's Top 25 Players As Of May 25, 2009   STATE  TITLE/NAME RATING PREV 1 MA  GM LARRY M CHRISTIANSEN 2681 1 2 CT GM ILDAR IBRAGIMOV 2628 2 3 CT GM SERGEY KUDRIN 2626 5 4 RI    JORGE SAMMOUR HASBUN 2603 9 5 MA GM ROMAN DZINDZICHASHVILI 2598 4 5 MA GM EUGENE PERELSHTEYN 2598 3 7 NH GM JOSHUA EDWARD FRIEDEL 2591 7 8 MA IM MIKHAIL SHUR 2565 8 9 MA GM ALEXANDER IVANOV 2560 6 10 MA IM IGOR FOYGEL 2493 10 11 MA    DENYS K SHMELOV 2485 12 12 MA IM DAVID VIGORITO 2484 15 13 MA IM RICO ZENKLUSEN 2465 - 14 CT    BOGDAN GABRIEL VIOREANU 2461 13 15 MA IM JONATHAN YEDIDIA 2448 11 16 MA   MARC R ESSERMAN 2441 - 17 MA FM CHARLES R RIORDAN 2413 17 18 MA IM WILLIAM MARK PASCHALL 2408 21 19 CT IM ROBERT ANDREW HUNGASKI 2385 19 20 MA FM WILLIAM J KELLEHER 2378 16 21 NH IM JOSEPH H FANG 2377 22 22 MA FM JACOB CHUDNOVSKY 2369 18 23 CT FM ADNAN KOBAS 2368 20 24 NH FM BRADEN BOURNIVAL 2364 23 25 MA FM JOHANN C HAKER 2356 14 Notes: - Rico Zenklusen is a 27-year-old IM from Switzerland.  He us currently attending MIT. - Jorge Sammour Hasbun made the biggest jump from the previous list, going from #9 to #4 with a rating increase of 40 points.

May 20th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Round 3 (of 7)     "A" Division   Dave Couture 1-0 Geoff LePoer Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2 Martin Laine Lenny Arsenault 0-1 Ken Gurge Gary Brassard postponed Larry Gladding   CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   3.0 Couture 2.5 Felton 2.0 Laine 1.5 Brassard 1.0 Gladding, Gurge 0.5 ----- 0.0 LePoer, Arsenault CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS (by Winning %) Player W L D PCT GB GR Dave Couture 3 0 0 1.000 - 4 Bruce Felton 2 0 1 .833 ½ 4 Gary Brassard 1 0 1 .750 1 5 Martin Laine 1 0 2 .667 1 4 Larry Gladding 1 1 0 .600 1½ 5 Ken Gurge 1 2 0 .333 2 4 Geoff LePoer 0 3 0 .000 3 4 Len Arsenault 0 3 0 .000 3 4   GB - Games Behind GR - Games Remaining    Round 4 pairings on May 27: Laine-Couture, postponed Gladding-Felton Gurge-Brassard LePoer-Arsenault "B" Division   Eduardo Valadares 1-0 Eugene Bedard Arthur Barlas 0-1 Paul Giovino Tom Fratturelli 1/2-1/2 Brian Biglow Wayne Steadman 1-0 Ernest Fandreyer Mark Norris 1-0 Stephan Chromiak Richard Chromiak 0-1 Jeff Lischer George Miller 1-0 Max Sewell   Mike Sheridan and Ken Carabba received half-point byes.     CURRENT "B" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   3.0 Valadares 2.5 ----- 2.0 Giovino, Bedard, Biglow, Steadman, Norris 1.5 Barlas, Lischer, Fratturelli, Miller, Carabba 1.0 Fandreyer, S. Chromiak, R. Chromiak 0.5 Sheridan, Sewell 0.0 -----   Projected Round 4 pairings on May 20:   Giovino-Valadares Bedard-Norris Biglow-Steadman Fratturelli-Barlas Lischer-Miller S. Chromiak-Carabba Fandreyer-R. Chromiak Sheridan-Sewell

May 13th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Round 2 (of 7)     "A" Division   Geoff LePoer 0-1 Bruce Felton Martin Laine 1/2-1/2 Gary Brassard Ken Gurge 0-1 Larry Gladding Lenny Arsenault 0-1 Dave Couture   CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   2.0 Felton, Couture 1.5 Brassard, Laine 1.0 Gladding 0.5 ----- 0.0 LePoer, Gurge, Arsenault Round 3 pairings on May 20: Felton-Laine Couture-LePoer Brassard-Gladding Arsenault-Gurge "B" Division   Brian Biglow 1/2-1/2 Arthur Barlas Eugene Bedard 1-0 Wayne Steadman Eduardo Valadares 1-0 Mark Norris Ken Carabba 0-1 Tom Fratturelli Ernest Fandreyer 1-0 Mike Sheridan     Paul Giovino, Jeff Lischer, George Miller and Max Sewell received half-point byes.   CURRENT "B" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   2.0 Bedard, Valadares 1.5 Barlas, Biglow 1.0 Giovino, Fratturelli, Steadman, Norris, Fandreyer, Carabba 0.5 Lischer, Miller, Sewell 0.0 Sheridan   Projected Round 3 pairings on May 20:   Valadares-Bedard Barlas-Giovino Fratturelli-Biglow Steadman-Fandreyer Norris-Carabba Miller-Lischer Sheridan-Sewell

May 6th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Round 1 (of 7)     "A" Division   Bruce Felton 1-0 Lenny Arsenault Gary Brassard 1-0 Geoff LePoer Larry Gladding 0-1 Martin Laine Dave Couture 1-0 Ken Gurge   CURRENT "A" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   1.0 Felton, Brassard, Couture, Laine 0.0 LePoer, Gladding, Gurge, Arsenault     Arthur Barlas 1-0 George Miller Mike Sheridan 0-1 Eugene Bedard Jeff Lischer 0-1 Wayne Steadman Max Sewell 0-1 Eduardo Valadares Tom Fratturelli 0-1 Mark Norris Ernest Fandreyer  0-1 Brian Biglow     Ken Carabba received a full-point bye and Paul Giovino received a half-point bye.     CURRENT "B" DIVISION STANDINGS Points   1.0  Barlas, Bedard, Valadares, Biglow, Steadman, Norris, Carabba 0.5  Giovino 0.0  Lischer, Fratturelli, Miller, Sheridan, Sewell, Fandreyer

April 29th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Prelims Final Round (of 5)   The Field Is Set! Going into tonight the following players had already qualified for the championship section: Geoff LePoer, Martin Laine, Ken Gurge, Larry Gladding, and Dave Couture.  Tonight Bruce Felton, Gary Brassard, and Len Arsenault qualified to fill out the field.   Congratulations also to Mark Norris of Fitchburg who increased his rating by 205 points.  In the last 6 tournaments Mark has raised his rating by an amazing 866 points!  The sky's the limit for Mark!   Martin Laine 0-1 Larry Gladding Ken Gurge 1/2-1/2 Dave Couture George Mirijanian 1/2-1/2 Bruce Felton Gary Brassard 1-0 Eugene Bedard Lenny Arsenault 1-0 Paul Giovino Wayne Steadman 0-1 George Miller Jeff Lischer 1/2-1/2 Brian Biglow Eduardo Valadares 1-0 Tom Fratturelli Max Sewell 1-0 Ernest Fandreyer   Geoff LePoer, Mark Norris, Michael Sheridan, Francis Scanlon, and Ken Carabba did not play the round.   FINAL STANDINGS Points   4.0  Gladding 3.5  Gurge, Couture 3.0  Felton, LePoer, Brassard, Laine, Arsenault 2.5  Mirijanian, Miller, Norris 2.0  Giovino, Bedard, Valadares, Sewell 1.5  Lischer, Biglow, Steadman 1.0  Fratturelli, Sheridan, Scanlon 0.5  ----- 0.0  Fandreyer, Carabba   Pairings for the "A" finals:   Round 1 - May 6 (5) Felton vs. (3) Arsenault (6) Brassard vs. (2) LePoer (7) Gladding vs. (1) Laine (4) Couture vs. (8) Gurge   Round 2 - May 13 (2) LePoer vs. (5) Felton (1) Laine vs. (6) Brassard (8) Gurge vs. (7) Gladding (3) Arsenault vs. (4) Couture   Round 3 - May 20 (5) Felton vs. (1) Laine (4) Couture vs. (2) LePoer (3) Arsenault vs. (8) Gurge (6) Brassard vs. (7) Gladding   Round 4 - May 27 (7) Gladding vs. (5) Felton (2) LePoer vs. (3) Arsenault (8) Gurge vs. (6) Brassard (1) Laine vs. (4) Couture   Round 5 - June 3 (5) Felton vs. (6) Brassard (2) LePoer vs. (8) Gurge (3) Arsenault vs. (1) Laine (4) Couture vs. (7) Gladding   Round 6 - June 10 (8) Gurge vs. (5) Felton (1) Laine vs. (2) LePoer (6) Brassard vs. (4) Couture (7) Gladding vs. (3) Arsenault   Round 7 (final) - June 17 (4) Couture vs. (5) Felton (2) LePoer vs. (7) Gladding (3) Arsenault vs. (6) Brassard (1) Laine vs. (8) Gurge

April 22nd, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Prelims Round 4 (of 5)   Everyone at the club wishes George Mirijanian a speedy recovery.  George was taken to the emergency room Wednesday night after his pacemaker started acting up.  He is currently down in Worcester for observation and more advanced tests.  He will hopefully be home very soon.   As I wrote two and a half years ago, George is the one who has made this club possible for many, many years.  Best of luck George!  Do whatever you need to do to get healthy.  We all look forward to seeing you healthy again soon.     LePoer 1-0 Felton Gladding 1-0 Brassard Laine 1-0 Arsenault Bedard 0-1 Gurge     Norris 1/2-1/2 Mirijanian Miller 1/2-1/2 Lischer Fratturelli 0-1 Giovino Steadman 1-0 Fandreyer     CURRENT STANDINGS Points   3.0 LePoer, Laine, Gurge, Gladding, Couture 2.5 Felton, Norris 2.0 Mirijanian, Brassard, Giovino, Bedard, Arsenault 1.5 Miller, Steadman 1.0 Lischer, Fratturelli, Valadares, Biglow, Sheridan, Sewell, Scanlon 0.5 ----- 0.0 Fandreyer, Carabba

April 15th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Prelims Round 3 (of 5)     Dave Couture 1-0 Martin Laine Bruce Felton 1-0 Lenny Arsenault Ken Gurge 1/2-1/2 George Mirijanian Gary Brassard 1-0 Eduardo Valadares Larry Gladding  1-0 Tom Fratturelli Paul Giovino 0-1 Mark Norris Eugene Bedard 1-0 Max Sewell Jeff Lischer 1/2-1/2 Wayne Steadman Brian Biglow 1-0 Francis Scanlon Ernest Fandreyer  0-1 George Miller   Geoff LePoer, Mike Sheridan, and Ken Carabba did not play the round.   CURRENT STANDINGS Points   3.0 Couture 2.5 Felton 2.0 LePoer, Brassard, Laine, Gurge, Gladding, Bedard, Arsenault, Norris 1.5 Mirijanian 1.0 Giovino, Fratturelli, Valadares, Biglow, Miller, Sheridan, Sewell 0.5 Lischer, Steadman 0.0 Fandreyer, Carabba, Scanlon

Gurge wins chess tourney at Fitchburg State College | www.leominsterchamp.com | Leominster

April 8th, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Prelims Round 2 (of 5)       Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2 Ken Gurge Dave Couture 1-0 George Mirijanian Geoff LePoer 1-0 Paul Giovino Lenny Arsenault 1-0 Gary Brassard Martin Laine 1-0 Eugene Bedard Wayne Steadman 0-1 Tom Fratturelli Eduardo Valadares 1-0 Ernest Fandreyer Max Sewell 1-0 Brian Biglow George Miller 0-1 Mark Norris Ken Carabba 0-1 Mike Sheridan   Jeff Lischer and Francis Scanlon did not play the round. Larry Gladding withdrew from the tournament. CURRENT STANDINGS Points   2.0 LePoer, Laine, Couture. Arsenault 1.5 Felton, Gurge 1.0 Mirijanian, Brassard, (Gladding), Giovino, Bedard, Fratturelli, Valadares, Sheridan, Sewell, Norris 0.5 ----- 0.0 Lischer, Biglow, Miller, Steadman, Fandreyer, Carabba. Scanlon

April 1st, 2009 Wachusett CC Championship Prelims Round 1 (of 5)     A warm welcome to Leonard Arsenault of Leominster, who last played at the club on June 26, 2002. He returned to the club to compete in the club championship preliminaries. Welcome back, Lenny! - George Mirijanian     Tom Fratturelli 0-1 Bruce Felton George Mirijanian 1-0 Eduardo Valadares Brian Biglow 0-1 Geoffrey LePoer Gary Brassard 1-0 George Miller Michael Sheridan 0-1 Martin Laine Ken Gurge 1-0 Wayne Steadman Ernest Fandreyer 0-1 Larry Gladding Paul Giovino 1-0 Max Sewell Mark Norris 0-1 Dave Couture Eugene Bedard 1-0 Ken Carabba Francis Scanlon 0-1 Leonard Arsenault   Jeff Lischer did not play the round. CURRENT STANDINGS Points   1.0 Felton, Mirijanian, LePoer, Brassard, Laine, Gurge, Gladding, Giovino, Couture, Bedard, Arsenault 0.5  ----- 0.0 Lischer, Fratturelli, Valadares, Biglow, Miller, Sheridan, Steadman, Fandreyer, Sewell, Norris, Carabba, Scanlon

March 25th, 2009 Wachusett CC Quick Chess Championship Five-round Swiss, Game/20       Felton wins Quick Chess Championship; defeats Billerica CC champion   Congratulations to Bruce Felton of Fitchburg, who won the 2009 Wachusett CC Quick Chess Championship. Runner-up was Billerica Chess Club champion Andrew Tichenor, a high-rated expert from Brookline, MA, whom Bruce defeated in the third round. Tied for third were George Mirijanian of Fitchburg, Geoff LePoer of Westford, and Martin Laine of Lunenburg.   Round-by-round results   Round 1 Brian Biglow 0-1 Andrew Tichenor George Mirijanian 1-0 Eduardo Valadares George Miller 0-1 Geoffrey LePoer Bruce Felton 1-0 Michael Sheridan Ernest Fandreyer 0-1 Gary Brassard Martin Laine 1-0 Francis Scanlon Mark Norris 0-1 Paul Giovino Ken Gurge 1-0 Ken Carabba   Round 2 Tichenor 1-0 Laine Brassard 0-1 Mirijanian LePoer 0-1 Gurge Giovino 0-1 Felton Scanlon 0-1 Biglow Valadares 0-1 Fandreyer Carabba 0-1 Miller Sheridan 1-0 Norris   Round 3 Felton 1-0 Tichenor Mirijanian 1-0 Gurge Biglow 0-1 LePoer Miller 0-1 Brassard Laine 1-0 Sheridan Fandreyer 0-1 Giovino Norris 0-1 Valadares Carabba 0-1 Scanlon   Round 4 Felton 1/2-1/2 Mirijanian Tichenor 1-0 Giovino LePoer 1/2-1/2 Laine Gurge 0-1 Brassard Sheridan 1-0 Biglow Valadares 1-0 Scanlon Fandreyer 0-1 Miller Norris 1-0 Carabba   Round 5 Mirijanian 0-1 Tichenor Brassard 0-1 Felton Giovino 0-1 LePoer Laine 1-0 Gurge Miller 1-0 Valadares Sheridan 1-0 Fandreyer Scanlon 1-0 Norris Biglow 1-0 Carabba   FINAL STANDINGS 4.5 - Felton 4.0 - Tichenor 3.5 - Mirijanian, LePoer, Laine 3.0 - Brassard, Miller, Sheridan 2.5 -  ----- 2.0 - Giovino, Gurge, Biglow, Valadares, Scanlon 1.5 -  ----- 1.0 - Fandreyer, Norris 0.5 -  ----- 0.0 - Carabba

March 18th, 2009 George E. O'Rourke Memorial Final Round (of 5)   Ken Again! For the second year in a row, Ken Gurge of Leominster has won the George E. O'Rourke Memorial tournament. And he did it by defeating frontrunner Bruce Felton of Fitchburg in the final round!  Bruce, who was leading the 22-player field with a perfect 4-0 score going into the last round, needed only a draw to clinch first place. But Ken saw that that was not going to happen, for he won a rook early on in the game in which Bruce played the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defense and forced the game down to a king and rook vs. king ending that saw Bruce overstep the time limit in a dead-lost position. George Edmund O'Rourke must have been rooting for Ken from above, for Ken was the last person to play a USCF-rated game - a draw - with George on Feb. 21, 2007 before he died on Feb. 26 of that year. - George M. Congratulations also to Geoff LePoer of Westford and Gary Brassard of Leominster who tied for 3rd place and Mark Norris of Fitchburg who increased his rating by 95 points.  In the last 5 tournaments Robert has raised his rating by an incredible 661 points!   Ken Gurge 1-0 Bruce Felton Paul Giovino 0-1 Geoff LePoer Gary Brassard 1-0 Tom Fratturelli Martin Laine 1-0 Eduardo Valadares George Miller 1/2-1/2 Dave Couture Eugene Bedard 1/2-1/2 Mike Sheridan Brian Biglow 1-0 Max Sewell Wayne Steadman 0-1 Jeff Lischer Ernest Fandreyer  1-0