WCC News 2019 ♔

Miscellaneous News & Other Chess Events of Interest:

♗ MACA Event Calendar of Tournaments throughout Massachusetts

♘ NHCA Event Calendar of Tournaments throughout New Hampshire

♖ Relyea Event Calendar of Open & Invitational Tournaments

♜ Continental Chess Association Tournament Schedule for All States

♙ SENECA Southeast New England Chess Association Tournament Schedule

♘ Connecticut Chess Magazine by Rob Roy blog.

♔ US Chess upcoming Tournament Schedule for New England: ♔ Massachusetts, ♛ New Hampshire, ♖ Rhode Island, ♝ Connecticut, ♘ Maine ♟ Vermont

Metrowest Chess Club Monthly Event NEW LOCATION:
Note:
Henceforth all Metrowest Chess Club events are at our new location,
St. Paul's Episcopal Church; 39 E. Central Ave., Natick MA
PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY
See http://www.metrowestchess.org/Community/Club/Maps/Location_and_Maps.pdf for maps.
Also: The time control is now 40/90; SD/30; d5
(Formerly located at the Natick Community Center, 117 E. Central St. (Rt.135) in Natick Massachusetts.)

♝ Billerica Chess Club weekly results are now available on this site as part of the Other Organizations section.

♙ Ayer Chess Club at Billiards Cafe schedules info & results are now available on this site.

♘ Keene, NH Chess Club events calendar

♞ Waltham Chess Club events calendar

♖ Boylston Chess Club events calendar

♜ Greater Worcester Chess Club events calendar

♗ New Britain CT Chess Club events calendar

♝ MetroWest Chess Club events calendar

♔ ♞ Print or download a .PDF version of the Wachusett Chess Club Flyer ♘ ♚

♚ ♛ An Archive of these & earlier News Links is now available in the "Chess Online" section ♛ ♚

YOU CAN NOW EASILY CONVERT YOUR GAMES TO PGN FORMAT & EMAIL THEM! ♗ ♞ ♖

An unofficial but nice to have Glossary of Chess terms ♜ ♘ ♝

♚ ♔ ♚ Three books by local author FM John Curdo, 'Chess Caviar', 'More Chess Caviar' & 'Still More Chess Caviar'
all now available directly from John Curdo. Each book contains 100 of John's selected miniature games ♔ ♚ ♔

ECO code to enjoy = B01 Scandinavian (Centre Counter) defence: 1.e4 d5

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ Four Random Mating Patterns ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚
Cozio's Mate	Blind Swine Mate	Corner Mate	h-File Mate

October 16th, 2019

2019 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 2 of 5

**Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 16th, 2019**
Round 2 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Gary Brassard	0-1	Bruce Felton
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Mike Commisso
Larry Gladding	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
Stephen Murray	0-1	Richard Hubbard
♔ Dave Couture	1-0	Ray Paulson
Ken Gurge	0-1	Geoff LePoer
♔ Mark Wheeler	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Don Briggs
Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Jim Donahue
Michael David	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Jim Hankard
♖ Emily Gawboy	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Mike Densmore
Total of 13 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Paul Godin, Ritvik Pulya, Andrew Jeselson, Ralph McNeilage, Arthur Barlas,
Roland Booker and Bob Mathieu.
♖ Not playing round 2 was Raaga Pulya.

**Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 16th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Felton, Cappallo, Hubbard, Couture
1.5	Mirijanian, Godin, LePoer, Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Wheeler
1.0	Jeselson, McNeilage, Commisso, Brassard, Murray, Ostrowski, David, Barlas, Hankard, Booker, O'Rourke, Mathieu
0.5	Paulson, Fratturelli, Gurge, Donahue, Bastarache, Biglow, Gawboy
0.0	Briggs, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Densmore

Projected Round 3 Pairings for October 23rd:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1:Felton vs. Couture
Board 2: Hubbard vs. Cappallo
Board 3: Mirijanian vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 4: Godin vs. Gladding
Board 5: LePoer vs. Wheeler
Board 6: McNeilage vs. Ostrowski
Board 7: Commisso vs. David
Board 8: Hankard vs. Brassard
Board 9: O'Rourke vs. Murray
Board 10: Paulson vs. Mathieu
Board 11: Fratturelli vs. Biglow
Board 12: Bastarache vs. Gurge
Board 13: Donahue vs. Gawboy
Board 14: Briggs vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 15: Densmore vs. H. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ R. McLaughlin is withdrawing from the tournament. Jeselson, Barlas and Booker will be paired if they show up.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on October 23rd.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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October 15th, 2019

Roger's video: My Week at the Club #63

Hello All,
1) astronomy content on "Why is the night sky dark?"
2) chess content of a miniature game in the Sicilian Najdorf that I played against Bruce at Saturday's tournament
This is a Sicilian Najdorf game played against Bruce Felton (2015) in the National Chess Day Open,
played at the Fitchburg Public Library. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf472ZTnD4s
Hope you like it,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

October 12th 2019

Cappallo wins National Chess Day Open at Fitchburg Public Library

Former WCC co-champion, Roger Cappallo wins 2019 Natonal Chess Day Open
Two-time Wachusett Chess Club co-champion Roger Cappallo of Groton chalked up a perfect score of 5-0 to win the 2019 National Chess Day Open tournament on Saturday, October 12, at the Fitchburg Public Library. The 2016 and 2018 club co-champ finished a full point ahead of his closest rivals, 2018 club co-champion Gary Brassard of Leominster and Class B-rated Glenn MacDonald of Worcester, both of whom tied for 2nd-3rd place. Ending up in a tie for 4th-8th place in the 18-player evet with 3-2 results were three-time club champion Bruce Felton of Fitchburg, Tom Zuppa of Billerica, Mike Commisso of Brookline, New Hampshire, Matthew Garcia of Worcester, and Dave Couture of Westminster. The full tournament crosstable is presented below:
-George M


Event: 		National Chess Day Open 2019
Location: 	Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg, MA
Event Date: 	2019-10-12
Chief TD: 	George Mirijanian
Non-Rated
Time Control: G/20 no delay


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Pair | Player Name		Rating	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Total	|  Place   |
 Num  | 				|  1	|  2	|  3	|  4	|  5	| 	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1  |   Roger Cappallo     1954	|  W14	|  W2	|  W6	|  W5	|  W4	|  5.0	|  1st ♔|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   2  |   Gary Brassard      1821	|  W15	|  L1	|  W12	|  W10	|  W5	|  4.0	|  2nd-3rd |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3  |   Glenn MacDonald    1636	|  W13	|  W16	|  L4	|  W9	|  W6	|  4.0	|  2nd-3rd |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   4  |   Bruce Felton       2015	|  W16	|  L7	|  W3	|  W8	|  L1	|  3.0	|  4th-8th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   5  |   Tom Zuppa          1877	|  W12	|  W10	|  W7	|  L1	|  L2	|  3.0	|  4th-8th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   6  |   Mike Commisso      1822	|  W9	|  W8	|  L1	|  W7	|  L3	|  3.0	|  4th-8th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   7  |   Matthew Garcia     1731	|  W17	|  W4	|  L5	|  L6	|  W11	|  3.0	|  4th-8th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   8  |   Dave Couture       1722	|  W11	|  L6	|  W13	|  L4	|  W12	|  3.0	|  4th-8th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   9  |   Francis Scanlon     991	|  L6	|  bye	|  W18	|  L3	|  W13	|  2.5	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10  |   Don Ostrowski      1703	|  W18	|  L5	|  W11	|  L2	| -----	|  2.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11  |   Riadh Al Zuhairi   1612	|  L8	|  W14	|  L10	|  W13	|  L7	|  2.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12  |   Joe Garcia         1341	|  L5	|  W18	|  L2	|  W14	|  L8	|  2.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  13  |   Kha My Ly           570	|  L3	|  W15	|  L8	|  L11	|  L9	|  1.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  14  |   Hamed Zarei         Unr.	|  L1	|  L11	|  W15	|  L12	| -----	|  1.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  15  |   Chris Cragin-Warner Unr.	|  L2	|  L13	|  L14	|  W18	| -----	|  1.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  16  |   Angel Soto         1425	|  L4	|  L3	| -----	| -----	| -----	|  0.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  17  |   Anthony Sanders     Unr.	|  L7	| -----	| -----	| -----	| -----	|  0.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  18  |   Ava Zarei           Unr.	|  L10	|  L12	|  L9	|  15	| -----	|  0.0	|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pictures from the event are at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vzikhe9x02llbaw/AADHr5nes41UBYNZyP7KLZEya?dl=0

October 9th, 2019

2019 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 1 of 5

**Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 9th, 2019**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue	0-1	Roger Cappallo
George Mirijanian	1-0	Michael David
John Bastarache	0-1	Paul Godin
Richard Hubbard	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
♖ Bob Mathieu	1/2-1/2	Ralph McNeilage
Mike Commisso	1-0	Brian Biglow
Don Briggs	0-1	Gary Brassard
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Larry Gladding
Stephen Murray	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Mike Densmore	0-1	Dave Couture
Total of 12 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Andrew Jeselson, Ray Paulson, Geoff LePoer, Tom Fratturelli, Ken Gurge,
Arthur Barlas, Roland Booker and Mark Wheeler.
♖ Not playing round 1 and declining a half-point bye was Jim Hankard.

**Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 9th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Felton, Cappallo, Mirijanian, Godin, Hubbard, Commisso, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Murray, Couture
0.5	Jeselson, Paulson, LePoer, McNeilage, Fratturelli, Gurge, Barlas, Booker, Wheeler, Mathieu
0.0	Ostrowski, Donahue, David, Hankard, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Biglow, Briggs, McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Gawboy, Densmore

Projected Round 2 Pairings for October 16th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Brassard vs. Felton
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Commisso
Board 3: Ri. Pulya vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Godin vs. Murray
Board 5: Gladding vs. Hubbard
Board 6: Couture vs. Paulson
Board 7: Barlas vs. LePoer
Board 8: McNeilage vs. Booker
Board 9: Wheeler vs. Fratturelli
Board 10: Gurge vs. Mathieu
Board 11: Ostrowski vs. Briggs
Board 12: Biglow vs. Donahue
Board 13: David vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 14: McLaughlin vs. Hankard
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Bastarache
Board 16: O'Rourke vs. Densmore
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Jeselson will be paired if he shows up.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on October 16th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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October 8th, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Ernest Fandreyer Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Ernest Fandreyer Memorial, which begins Wednesday, October 9th,
in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., with Round 1 starting at 7:15 p.m.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in ffect for the Ernest Fandreyer Memorial:
1	Bruce Felton	2015
2	Diego Ubiera	1987
3	Roger Cappallo	1954
4	George Mirijanian	1948
5	Paul Godin	1948
6	Andrew Jeselson	1944
7	Ray Paulson	1943
8	Geoff LePoer	1915
9	Richard Hubbard	1866
10	Ralph McNeilage	1834
11	Mike Commisso	1822
12	Gary Brassard	1821
13	Ritvik Pulya	1776
14	Larry Gladding	1764
15	Stephen Murray	1757
16	Tom Fratturelli	1735
17	Alexander Venezia	1728
18	Ken Gurge	1727
19	Dave Couture	1722
20	Don Ostrowski	1703
21	Jim Donahue	1690
22	Michael David	1678
23	Arthur Barlas	1668
24	Jim Hankard	1665
25	Roland Booker	1600
26	John Bastarache	1527
27	Mark Wheeler	1452
28	Larry O'Rourke	1452
29	Angel Soto	1425
30	Bob Mathieu	1421
31	Brian Biglow	1404
32	Don Briggs	1387
33	Hugh McLaughlin	1200
34	Raaga Pulya	1183
35	Emily Gawboy	1136
36	Mike Denmore	695

October 6th 2019

National Chess Day Open

NATIONAL CHESS DAY OPEN
Saturday, October 12, 2019, Fitchburg Public Library, 610 Main St., Fitchburg, MA
5-round Swiss, Open Section, Game/20, no delay
Non-rated tournament
Score-keeping not required
Byes: rounds 1-4, limit two
Registration: 10 to 10:30 a.m.
Entry fee: FREE!!!
Chess book prizes to 1st-2nd-3rd, top under age 18, top female, chess magazines to all participants
Tournament director: G. Mirijanian
-George M

October 2nd, 2019

2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Felton finishes first

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, October 2nd, 2019**
Round 5 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	1-0	Ralph McNeilage
Richard Hubbard	0-1	Paul Godin
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Gary Brassard
Ray Paulson	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
♔ Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Mike Commisso
Ken Gurge	1-0	Stephen Murray
Don Ostrowski	1/2-1/2	Michael David
Jim Hankard	1-0	Dave Couture
Jim Donahue	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Don Briggs	0-1	John Bastarache
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Larry O'Rourke
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Brian Biglow
♔ Mike Densmore	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 13 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were George Mirijanian, Larry Gladding, Andrew Jeselson, Roland Booker,
Steve Courtemanche and Mark Wheeler.

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, October 2nd, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
4.5	Felton
4.0	Godin
3.5	Cappallo, Paulson, McNeilage, Fratturelli
3.0	Mirijanian, Hubbard, Gurge, Hankard
2.5	Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Ostrowski, Donahue, David, Bastarache, O'Rourke
2.0	Jeselson, Commisso, Murray, Biglow
1.5	Couture, Booker, Briggs, Ra. Pulya, Gawboy
1.0	Courtemanche, Mathieu, Densmore
0.5	Wheeler
0.0	McLaughlin

♔ 2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st:	Bruce Felton of Fitchburg
2nd:	Paul Godin of Bedford
Top U1850:	Ralph McNeilage of Worcester, Tom Fratturelli of Leominste
Top U1650:	Jim Hankard of Antrim, NH
Top U1450:	Brian Biglow of Fitchburg

A total of 2 players
gained 50 or more rating points:

The following players had a rating increase of 50 or more points:
Mike Densmore	+85
Tom Fratturelli	+70

A total of 4 players
reached new all time highs:

The following players achieved a new all-time high rating:
Bruce Felton	2015
Ralph McNeilage	1834
Tom Fratturelli	1735
Mike Densmore	636

Pictures from this year's Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial tournament.

Current 2020 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 10/2/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN	Fitchburg	1948	2186	1st Cat.	6	5	0	1	5.5	.917
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	2015	2015	1st Cat.	14	11	2	1	11.5	.821
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	1954	2102	Can. Master	8	6	1	1	6.5	.813
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1948	2020	1st Cat.	13	9	2	2	10.0	.769
RICHARD HUBBARD	Hollis, NH	1866	1869	2nd Cat.	13	10	3	0	10.0	.769
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1941	2085	Can. Master	12	8	4	0	8.0	.667
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1834	1834	3rd Cat.	9	6	3	0	6.0	.667
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1822	1849	2nd Cat.	13	8	5	0	8.0	.615
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1821	1904	1st Cat.	14	7	4	3	8.5	.607
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1727	1856	2nd Cat.	14	7	4	3	8.5	.607
TOM FRATTURELLI	Leominster	1735	1735	2nd Cat.	10	6	4	0	6.0	.600
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1764	1953	1st Cat.	12	7	5	0	7.0	.583
JAMES HANKARD	Antrim, NH	1643	1816	2nd Cat.	12	6	4	2	7.0	.583
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1757	1795	3rd Cat.	13	7	5	1	7.5	.577
ALEXANDER VENEZIA	Lunenburg	1728	1766	3rd Cat.	9	4	3	2	5.0	.556
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1722	1858	1st Cat.	11	5	4	2	6.0	.545
JIM DONAHUE	Stow	1690	1738	2nd Cat.	12	5	4	3	6.5	.542
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1776	1819	2nd Cat.	8	4	4	0	4.0	.500

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 1 on October 9th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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September 30th 2019

Wachusett CC's Mike Commisso wins U1850 section of Peter Henner Memorial

Mike Commisso, one of the most active members of the Wachusett Chess Club, scored 4-1 to win first prize in the U1850 section of the 3rd annual Peter Henner Memorial, held Sept. 28-29, at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, New York. The Class A-rated player from Brookline, New Hampshire drew fellow Wachusett CC member Dave Couture of Westminster, Mass. in the final round of the Continental Chess Association-sponsored tournament. Couture, who tallied 3-2, tied split the 3rd-place prize money with two other participants in the 13-player section. The event, which had a total of 43 players in three sections, honored Peter Henner, a Class A-rated player, lawyer, and chess columnist, who died at his home in Clarksville, New York on Sept. 29, 2016. He was 64. Henner, who wrote a chess column for the Altmont Enterprise in Albany County, New York, for a brief period, was voted by the Chess Journalists of America as having the Best Regular Newspaper Chess Column in 2013.
-George M

On Sun, Sep 29, 2019 at 10:08 PM George Mirijanian wrote:
Dave,
Congratulations on being a prize winner in the 3rd annual Peter Henner Memorial! Was your last-round draw with Mike Commisso an interesting game? Despite splitting the 3rd-place prize with two other players and taking home just 20 bucks, I am proud of you.
*****
From: David Couture
To: george mirijanian
Sent: Sun, Sep 29, 2019 10:32 pm
Subject: Re: Congratulations on being a prize winner in Henner Memorial
We registered as a team to avoid being paired. We both won our 2 rounds on Saturday (we had taken 1st round byes). Then in the 4th round game, we were playing next to each other. I could see that he was winning and I was going to lose, so I was happy that we wouldn't be paired in the final round. I mentioned that he would be playing the guy I had just lost to (Craig Fisher) but Mike said that he knew that Craig was taking a last round bye so we looked at the score sheet and saw that Helena Demarrais also had 2 1/2 so we figured Mike would play her, but we ran into her and she said she also would be taking a bye in the last round at which point Mike and I realized we'd have to be paired. Since we had a long ride ahead of us, we tried to get the TD to let us start our final round game at 1:30, but for various reasons he didn't want to do the pairings early. He eventually did the parings at 3:00 and Mike and I started our game at 3:00. I'll include the pgn here. It was a good game and I missed some stuff when analyzing move 14 so I missed that 14. Qd6 actually was probably winning. There's a lot more I could say about it since it's fresh in my mind still, but since it's bedtime for me, I'll just let you play it over if you want...
[Event "3rd Annual Peter Henner Memorial"]
[Site "Schenectady, NY"]
[Date "2019.09.29"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Dave Couture"]
[Black "Mike Commisso"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B84"]
[WhiteElo "1743"]
[BlackElo "1814"]
[PlyCount "75"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. Be3 b5 9. a3 O-O 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. Nc6 Qe8 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. f3 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Qd4 Qf6 18. c4 Qxd4 19. Rxd4 bxc4 20. Bxc4 Bxc4 21. Rxc4 Rfc8 22. Rfc1 Rxc4 23. Rxc4 Nf6 24. b4 Kf8 25. a4 Nd5 26. Bc5+ Ke8 27. b5 axb5 28. axb5 Ra1+ 29. Kf2 Rb1 30. Bd4 f6 31. Rc8+ Kd7 32. Rg8 Rxb5 33. Rxg7+ Kd6 34. Rxh7 e5 35. Ba7 Rb2+ 36. Kg3 Nf4 37. Kg4 Rxg2+ 38. Kf5 1/2-1/2
*****

September 25th, 2019

2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 4 of 5

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 25th, 2019**
Round 4 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	1/2-1/2	Bruce Felton
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Gary Brassard
George Mirijanian	1-0	Mike Commisso
Richard Hubbard	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Stephen Murray	1/2-1/2	Jim Hankard
Roland Booker	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache	0-1	Ken Gurge
♖ Don Briggs	1/2-1/2	Jim Donahue
Michael David	1-0	Bob Mathieu
Brian Biglow	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Emily Gawboy	1-0	Mike Densmore
Total of 11 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Roger Cappallo, Ray Paulson, Ritvik Pulya, Larry Gladding, Larry O'Rourke and Raaga Pulya.
♖ Not playing round 4 and declining half-point byes were Dave Couture and Hugh McLaughlin.
♜ Not playing the round and not eligible for a half-point bye was Andrew Jeselson, who already received two byes.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament was Steve Courtemanche.

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 25th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
3.5	Felton, McNeilage
3.0	Mirijanian, Godin, Hubbard
2.5	Cappallo, Paulson, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Gladding,Fratturelli
2.0	Jeselson, Commisso, Murray, Ostrowski, Gurge, David, Hankard
1.5	Couture, Donahue, Booker, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Briggs, Ra. Pulya, Gawboy
1.0	(Courtemanche), Mathieu, Biglow
0.5	Wheeler
0.0	McLaughlin, Densmore

Projected Round 5 Pairings for October 2nd:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Felton vs. McNeilage
Board 2: Godin vs. Mirijanian
Board 3: Cappallo vs. Hubbard
Board 4: Paulson vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 5: Brassard vs. Gladding
Board 6: Fratturelli vs. Commisso
Board 7: Gurge vs. Murray
Board 8: Ostrowski vs. David
Board 9: Hankard vs. Couture
Board 10: Donahue vs. o'Rourke
Board 11: Ra. Pulya vs. Booker
Board 12: Briggs vs. Bastarache
Board 13: Mathieu vs. Gawboy
Board 14: McLaughlin vs. Biglow
Board 15: Wheeler vs. Densmore
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♖ Jeselson will be paired if he shows up.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on October 2nd.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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September 23rd 2019

IM Justin Sarkar wins 10th annual Hartford Open;
defeats WGM Carissa Yip in 5th and final round

Justin Sarkar won the 10th annual Hartford Open, held Sept. 20-22 at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport in Connecticut. The 38-year-old IM from New York defeated WGM Carissa Yip,16, of Andover, Mass. in the 5th and final round to finish with a score of 4.5-0.5 and win first prize of $1000. Taking 2nd place with a 4-1 tally was GM Alexander Ivanov, 63, of Newton, Mass., while 29-year-old Hungarian-born GM David Berczes of Texas and IM Yaacov Norowitz, 37, of New Jersey, tied for 3rd place with scores of 3.5-1.5. The Continental Chess Association-sponsored tournament drew 116 players in four sections.
-George M
[See also: Connecticut Chess Magazine]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Below is a list of all 28 players from the state of Massachusetts competing in the
10th Annual Hartford Open:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Final Rank, State, USCF ID, Player name, Old rating, New rating, Title Norm, Opponents

Section 1 - MAJOR SECTION!
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
2:	MA 12513936 ALEXANDER IVANOV R: 2512   -> 2520          Opponents
5:	MA 14514636 CARISSA SHIWEN YIP R: 2457   -> 2455          Opponents
12:	MA 12740272 DR ALEJANDRO FELIX BOTTA R: 2214   -> 2214          Opponents
19:	MA 16379802 RYAN SUN R: 1866   -> 1871          Opponents
21:	MA 10002958 MORRIS C LAINER R: 2059   -> 2061          Opponents

Section 2 - UNDER 2010 SECTION
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
2:	MA 17088887 ALEXANDER A GANIN R: 1870P3 -> 1982P8        Opponents
3:	MA 12906776 GAETANO BOMPASTORE R: 1800   -> 1841          Opponents
6:	MA 10002826 ROBERT J CAMPBELL R: 1900   -> 1909          Opponents
9:	MA 13172162 JONATHAN INGELLIS R: 1932   -> 1918          Opponents
21:	MA 14915688 ACHYUTA RAJARAM R: 1813   -> 1804          Opponents
22:	MA 12524836 DOUGLAS A REED R: 1752   -> 1758          Opponents
27:	MA 15170895 IAN VAN HULLE R: 1631   -> 1633          Opponents
29:	MA 12798715 ANDRIUS JANKAUSKAS R: 1908   -> 1881          Opponents
34:	MA 17128157 BRIAN C HALEY R: Unrated-> 1513P5        Opponents
37:	MA 16532106 EMILIS YANKA R:  137P24->  137P25       Opponents

Section 3 - UNDER 1610 SECTION
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
8:	MA 14215018 ABDIEL MATOS R: 1243   -> 1377          Opponents
10:	MA 15431256 MITCHELL KARY R: 1507   -> 1500          Opponents
16:	MA 15922026 FRANKLIN PHILLIP LEWIS R: 1367   -> 1398          Opponents
23:	MA 12919554 NATHAN R OLSON R: 1298P19-> 1269P24       Opponents
27:	MA 16965265 SAM MACLEOD R: 1321   -> 1345          Opponents
30:	MA 12522933 JOSEPH P MCGAFFIGAN R: 1325   -> 1300          Opponents
31:	MA 14926028 WILLIAM MACLEOD R: 1253   -> 1258          Opponents

Section 4 - UNDER 1210 SECTION
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
7:	MA 16680817 MATTHEW JACOB VAN IWAARDEN R: 1047P11-> 1053P15       Opponents
11:	MA 16748230 MAHESHWARI PARIVALLAL R:  874   ->  890          Opponents
12:	MA 16228992 ADHIRIT PRABHUGEE R:  755   ->  810          Opponents
17:	MA 17097833 MARIJA JANKAUSKIENE R:  693P5 ->  807P9        Opponents
18:	MA 16224825 ADOLFO OLIVO R: 1022   -> 1001          Opponents
22:	MA 16532106 EMILIS YANKA R:  137P25->  138          Opponents

Section 5 - EXTRA GAME!
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List

A total of 28 players from  from the state of MA competed in the event # 201909222482.

September 22nd 2019

Yip beats top-rated GM in Hartford Open; now tied for lead in CCA tournament

Sixteen-year-old Woman Grandmaster Carissa Yip of Andover, Mass. defeated the top-rated player in the 10th annual Hartford Open on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport in Connecticut. The 2014 Wachusett Chess Club champion beat GM David Berczes (rated 2555) of Texas in round 2 of the 24-player Major Section. The win now puts Carissa in a 4-way tie for first place with GM Alexander Ivanov (2534) of Newton, Mass., IM Justin Sarkar (2441) of New York, and Class A player Daniel Zhou (1947) of Connecticut. Carissa will draw the black pieces against GM Ivanov in round 3 of the Continental Chess Association-sponsored event.
-George M

September 18th, 2019

2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 3 of 5

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 18th, 2019**
Round 3 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	1-0	Roger Cappallo
Gary Brassard	1-0	Ray Paulson
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Ralph MNeilage
Jim Donahue	0-1	Richard Hubbard
Mike Commisso	1-0	Ken Gurge
Steve Courtemanche	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Larry Gladding	1-0	Michael David
Dave Couture	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Bob Mathieu
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Stephen Murray
Jim Hankard	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
♕ Raaga Pulya	1-0	Brian Biglow
Mike Densmore	0-1	Don Briggs
Total of 14 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Paul Godin, George Mirijanian, Andrew Jeselson and Roland Booker.
♖ Not playing round 3 and declining half-point byes are Couture and McLaughlin.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Diego Ubiera, Alexander Venezia and Angel Soto.

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 18th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Felton
2.5	Godin, Brassard, McNeilage
2.0	Cappallo, Mirijanian, Jeselson, Paulson, Hubbard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Ostrowski
1.5	Murray, Couture, Fratturelli, Hankard, Booker, Bastarache
1.0	Gurge, Donahue, David, Courtemanche, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Briggs, Ra. Pulya
0.5	Wheeler, Gawboy
0.0	McLaughlin, Biglow, Densmore

Projected Round 4 Pairings for September 25th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Godin vs. Felton
Board 2: McNeilage vs. Brassard
Board 3: Mirijanian vs. Gladding
Board 4: Hubbard vs. Ostrowski
Board 5: Ri. Pulya vs. Commisso
Board 6: Murray vs. Hankard
Board 7: Booker vs. Fratturelli
Board 8: Bastarache vs. Gurge
Board 9: Briggs vs. Donahue
Board 10: David vs. O'Rourke
Board 11: Mathieu vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 12: Biglow vs. Wheeler
Board 13: Gawboy vs. Densmore
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 4 are Cappallo and Paulson.
♝ Jeselson will be paired if he shows up.
♟ Courtemanche is withdrawing from the tournament.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on September 25th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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September 16th 2019

Wachusett CC's Michael David ties for 1st in U1750 section of 69th NH Open

Michael David of Groton tied for 1st place in the U1750 section of the 69th New Hampshire Open, held September 14-15 at the Holiday Inn in Nashua. The USCF-rated Class B player scored 3-1 (three wins, one loss) to share top honors in the 22-player section with fellow Granite Staters Robert Kaminsky, Joe Ray, and Finn Garside, as well as with Eric Strachan of Massachusetts. The tournament, which had 4 sections, saw Rajesh Shanmugasundaram win the Open section with a perfect 4-0 score.
Shanmugasundaram is a master from India now residing in Massachusetts. Among his four wins were wins against IM David Vigorito of Andover, MA (round 3) and GM Alexander Ivanov of Newton, MA (round 4). Hal Terrie of Manchester directed the 74-player event for the sponsoring New Hampshire Chess Association.
-George M

WCC members, Roger Cappallo, Mike Commisso & Michael David competed this past weekend in the 69th Annual New Hampshire Open Tournament which was held in Nashua, NH. Both Roger Cappallo, who tied for third place in the Under 1950 Section, & Michael David, who tied for first in the Under 1750 Section, came away with a share of the prize money. Below are the rating updates for the trio.

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Monday September 16, 2019 69th New Hampshire Open Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
10011965: ROGER CAPPALLO	2019-09-15	69TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	2: UNDER 1950	1954 => 1942	A
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO	2019-09-15	69TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	2: UNDER 1950	1830 => 1814	A
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID	2019-09-15	69TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	3: UNDER 1750	1687 => 1684	B

September 12th, 2019

2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 2 of 5

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 12th, 2019**
Round 2 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Richard Hubbard	0-1	Bruce Felton
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
Ray Paulson	1-0	Larry Gladding
Ritvik Pulya	0-1	Paul Godin
Andrew Jeselson	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Stephen Murray	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Ken Gurge	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow	0-1	Jim Donahue
Michael David	1-0	Don Briggs
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Roland Booker
John Bastarache	1-0	Raaga Pulya
♖ Emily Gawboy	1/2-1/2	Mark Wheeler
Bob Mathieu	1-0	Mike Densmore
Total of 14 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ralph McNeilage, Diego Ubiera, Alexander Venezia and Angel Soto.
♖ Not playing round 2 and declining half-point byes were Dave Couture and Jim Hankard.

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 12th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Felton, Cappallo, Paulson, Godin
1.5	Mirijanian, Jeselson, Brassard, McNeilage, Fratturelli
1.0	Ubiera, Hubbard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Couture, Venezia, Ostrowski, Gurge, Donahue, David, Booker, Bastarache, Mathieu, Soto
0.5	Murray, Hankard, Wheeler, Gawboy
0.0	O'Rourke, Biglow, Briggs, McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Densmore

Projected Round 3 Pairings for September 19th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Felton vs. Paulson
Board 2: Godin vs. Cappallo
Board 3: Mirijanian vs. McNeilage
Board 4: Brassard vs. Jeselson
Board 5: Fratturelli vs. Ubiera
Board 6: Donahue vs. Hubbard
Board 7: Commisso vs. Gurge
Board 8: Booker vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 9: Gladding vs. David
Board 10: Couture vs. Bastarache
Board 11: Venezia vs. Mathieu
Board 12: Ostrowski vs. Soto
Board 13: Wheeler vs. Murray
Board 14: Hankard vs. Gawboy
Board 15: O'Rourke vs. McLaughlin
Board 16: Ra. Pulya vs. Biglow
Board 17: Densmore vs. Briggs
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on September 19th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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September 4th, 2019

2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 1 of 5

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 4th, 2019**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	1-0	Ken Gurge
Jim Donahue	0-1	Roger Cappallo
George Mirijanian	1-0	Michael David
Roland Booker	0-1	Ray Paulson
Paul Godin	1-0	John Bastarache
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Richard Hubbard
Mike Commisso	1-0	Bob Mathieu
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Gary Brassard
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Brian Biglow
Don Briggs	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Larry Gladding	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Dave Couture
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Total of 13 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Diego Ubiera, Andrew Jeselson, Stephen Murray, Alexander Venezia,
Tom Fratturelli, Jim Hankard and Angel Soto.
♖ Not playing round 1 was Mike Densmore.

**Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 4th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Felton, Cappallo, Mirijanian, Paulson, Godin, Hubbard, Commisso, Brassard, McNeilage, Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Couture, Ostrowski
0.5	Ubiera, Jeselson, Murray, Venezia, Fratturelli, Hankard, Soto
0.0	Gurge, Donahue, David, Booker, Bastarache, Wheeler, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Biglow, Briggs, McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Gawboy, Densmore

Projected Round 2 Pairings for September 11th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Commisso vs. Felton
Board 2: Cappallo vs. McNeilage
Board 3: Brassard vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Paulson vs. Gladding
Board 5: Ri. Pulya vs. Godin
Board 6: Hubbard vs. Ostrowski
Board 7: Venezia vs. Ubiera
Board 8: Fratturelli vs. Jeselson
Board 9: Murray vs. Hankard
Board 10: Gurge vs. O'Rourke
Board 11: Biglow vs. Donahue
Board 12: David vs. Briggs
Board 13: McLaughlin vs. Booker
Board 14: Bastarache vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Wheeler
Board 16: Mathieu vs. Densmore
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Couture is not playing Round 2 and is not requesting a half-point bye.
♙ Soto will be paired if he shows up.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on September 11th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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September 3rd, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, which begins Wednesday, September 4,
in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., with Round 1 starting at 7:15 p.m.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in ffect for the Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial:
1	Diego Ubiera	1987
2	Bruce Felton	1986
3	Roger Cappallo	1954
4	George Mirijanian	1938
5	Andrew Jeselson	1938
6	Ray Paulson	1933
7	Paul Godin	1923
8	Richard Hubbard	1868
9	Mike Commisso	1830
10	Gary Brassard	1815
11	Ralph McNeilage	1812
12	Stephen Murray	1795
13	Ritvik Pulya	1781
14	Larry Gladding	1759
15	Dave Couture	1743
16	Alexander Venezia	1728
17	Don Ostrowski	1714
18	Ken Gurge	1711
19	Jim Donahue	1711
20	Michael David	1687
21	Arthur Barlas	1668
22	Tom Fratturelli	1665
23	Jim Hankard	1602
24	Roland Booker	1600
25	John Bastarache	1512
26	Mark Wheeler	1504
27	Larry O'Rourke	1452
28	Angel Soto	1425
29	Brian Biglow	1400
30	Don Briggs	1396
31	Hugh McLaughlin	1213
32	Raaga Pulya	1151
33	Emily Gawboy	1126
34	Mike Densmore	551

September 1st 2019

Carissa Yip US #1

Carissa gained 125 Fide points in August and is now US Women No. 1 and World Women 41.
https://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=2090732
She now tops the World Under 16 Female list & the US Women FIDE List with a FIDE rating of 2425 while her USCF rating puts her at #7 on the US Women's list.
She currently holds FIDE titles of FM & WIM with a likely WGM title to be awarded when the FIDE Congress next meets September 7th & 8th in Budapest, Hungary.
-George M

August 28th, 2019

2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial
Round 4 of 4

Trio tie at top of Steadman Memorial tournament

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 28th, 2019**
Round 4 of 4 Results
White	Result	Black
Stephen Murray	0-1	Diego Ubiera
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Mike Commisso
Ray Paulson	1-0	Alexander Venezia
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	Bruce Felton
Paul Godin	1/2-1/2	Gary Brassard
Richard Hubbard	1-0	Larry Gladding
George Mirijanian	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Dave Couture	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache	1/2-1/2	Michael David
Roland Booker	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Jim Hankard
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Andrew Jeselson
Don Briggs	1-0	Brian Biglow
Total of 14 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 4 were Ritvik Pulya, Bob Mathieu, Angel Soto, Eduardo Valadares, Randy McLaughlin and Mike Densmore.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament was Raaga Pulya.

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 28th, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
3.5	Ubiera, Cappallo, Paulson
3.0	Felton, Hubbard, Murray
2.5	Godin, Mirijanian, Commisso, Brassard, Venezia
2.0	McNeilage, Gladding, Couture, Gurge, Donahue, Booker, Hankard
1.5	Jeselson, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, David, Bastarache
1.0	Mathieu, O'Rourke, Briggs, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5	Soto, Valadares, Biglow, R. McLaughlin
0.0	Densmore

♔ 2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-3rd:	Diego Ubiera of Somerville, Roger Cappallo of Groton, Ray Paulson of Lowell
Top U1800:	Stephen Murray of Ayer
Top U1600:	John Bastarache of Fitchburg
Top U1400:	Hugh McLaughlin of Groton, Emily Gawboy of Leominster

Only one player
gained 50 or more rating points:

The following player had a rating increase of 50 or more points:
Stephen Murray	+122

A total of 2 players
reached new all time highs:

The following players achieved a new all-time high rating:
Mike Commisso	1830
Stephen Murray	1795

Pictures from this year's Wayne L. Steadman Memorial tournament.

Current 2020 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 8/28/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
RICHARD HUBBARD	Hollis, NH	1868	1869	2nd Cat.	8	7	1	0	7.0	.875
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1986	2000	1st Cat.	9	7	2	0	7.0	.778
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1923	2020	1st Cat.	9	6	2	1	6.5	.722
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1830	1830	2nd Cat.	8	6	2	0	6.0	.750
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1815	1904	1st Cat.	9	5	2	2	6.0	.667
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1795	1795	none	9	6	3	0	6.0	.667
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1711	1856	2nd Cat.	9	4	2	3	5.5	.611
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1956	2085	Can. Master	8	5	3	0	5.0	.625
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1759	1953	1st Cat.	9	5	4	0	5.0	.556
ALEXANDER VENEZIA	Lunenburg	1728	1766	3rd Cat.	9	4	3	2	5.0	.556
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1743	1858	1st Cat.	8	4	3	1	4.5	.563
JAMES HANKARD	Antrim, NH	1602	1816	2nd Cat.	9	4	4	1	4.5	.500
JIM DONAHUE	Stow	1711	1738	2nd Cat.	7	3	2	2	4.0	.571
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1812	1827	3rd Cat.	5	3	2	0	3.0	.600
TOM FRATTURELLI	Leominster	1665	1688	2nd Cat.	6	3	3	0	3.0	.500

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, starts Wednesday, Sept. 4th.
Players must be present by 7:00 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7:00 p.m.

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August 21st, 2019

2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial
Round 3 of 4

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 21st, 2019**
Round 3 of 4 Results
White	Result	Black
Alex Venezia	1/2-1/2	Roger Cappallo
♔ Stephen Murray	1-0	Paul Godin
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Ray Paulson
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Mike Commisso
Bruce Felton	1-0	Dave Couture
Michael David	0-1	Richard Hubbard
Jim Hankard	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Gary Brassard	1-0	John Bastarache
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Larry Gladding
Ken Gurge	1-0	Angel Soto
Brian Biglow	0-1	Larry O'Rourke
♔ Emily Gawboy	1-0	Don Briggs
Mike Densmore	0-1	Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 13 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Diego Ubiera, George Mirijanian and Roland Booker.
♖ Not playing round 3 were Ritvik Pulya, Jim Donahue and Raaga Pulya.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Eduardo Valadares and Randy McLaughlin.

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 21st, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Murray
2.5	Ubiera, Cappallo, Paulson, Commisso, Venezia
2.0	Felton, Godin, Hubbard, McNeilage, Brassard, Gladding
1.5	Mirijanian, Ri. Pulya, Gurge, Ostrowski, Donahue, Fratturelli
1.0	Couture, David, Booker, Hankard, Bastarache, Mathieu, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5	Soto, (Valadares), Biglow, (R. McLaughlin)
0.0	Briggs, Ra. Pulya, Densmore

Projected Round 4 Pairings for August 28th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Murray vs. Ubiera
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Commisso
Board 3: Paulson vs. Venezia
Board 4; McNeilage vs. Felton
Board 5: Godin vs. Brassard
Board 6: Hubbard vs. Gladding
Board 7: Mirijanian vs. Ostrowski
Board 8: Fratturelli vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 9: Donahue vs. Gurge
Board 10: Couture vs. Mathieu
Board 11: Bastarache vs. David
Board 12: H. McLaughlin vs. Booker
Board 13: O'Rourke vs. Hankard
Board 14: Biglow vs. Gawboy
Board 15: Briggs vs. Soto
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on August 28th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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August 20th, 2019

ChessChat (Episode 143)
WGM-elect Carissa Yip Wins U.S. Girls Junior Championship (2019-08-03)

The August episode, #143 of "Chess Chat" is now posted on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxTFuH6qQpQ&t=2s
ChessChat (Episode 143) - Woman Grandmaster-elect Carissa Yip Wins U.S. Girls Junior Championship (2019-08-03)
[See this & other Chess Chat videos at Dave Couture's YouTube channel.]

August 20th 2019

Four WCC players compete in Sturbridge at the 49th Continental Open

WCC members, Brett Kildahl, Jim Donahue & Eduardo Valadaras competed this past weekend in the 49th Annual Continental Open Tournament which was held in Sturbridge, MA.
Below are their rating updates for the four WCC members who competed.

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Tuesday August 20, 2019 49thContinental Open Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12924445: BRETT KILDAHL	2019-08-18	49TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (MA)	1: PREMIER	2161 => 2159	Exp
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE	2019-08-18	49TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (PA)	3: UNDER1900	1711 => 1710	B
12887537: MICHAEL STEVENS	2019-08-18	49TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (MA)	4: UNDER1700	1505 => 1498	C
12899595: EDUARDO VALADARES	2019-08-18	49TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (PA)	5: UNDER1500	1417 => 1400	C

August 14th, 2019

2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial
Round 2 of 4

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 14th, 2019**
Round 2 of 4 Results
White	Result	Black
Diego Ubiera	1-0	Gary Brassard
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Dave Couture
Larry Gladding	0-1	Paul Godin
Richard Hubbard	0-1	♔ Alex Venezia
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	♔ Stephen Murray
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Ken Gurge	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Bruce Felton
Don Briggs	0-1	Michael David
Roland Booker	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Jim Hankard
John Bastarache	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Mike Densmore	0-1	Bob Mathieu
Total of 13 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ray Paulson, Mike Commisso, Don Ostrowski, Jim Donahue, George Mirijanian,
Angel Soto and Eduardo Valadares.
♖ Not playing round 2 was Raaga Pulya.

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 14th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Ubiera, Cappallo, Godin, Venezia, Murray
1.5	Paulson, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Donahue, Fratturelli
1.0	Felton, Mirijanian, Hubbard, McNeilage, Brassard, Gladding, Couture, David, Hankard, Bastarache, Mathieu
0.5	Gurge, Booker, Soto, Valadares, Biglow, R. McLaughlin
0.0	O'Rourke, Briggs, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Gawboy, Densmore

Projected Round 3 Pairings for August 21st:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Venezia vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Murray vs. Godin
Board 3: Ostrowski vs. Paulson
Board 4: Donahue vs. Commisso
Board 5: Fratturelli vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 6: Felton vs. Gladding
Board 7: Couture vs. Mirijanian
Board 8: David vs. Hubbard
Board 9: Hankard vs. McNeilage
Board 10: Brassard vs. Bastarache
Board 11: Mathieu vs. Gurge
Board 12: Booker vs. Valadares
Board 13: Biglow vs. Soto
Board 14: Ra. Pulya vs. O'Rourke
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Briggs
Board 16: Densmore vs. H. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 3 is Ubiera.
♙ Withdrawing from the tournament is Randy McLaughlin.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on August 21st.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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August 7th, 2019

2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial
Round 1 of 4

Steadman Memorial opens with board one upset

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 7th, 2019**
Round 1 of 4 Results
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	0-1	♔ Stephen Murray
Michael David	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson	1-0	Roland Booker
Jim Hankard	0-1	Diego Ubiera
Paul Godin	1-0	John Bastarache
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Richard Hubbard
Mike Commisso	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Angel Soto	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Gary Brassard	1-0	Don Briggs
Eduardo Valadares	0-1	Larry Gladding
Dave Couture	1-0	Brian Biglow
♖ Randy McLaughlin	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Jim Donahue
Alexander Venezia	1-0	Mike Densmore
Total of 15 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), one upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Ritvik Pulya and Tom Fratturelli.
♖ Not playing round 1 was Raaga Pulya.

**Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 7th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Ubiera, Cappallo, Paulson, Godin, Hubbard, Commisso, McNeilage, Brassard, Gladding, Couture, Ostrowski, Donahue, Venezia, Murray
0.5	Mirijanian, Ri. Pulya, Gurge, Fratturelli, R. McLaughlin
0.0	Felton, David, Booker, Hankard, Bastarache, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Soto, Briggs, Valadares, Biglow, H. McLaughlin, Ra.Pulya, Gawboy, Densmore

Projected Round 2 Pairings for August 14th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Ubiera vs. Brassard
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Couture
Board 3: Gladding vs. Paulson
Board 4: Donahue vs. Godin
Board 5: Hubbard vs. Venezia
Board 6: McNeilage vs. Murray
Board 7: Gurge vs. Mirijanian
Board 8: Fratturelli vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 9: Felton vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 10: Briggs vs. David
Board 11: Booker vs. Valadares
Board 12: Biglow vs. Hankard
Board 13: Bastarache vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 14: H. McLaughlin vs. Mathieu
Board 15: O'Rourke vs. Gawboy
Board 16: Densmore vs. Soto
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 2 are Commisso and Ostrowski.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on August 14th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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August 5th, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Wayne L. Steadman Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, which begins Wednesday, August 7,
in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:30 to 7 p.m., with Round 1 starting at 7:15 p.m.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for the Wayne L. Steadman Memorial:
1	Brett Kildahl	2161
2	Bob Secino	2074
3	Bruce Felton	1993
4	Diego Ubiera	1967
5	Roger Cappallo	1943
6	Ray Paulson	1941
7	Andrew Jeselson	1938
8	Paul Godin	1936
9	George Mirijanian	1932
10	Richard Hubbard	1869
11	Mike Commisso	1828
12	Ralph McNeilage	1827
13	Gary Brassard	1812
14	Ritvik Pullya	1778
15	Larry Gladding	1772
16	Dave Couture	1741
17	Ken Gurge	1740
18	Don Ostrowski	1728
19	Jim Donahue	1711
20	Alexander Venezia	1700
21	Stephen Murray	1673
22	Tom Fratturelli	1669
23	Arthur Barlas	1668
24	Michael David	1639
25	Mike Meehan	1601
26	Roland Booker	1600
27	Jim Hankard	1600
28	John Bastarache	1510
29	Mark Wheeler	1504
30	Bob Mathieu	1474
31	Larry O'Rourke	1454
32	Angel Soto	1438
33	Don Briggs	1427
34	Brian Biglow	1405
35	Randy McLaughlin	1316
36	Hugh McLaughlin	1220
37	Raaga Pulya	1151
38	Emily Gawboy	1084
39	Mike Densmore	553

July 31st, 2019

2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Hubbard Dominates Harlow Daly Memorial tournament

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 31st, 2019**
Round 5 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Richard Hubbard	1-0	Mike Commisso
♔ Paul Godin	1-0	Bob Secino
Bruce Felton	1-0	Dave Couture
George Mirijanian	1-0	Jim Donahue
John Bastarche	0-1	Gary Brassard
Michael David	0-1	Ken Gurge
Ray Paulson	0-1	♔ Stephen Murray
Ritvik Pulya	0-1	♔ Tom Fratturelli
Larry Gladding	1-0	Roland Booker
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Diego Ubiera
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Don Ostrowski
Alex Venezia	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Don Briggs	0-1	Jim Hankard
Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Emily Gawboy
♔ Mike Densmore	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Total of 15 boards, 4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were Angel Soto & Brian Biglow.
♙ Already withdrawn from the tournament were Arthur Allen, Ralph McNeilage and Brian Palaia.

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 31st, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
4.5	Hubbard
4.0	Godin, Commisso
3.5	Felton, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gurge,
3.0	Gladding, Couture, Murray, Fratturelli
2.5	Secino, Ostrowski, Venezia, Donahue, David, Hankard, Bastarache
2.0	Paulson, Ri. Pulya, Booker, Wheeler, H. McLaughlin
1.5	Mathieu, O'Rourke
1.0	(Allen), (McNeilage), Briggs, Soto, Ra. McLaughlin, , Ra. Pulya, Gawboy, Densmore
0.5	Biglow
0.0	(Palaia)

♔ 2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st:	Richard Hubbard
2nd-3rd:	Paul Godin, Mike Commisso
Top U1850:	Gary Brassard, Ken Gurge
Top U1650:	Tom Fratturelli
Top U1450:	Mark Wheeler, Hugh McLaughlin

Pictures from this year's Harlow B. Daly Memorial tournament.

Current 2020 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 7/31/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
RICHARD HUBBARD	Hollis, NH	1869	1869	2nd Cat.	4	4	0	0	4.0	1.000
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1936	2020	1st Cat.	5	4	1	0	4.0	.800
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1828	1828	2nd Cat.	5	4	1	0	4.0	.800
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1993	2000	1st Cat.	4	3	1	0	3.0	.750
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1812	1904	1st Cat.	5	3	1	1	3.5	.700
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1740	1856	2nd Cat.	5	3	1	1	3.5	.700
TOM FRATTURELLI	Leominster	1669	1688	2nd Cat.	3	2	1	0	2.0	.667
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1741	1858	1st Cat.	4	2	1	1	2.5	.625
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1772	1953	1st Cat.	5	3	2	0	3.0	.600
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1673	1670	none	5	3	2	0	3.0	.600
BOB SECINO	Shrewsbury	2074	2200	Natl. Master	5	2	2	1	2.5	.500
JIM DONAHUE	Stow	1711	1738	2nd Cat.	5	2	2	1	2.5	.500
ALEXANDER VENEZIA	Lunenburg	1700	1766	3rd Cat.	5	2	2	1	2.5	.500
MICHAEL DAVID	Groton	1639	1629	3rd Cat.	5	2	2	1	2.5	.500
JAMES HANKARD	Antrim, NH	1612	1816	2nd Cat.	5	2	2	1	2.5	.500
JOHN BASTARACHE	Fitchburg	1510	1652	3rd Cat.	5	2	2	1	2.5	.500
DON OSTROWSKI	Fitchburg	1728	1751	4th Cat.	4	2	2	0	2.0	.500
HUGH McLAUGHLIN	Groton	1220	1429	none	4	2	2	0	2.0	.500

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, begins Wednesday, August 7th.
Players must be present in Room C159 by 7 p.m. on that day in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL.

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July 24th, 2019

2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 4 of 5

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 24th, 2019**
Round 4 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
♔ Mike Commisso	1-0	Bruce Felton
Gary Brassard	0-1	Richard Hubbard
♖ Dave Couture	1/2-1/2	Bob Secino
Roland Booker	0-1	Paul Godin
Ken Gurge	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Jim Donahue	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Michael David	1-0	Alexander Venezia
Jim Hankard	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Don Briggs	0-1	Ray Paulson
Angel Soto	0-1	Larry Gladding
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Stephen Murray
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Brian Biglow	0-1	Bob Mathieu
Mike Densmore	0-1	Emily Gawboy
Total of 14 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), one upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Tom Fratturelli, Larry O'Rourke and Raaga Pulya.
♙ Already withdrawn from the tournament were Arthur Allen, Ralph McNeilage and Brian Palaia.

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 24th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
4.0	Commisso
3.5	Hubbard
3.0	Godin, Couture
2.5	Secino, Felton, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gurge, Donahue, David, Bastarache
2.0	Paulson, Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Murray, Fratturelli, Booker, Wheeler
1.5	Ostrowski, Venezia, Hankard, Mathieu, O'Rourke
1.0	(Allen), (McNeilage), Briggs, Soto, Ra. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Gawboy
0.5	Biglow
0.0	(Palaia), Densmore

Projected Round 5 Pairings for July 31st:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Hubbard vs. Commisso
Board 2: Godin vs. Secino
Board 3: Felton vs. Couture
Board 4: Mirijanian vs. Donahue
Board 5: Bastarache vs. Brassard
Board 6: David vs. Gurge
Board 7: Paulson vs. Murray
Board 8: Ri. Pulya vs. Fratturelli
Board 9: Gladding vs. Booker
Board 10: Wheeler vs. Ostrowski
Board 11: Venezia vs. O'Rourke
Board 12: Mathieu vs. Hankard
Board 13: H. McLaughlin vs. Briggs
Board 14: Gawboy vs. Soto
Board 15: Densmore vs. R. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on July 31st.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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July 21st 2019

Carissa Yip wins 2019 US Girls Championship

From: https://new.uschess.org/news/live-updates-2019-jgs/:
Liang wins Junior in Playoff; Yip takes Girls, Shabalov wins Senior - By John Hartmann, July 20, 2019
Awonder Liang has won the 2019 U.S. Junior Championship, earning a $6000 first place purse and a $10,000 scholarship to the college of his choice, courtesy of the Dewain Barber Foundation and US Chess.
2014 Wachusett CC Champ, Carissa Yip, is the 2019 US Girls Champion, winning $3000 and also taking home a $10,000 scholarship from the Dewain Barber Foundation and US Chess.
And finally, Alex Shabalov has won the inaugural Senior Championship. He walks away with a cool $12,000 first place prize.
You can relive all the action at uschesschamps.com, and CLO will have a full report tomorrow at:
https://new.uschess.org/news/live-updates-2019-jgs/

July 17th, 2019

2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 3 of 5

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 17th, 2019**
Round 3 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Bob Secino	0-1	♔ Mike Commisso
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Gary Brassard
Richard Hubbard	1-0	Jim Donahue
Ray Paulson	0-1	♔ Roland Booker
Paul Godin	1-0	Don Briggs
♔ John Bastarache	1-0	Larry Gladding
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Ken Gurge
Alexander Venezia	1/2-1/2	Jim Hankard
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Michael David
Stephen Murray	1-0	Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Mike Densmore
Total of 13 boards, 3 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Bruce Felton, Dave Couture, George Mirijanian, Ritvik Pulya and Raaga Pulya.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Kurtison MacWilliams, Arthur Barlas, Keith Hamer and Francis Scanlon.
♟ Already withdrawn from the event were Arthur Allen, Ralph McNeilage and Brian Palaia.

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 17th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Commisso
2.5	Felton, Brassard, Hubbard, Couture
2.0	Secino, Godin, Mirijanian, Gurge, Booker, Bastarache, Wheeler
1.5	Venezia, Donahue, David, Hankard, Fratturelli
1.0	(Allen), Paulson, (McNeilage), Ri. Pulya, Gladding, Murray, Briggs, O'Rourke, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin
0.5	Ostrowski, Mathieu, Biglow, Ra. Pulya
0.0	(Palaia), Gawboy, Densmore

Projected Round 4 Pairings for July 24th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Commisso vs. Felton
Board 2: Brassard vs. Hubbard
Board 3: Couture vs. Secino
Board 4: Booker vs. Godin
Board 5: Mirijanian vs. Wheeler
Board 6: Gurge vs. Bastarache
Board 7: David vs. Venezia
Board 8: Donahue vs. Hankard
Board 9: Fratturelli vs. Paulson
Board 10: Briggs vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 11: Gladding vs. O'Rourke
Board 12: R. McLaughlin vs. Murray
Board 13: Ostrowski vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 14: Biglow vs. Mathieu
Board 15: Densmore vs. Gawboy
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on July 24th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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July 15th 2019

2019 WCC Championship games now available in .PGN format

All 27 games from this year's WCC Championship 'A' Section are now available here:
Games.php#g_wccchamp19
If the page doesn't load, the games are available directly as a plain text file here:
2019WCCCh.pgn.txt
There may be some minor revisions or comments added in the future, but I believe all the moves are correct except for the last few moves of one game.
[PG]

July 14th 2019

Chess Grandmaster Caught Using His Phone While On The Toilet During A Tournament

Latvian-Czech chess grandmaster Igors Rausis is reportedly under investigation after he was caught checking his phone while on the toilet in the middle of a tournament he was participating in. Rausis signed a declaration stating that the phone that investigators eventually found in a toilet stall was in fact his, and was suspended from the tournament, according to a Facebook post from FIDE Director General Emil Sutovsky. The evidence found is apparently being sent to an ethics committee and the French police will be involved with what happens next as the tournament where Rausis was caught took place in Strasbourg.
Story from MSN.com

July 13th, 2019

Revised projected Round 3 pairings for 2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial

REVISED Projected Round 3 Pairings for July 17th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
1     Bob Secino (2.0)            Michael Commisso (2.0)
2     Dave Couture (2.0)       Bruce Felton (2.0)
3     George Mirijanian (1.5)     Mark Wheeler (2.0)
4     Richard Hubbard (1.5)     Gary Brassard (1.5)
5     Jim Donahue (1.5)     Ray Paulson (1.0)
6     Paul Godin (1.0)         Roland Booker (1.0)
7     Kurtison MacWilliams (1.0)     Jim Hankard (1.0)
8     John Bastarache (1.0)     Larry Gladding (1.0)
9     Larry O'Rourke (1.0)       Ken Gurge (1.0)
10     Alexander Venezia (1.0)     Don Briggs (1.0)
11     Keith Hamer (1.0)        Ritvik Pulya (0.5)
12     Tom Fratturelli (0.5)     Don Ostrowski (0.5)
13     Bob Mathieu (0.5)       Michael David (0.5)
14     Stephen Murray (0.0)     Brian Biglow (0.5)
15     Raaga Pulya (0.0)           Randy McLaughlin (0.0)
16     Hugh McLaughlin (0.0)     Francis Scanlon II (0.0)
17     Mike Densmore (0.0)     Emily Gawboy (0.0)
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

July 10th, 2019

2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 2 of 5

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 10th, 2019**
Round 2 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Larry Gladding	0-1	Bob Secino
♔ Mike Commisso	1-0	Ray Paulson
Bruce Felton	1-0	Alexander Venezia
♔ Dave Couture	1-0	Paul Godin
Gary Brassard	1/2-1/2	Jim Donahue
Ritvik Pulya	0-1	♔ Mark Wheeler
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Richard Hubbard
Ken Gurge	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Stephen Murray	0-1	♔ Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Michael David
Jim Hankard	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Roland Booker
Emily Gawboy	0-1	John Bastarache
Don Briggs	1-0	Mike Densmore
Total of 14 boards, 4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Kurtison MacWilliams, Arthur Barlas, Keith Hamer and Bob Mathieu.
♖ Not playing round 2 were Raaga Pulya and Francis Scanlon.
♟ Withdrawing from the tournament were Arthur Allen, Ralph McNeilage and Brian Palaia.

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 10th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Secino, Felton, Commisso, Couture, Wheeler
1.5	Mirijanian, Brassard, Hubbard, Donahue
1.0	(Allen), Paulson, Godin, (McNeilage), MacWilliams, Gladding, Gurge, Venezia, Barlas, Hankard, Booker, Bastarache, Briggs, O'Rourke, Hamer
0.5	Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, David, Fratturelli, Mathieu, Biglow
0.0	Murray, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, (Palaia), Gawboy, Scanlon, Densmore

Projected Round 3 Pairings for July 17th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Secino vs. Commisso
Board 2: Couture vs. Felton
Board 3: Mirijanian vs. Wheeler
Board 4: Hubbard vs. Brassard
Board 5: Donahue vs. Paulson
Board 6: Godin vs. Barlas
Board 7: Booker vs. MacWilliams
Board 8: Bastarache vs. Gladding
Board 9: O'Rourke vs. Gurge
Board 10: Venezia vs. Briggs
Board 11: Hamer vs. Hankard
Board 12: Fratturelli vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 13: Biglow vs. Ostrowski
Board 14: Mathieu vs. David
Board 15: H. McLaughlin vs. Murray
Board 16: Gawboy vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 17: Densmore vs. Ra. Pulya
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on July 17th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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July 9th, 2019

Massachusetts Players Competing in 47th Annual World Open

68 Massachusetts players including two former Wachusett CC members competed in the 47th Annual World Open.
Here are their finishing places within each section & their rating changes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Below is a list of all players from the state of MA competing in the
47th Annual World Open (201907078302):
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Final Rank, State, USCF ID, Player name, Old rating, New rating, Title Norm, Opponents

Section 1 - OPEN
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
  7:  MA 14958890 FIDEL CORRALES JIMENEZ R: 2600   -> 2621  Opponents
  9:  MA 15524414 JIANCHAO ZHOU R: 2699   -> 2701  Opponents
 60:  MA 13052087 MIKA BRATTAIN R: 2535   -> 2528  Opponents
 67:  MA 14514636 CARISSA SHIWEN YIP R: 2386   -> 2391  Opponents
100:  MA 12167330 LAWYER TIMES R: 2293   -> 2301  Opponents
103:  MA 16434545 RAJESH SHANMUGASUNDARAM R: 2296   -> 2292  Opponents
121:  MA 15200352 DEREK JIN R: 2084   -> 2089  Opponents
158:  MA 15206958 LUIS FLAQUER R: 2270   -> 2256  Opponents
172:  MA 14297265 KARTHIK SAI PADMANABHAN R: 2177   -> 2161  Opponents
189:  MA 15072460 DUSTIN LIANG R: 2134   -> 2117  Opponents

Section 2 - UNDER2200
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
 40:  MA 12727791 DAVID ARIEL PLOTKIN R: 2181   -> 2165  Opponents
 98:  MA 14297271 AKSHAY SAI PADMANABHAN R: 2076   -> 2062  Opponents
138:  MA 15794580 JOAQUIN CARLSON R: 2023   -> 2023  Opponents
158:  MA 13492147 LUIS BAEZ R: 2119   -> 2091  Opponents
168:  MA 14217434 ANDREW THE R: 2004   -> 1969  Opponents
169:  MA 15760000 AMY LEI R: 1975   -> 1957  Opponents
171:  MA 15454526 LEWIS TU R: 1919   -> 1937  Opponents
192:  MA 15597798 LAWRENCE TU R: 1957   -> 1947  Opponents
194:  MA 15018810 MARK CHUDNOVSKY R: 1975   -> 1943  Opponents
213:  MA 15742464 ERIC FENG R: 1934   -> 1907  Opponents
214:  MA 11366805 NATASHA C CHRISTIANSEN R: 1906   -> 1894  Opponents
233:  MA 15200352 DEREK JIN R: 2093   -> 2084  Opponents

Section 3 - UNDER2000
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
 35:  MA 16225038 Y OWEN JI R: 1774   -> 1878  Opponents
 79:  MA 15486476 TIANNA WANG R: 1886   -> 1875  Opponents
 92:  MA 15466651 PINYI HU R: 1957   -> 1943  Opponents
111:  MA 10018048 LEO W BONNELL R: 1979   -> 1938  Opponents
125:  MA 15486461 RYAN WANG R: 1864   -> 1851  Opponents
132:  MA 15844061 ALEXANDER MENG R: 1837   -> 1820  Opponents
142:  MA 15770981 KELSEY LIU R: 1976   -> 1923  Opponents
143:  MA 11305831 ERIK ZOLTAN R: 1965   -> 1900  Opponents
175:  MA 15826242 JUSTIN Y LI R: 1783   -> 1750  Opponents
206:  MA 10007101 IMRE G TOTH R: 1811   -> 1800  Opponents

Section 4 - UNDER1800
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
 29:  MA 15718966 RANJAN DEY R: 1674   -> 1740  Opponents
 31:  MA 15518741 ANDREW SU R: 1788   -> 1785  Opponents
 65:  MA 12864842 CALVIN G HORI R: 1769   -> 1755  Opponents
 69:  MA 15842414 ANSH YADAWAD R: 1729   -> 1728  Opponents
 96:  MA 16066054 RIYA A KANURY R: 1700   -> 1670  Opponents
100:  MA 15837922 AARON LI R: 1675   -> 1657  Opponents
118:  MA 15478612 LEONARD SWEENEY-BARRETT R: 1784   -> 1741  Opponents
130:  MA 16379802 RYAN SUN R: 1639   -> 1622  Opponents
160:  MA 16237733 Y LUKE JI R: 1523   -> 1519  Opponents
191:  MA 13982621 CORY SILVA R: 1600   -> 1523  Opponents
197:  MA 16429310 DATTASAI KILARI R: 1631   -> 1536  Opponents
200:  MA 16096060 JERICHO CARLSON R: 1539   -> 1466  Opponents
217:  MA 16337966 JACOB QIJIE WU R: 1368   -> 1304  Opponents
220:  MA 15478612 LEONARD SWEENEY-BARRETT R: 1784   -> 1741  Opponents

Section 5 - UNDER1600
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
 27:  MA 16433976 MEGHANA KUNAMNENI R: 1534   -> 1545  Opponents
 87:  MA 12931292 JONATHAN CROWE R: 1643   -> 1588  Opponents
 94:  MA 15990974 ISABELLA LAI R: 1541   -> 1509  Opponents
124:  MA 16433982 SUJAY KUNAMNENI R: 1415   -> 1414  Opponents
132:  MA 16758085 DR NAN JI R: 1544P16-> 1444P23       Opponents

Section 6 - UNDER1400
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
 12:  MA 12646196 MARK RICE R: 1302   -> 1415  Opponents
 50:  MA 16519656 CHAO TU R: 1316P15-> 1339P22       Opponents
 57:  MA 16388220 STEVEN ZIANG FENG R: 1262   -> 1297  Opponents
 68:  MA 16431367 QINGDONG MENG R: 1212P13-> 1235P22       Opponents
 82:  MA 16916580 YICONG LI R: 1170   -> 1198  Opponents

Section 7 - UNDER1200
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
 36:  MA 15433981 MICHELLE CHUDNOVSKY R:  885   -> 1099  Opponents
 38:  MA 12797751 JACK RICE R: 1024   -> 1090  Opponents
 47:  MA 16748230 MAHESHWARI PARIVALLAL R:  709   ->  874  Opponents
 71:  MA 16429325 RITHIKA KILARI R:  966   ->  968  Opponents
 92:  MA 16634247 CHRISTINE NGUYEN R:  971   ->  885  Opponents

Section 8 - UNDER900
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
 18:  MA 16959235 SANTHOSH AYYAPPAN R:  902   ->  919  Opponents
 20:  MA 16151483 AMY NGUYEN R:  834   ->  825  Opponents
 23:  MA 16959220 ANUSHKA AYYAPPAN R:  767   ->  782  Opponents
 50:  MA 16228992 ADHIRIT PRABHUGEE R:  665   ->  673  Opponents
 51:  MA 16773590 BRIAN LI R:  685P19->  673  Opponents
 53:  MA 16923000 CHRISTIAN Y LI R:  562   ->  655  Opponents

Section 9 - UNRATED
  #:  State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
  4:  MA 17090940 TAO LI R: Unrated-> 1259P9        Opponents

July 3rd, 2019

2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 1 of 5

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 3rd, 2019**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Bob Secino	1-0	Stephen Murray
Michael David	0-1	Arthur Allen
Ray Paulson	1-0	Jim Hankard
Roland Booker	0-1	Bruce Felton
Paul Godin	1-0	Bob Mathieu
John Bastarache	0-1	George Mirijanian
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Don Briggs
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding	1-0	Brian Biglow
♔ Mark Wheeler	1-0	Ken Gurge
Alexander Venezia	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Brian Palaia	0-1	Mike Commisso
Jim Donahue	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Mike Densmore	0-1	Dave Couture
Total of 14 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ritvik Pulya, Kurtison MacWilliams, Richard Hubbard, Don Ostrowski,
Arthur Barlas, Tom Fratturelli and Keith Hamer.
♖ Not playing round 1 were Hugh McLaughlin, Raaga Pulya and Francis Scanlon.

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 3rd, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Secino, Allen, Paulson, Felton, Godin, Mirijanian, McNeilage, Brassard, Gladding, Venezia, Commisso, Donahue, Couture, Wheeler
0.5	Ri. Pulya, MacWilliams, Hubbard, Ostrowski, Barlas, Fratturelli, Hamer
0.0	Gurge, Murray, David, Hankard, Booker, Mathieu, Bastarache, Briggs, O'Rourke, Biglow, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Palaia, Gawboy, Scanlon, Densmore

Projected Round 2 Pairings for July 10th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Gladding vs. Secino
Board 2: Commisso vs. Paulson
Board 3: Felton vs. Venezia
Board 4: Couture vs. Godin
Board 5: Mirijanian vs. Donahue
Board 6: Brassard vs. Wheeler
Board 7: Ri. Pulya vs. Ostrowski
Board 8: Barlas vs. MacWilliams
Board 9: Fratturelli vs. Hubbard
Board 10: Gurge vs. O'Rourke
Board 11: Murray vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 12: R. McLaughlin vs. David
Board 13: Hankard vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 14: Biglow vs. Booker
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Bastarache
Board 16: Briggs vs. Densmore
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Bob Secino of Shrewsbury, visiting player Arthur Allen of Raleigh, North Carolina, formerly of Greenfield, Mass., and Brian Palaia of Oxford.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on July 10th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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July 3rd, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Harlow B. Daly Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Harlow B. Daly Memorial, which begins Wednesday, July 3,
in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:30 to 7 p.m., with Round 1 starting at 7:15 p.m.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for the Harlow B. Daly Memorial:
1	Ray Paulson	2005
2	Bruce Felton	2000
3	Roger Cappallo	1943
4	Paul Godin	1931
5	George Mirijanian	1923
6	Ralph McNeilage	1824
7	Ritvik Pulya	1819
8	Kurtison MacWilliams	1819
9	Gary Brassard	1817
10	Richard Hubbard	1794
11	Larry Gladding	1787
12	Don Ostrowski	1751
13	Ken Gurge	1746
14	Alexander Venezia	1721
15	Mike Commisso	1720
16	Jim Donahue	1716
17	Dave Couture	1700
18	Arthur Barlas	1668
19	Stephen Murray	1664
20	Michael David	1629
21	Jim Hankard	1623
22	Tom Fratturelli	1622
23	Roland Booker	1607
24	Mike Meehan	1601
25	Bob Mathieu	1480
26	John Bastarache	1457
27	Don Briggs	1445
28	Larry O'Rourke	1440
29	Brian Biglow	1424
30	Mark Wheeler	1423
31	Randy McLaughlin	1368
32	Keith Hamer	1354
33	Hugh McLaughlin	1210
34	Raaga Pulya	1151
35	Emily Gawboy	1116
36	Mike Densmore	453

July 1st 2019

Carissa Yip wins North American Girls Junior U20 Championship

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014, achieved another milestone in her chess career by winning the North American Girls Junior Under 20 Championship. held June 25-30 at the Charlotte Chess Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 15-year-old player from Andover, Mass. finished clear first with a score of 8.5-0.5 in a field of 25 girls. The victory gained Carissa her third Woman Grandmaster norm, which means that she is eligible to receive that title if the World Chess Federation (FIDE) approves the application that will be submitted on her behalf by the U.S. Chess Federation.
-George M

June 26th, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 7 of 7

Bruce Felton undefeated 2019 WCC Champ

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 26th, 2019**
Round 7 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Larry Gladding	0-1	Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Roger Cappallo	0-1	Paul Godin
Ralph McNeilage	0-0	Dave Couture, (game canceled)
Total of 4 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 26th, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 7 Rounds
Points	Players
6.5	Felton (champion)
6.0	Paulson (runner-up)
5.5	-----
5.0	-----
4.5	-----
4.0	-----
3.5	Godin, McNeilage
3.0	Gladding
2.5	-----
2.0	Cappallo, Pulya
1.5	-----
1.0	-----
0.5	Couture

A total of 5 players
gained 50 or more rating points:

The following players had rating increases of 50 or more points:
Don Ostrowski	+164
Michael David	+123
Bruce Felton	+86
Ralph McNeilage	+67
Mike Commisso	+61

A total of 3 players
reached new all time highs:

The following players achieved a new all-time high rating:
Bruce Felton	2000
Ralph McNeilage	1824
Don Ostrowski	1751

♔ 2019 WCC 'A' Championship PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st:	Bruce Felton of Fitchburg
2nd:	Ray Paulson of Lowell
3rd-4th:	Paul Godin of Bedford, Ralph McNeilage of Worcester

Congratulations to all!

Pictures from this year's WCC 'A' Championship tournament.

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Harlow B. Daly Memorial, begins Wednesday, July 3.
Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:00 p.m. on July 3rd in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7:00 p.m.

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June 26th, 2019

2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 7 of 7

4-way split tops 'B' group

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 26th, 2019**
Round 7 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
♖ Don Ostrowski	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
Jim Donahue	0-1	Gary Brassard
Richard Hubbard	0-1	♔ Mike Commisso
Ken Gurge	0-1	Alexander Venezia
Roland Booker	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Brian Biglow	0-1	Michael David
Stephen Murray	1-0	Arthur Barlas
Jim Hankard	1-0	Don Briggs
Kurtison MacWilliams	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Keith Hamer	0-1	Randy McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	1-0	Mike Densmore
Bob Mathieu	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 12 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♖ Not playing round 7 were Brett Kildahl, Andrew Jeselson, Larry O'Rourke, Steve Courtemanche, Paul Godin (filler),
John Bastarache, Raaga Pulya and Mike Meehan.

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 26th, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 7 Rounds
Points	Players
5.0	Mirijanian, Brassard, Commisso, Ostrowski
4.5	Kildahl, Venezia
4.0	Donahue, Murray, Fratturelli, David
3.5	Hubbard, Gurge, Booker, Hankard
3.0	Jeselson, O'Rourke, Biglow, MacWilliams
2.5	Barlas, Courtemanche, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
2.0	Godin, Mathieu, Briggs, Bastarache, Wheeler, Hamer
1.5	-----
1.0	H. McLaughlin, Pulya
0.5	Meehan
0.0	Densmore

♔ 2019 WCC 'B' Championship PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-4th:	George Mirijanian & Don Ostrowski, both of Fitchburg, Gary Brassard of Leominster, Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH
Top U1800:	Gary Brassard & Mike Commisso
Top U1600:	Don Ostrowski
Top U1400:	Kurtison MacWilliams of Lunenburg

Congratulations to all!

Pictures from this year's WCC 'B' Championship tournament.

2018-2019 year end statistical awards are now posted on the StatLeaders Page

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June 24th 2019

Geoff LePoer wins Summer Festival Swiss

Geoff LePoer of Westford scored 3.5 points out of a possible 4 to win the Summer Festival ("Kesajuhla") Swiss, aka Evert Siiskonen Memorial, on Sunday, June 23, at Saima Park in Fitchburg. The 1999 Wachusett Chess Club champion paved the way to victory in a 16-player unrated Game/15 tournament by defeating Class C-rated Harry Richardson of Leominster in round 1, drawing Class B-rated Alexander Venezia of Lunenburg in round 2, beating 2018 Wachusett CC co-champion Gary Brassard of Leominster in round 3, and then winning against Class A-rated Tom Zuppa of Billerica, who was leading the tournament with three straight wins, in round 4. Zuppa, whose last chess tournament was 16 years ago, tied for 2nd-4th place at 3-1 with Mike Commisso of Brookline, New Hampshire, and Angel Soto of Fitchburg.
-George M


Event: 		Summer Festival (Kesajuhla) SWISS 2019
Location: 	Saima Park, Fitchburg, MA
Event Date: 	2018-06-23
Chief TD: 	George Mirijanian
Non-rated
Time Control: G/15 d3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Pair | Player Name		Rating	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Total	|
 Num  | 				|  1	|  2	|  3	|  4	| 	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1  | Geoff LePoer		1915    |  W12  |  D11  |  W6   |  W2   |  3.5	| 1st 🐔
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   2  | Tom Zuppa		1870    |  W10  |  W14  |  W5   |  L1   |  3.0  | 2nd-4th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3  | Mike Commisso		1659    |  W16  |  L5   |  W11  |  W7   |  3.0  | 2nd-4th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   4  | Angel Soto		1444    |  W7   |  L6   |  W8   |  W11  |  3.0  | 2nd-4th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   5  | Paul Godin		1973    |  W9   |  W3   |  L2   |  D6   |  2.5  | 5th-6th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   6  | Gary Brassard 		1793    |  W13  |  W4   |  L1   |  D5   |  2.5  | 5th-6th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   7  | Bruce Felton		1914    |  L4   |  W13  |  W14  |  L3   |  2.0  | 7th-10th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   8  | Larry Gladding		1770    |  L14  |  W10  |  L4   |  W13  |  2.0  | 7th-10th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   9  | Bill Lonzo		1600    |  L5   |  W16  |  L10  |  W14  |  2.0  | 7th-10th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10  | Eduardo Valadares	1417    |  L2   |  L8   |  W9   |  W12  |  2.0  | 7th-10th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11  | Alexander Venezia	1719    |  W15  |  D1   |  L3   |  L4   |  1.5  | 11th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12  | Harry Richardson	1447    |  L1   |  W15  |  L13  |  L10  |  1.0  | 12th-16th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  13  | Randy McLaughlin	1363    |  L6   |  L7   |  W12  |  L8   |  1.0  | 12th-16th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  14  | Hugh McLaughlin		1275    |  W8   |  L2   |  L7   |  L9   |  1.0  | 12th-16th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  15  | Andrew Kiser		1088    |  L11  |  L12  |  W16  |  ---  |  1.0  | 12th-16th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  16  | Robin Venezia		1100    |  L3   |  L9   |  L15  |  bye  |  1.0  | 12th-16th
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 24th, 2019

George Mirijanian with Mikhail Tal, 1988

The legendary Mikhail Tal visits Boston in 1988
Tony Cortizas posted some photos of Tal's visit which may be viewed here.
Mikhail Tal & George Mirijanian	Mikhail Tal, George Mirijanian, XXX, Warren Pinches, Brad Ryan	Mikhail Tal, George Mirijanian & XXX

June 19th, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 6 of 7

Felton leads Paulson by 1/2 point,
no one else close in 'A' Championship

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 19th, 2019**
Round 6 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	1-0	Ralph McNeilage
Paul Godin	0-1	Ray Paulson
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Larry Gladding
Dave Couture	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Total of 4 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 19th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 6 Rounds
Points	Players
5.5	Felton
5.0	Paulson
4.5	-----
4.0	-----
3.5	McNeilage
3.0	Gladding
2.5	Godin
2.0	Cappallo, Pulya
1.5	-----
1.0	-----
0.5	Couture

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.

♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 6 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating	Roger Cappallo	Paul Godin	Ray Paulson	Bruce Felton	Ritvik Pulya	Larry Gladding	Ralph McNeilage	Dave Couture	Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003			0	0	1	0	0	1	2

Paul Godin 1973			0	0	1	0	1/2	1	2.5
Ray Paulson 1965	1	1		0		1	1	1	5
Bruce Felton 1914	1	1	1		1/2		1	1	5.5

Ritvik Pulya 1849	0	0		1/2		1	0	1/2	2

Larry Gladding 1770	1	1	0		0		0	1	3
Ralph McNeilage 1747	1	1/2	0	0	1	1		0	3.5
Dave Couture 1734	0	0	0	0	1/2	0	0		0.5

Projected Round 7 Pairings for June 26th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Gladding vs. Felton
Board 2: Paulson vs. Pulya
Board 3: Cappallo vs. Godin
McNeilage vs. Couture, (canceled)
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 7 on June 26th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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June 19th, 2019

2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 6 of 7

Ostrowski scores huge upset draw
to share 'B' lead with Mirijanian

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 19th, 2019**
Round 6 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
♖ Don Ostrowski	1/2-1/2	Brett Kildahl
George Mirijanian	1/2-1/2	Jim Donahue
Mike Commisso	1-0	Roland Booker
Gary Brassard	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Michael David	0-1	Richard Hubbard
Alexander Venezia	1-0	Jim Hankard
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Stephen Murray
Don Briggs	0-1	Larry O'Rourke
John Bastarache	0-1	Brian Biglow
Arthur Barlas	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Keith Hamer
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Kurtison MacWilliams
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Bob Mathieu
Total of 13 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving a half-point bye was Ken Gurge.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Andrew Jeselson, Steve Courtemanche, Paul Godin (filler),
Mike Meehan and Mike Densmore.

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 19th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 6 Rounds
Points	Players
4.5	Kildahl, Mirijanian, Ostrowski
4.0	Donahue, Brassard, Commisso
3.5	Hubbard, Gurge, Venezia, Booker
3.0	(Jeselson), Murray, Fratturelli, David, O'Rourke, Biglow
2.5	Barlas, (Courtemanche), Hankard
2.0	(Godin), Briggs, Bastarache, Wheeler, MacWilliams
1.5	R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
1.0	Mathieu, Hamer, H. McLaughlin, Pulya
0.5	(Meehan)
0.0	(Densmore)

Projected Round 7 Pairings for June 26th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 4: Ostrowski vs. Mirijanian
Board 5: Donahue vs. Brassard
Board 6: Hubbard vs. Commisso
Board 7: Gurge vs. Venezia
Board 8: Booker vs. Fratturelli
Board 9: O'Rourke vs. Murray
Board 10: Biglow vs. David
Board 11: Hankard vs. Barlas
Board 12: Hamer vs. Briggs
Board 13: MacWilliams vs. Bastarache
Board 14: R. McLaughlin vs. Wheeler
Board 15: Mathieu vs. Gawboy
Board 16: H. McLaughlin vs. Pulya
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new member Kurtison MacWilliams of Lunenburg.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 7 on June 26th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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June 19th 2019

EVERT SIISKONEN MEMORIAL CHESS TOURNAMENT

Sunday, June 23, 2019, at Finnish Center at Saima Park, 67 Scott Road, off Ashby State Road (Route 31), Fitchburg
Unrated tournament. No entry fee! Prizes for everyone! Game/15 3-second delay, score-keeping not required. BBQ chicken dinner to winner. Books & magazines to others. Registration: 9:30-10 a.m. in Finnish Center function hall. Round times:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m. 11:20 a.m., 12 noon
The tournament, which is part of the Finnish Center at Saima Park's Summer Festival ("Kesajuhla"), honors the memory of two-time Wachusett Chess Club champion Evert Siiskonen (1963 and 1966), a Finnish-born Fitchburg resident who is memorialized with a stone chess table at Saima Park.
For a complete schedule of activities at the Summer Festival, visit https://www.saima-park.org/
-George M

June 14th, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship update
Round 5 of 7

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 14th, 2019**
Round 5 of 7 Postponement Result
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Total of 1 board, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 14th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
4.5	Felton
4.0	Paulson
3.5	McNeilage
3.0	Gladding
2.5	Godin
2.0	-----
1.5	-----
1.0	Cappallo, Pulya
0.5	Couture

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.

♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 5 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating	Roger Cappallo	Paul Godin	Ray Paulson	Bruce Felton	Ritvik Pulya	Larry Gladding	Ralph McNeilage	Dave Couture	Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003			0	0	1	0	0		1

Paul Godin 1973				0	1	0	1/2	1	2.5
Ray Paulson 1965	1			0		1	1	1	4
Bruce Felton 1914	1	1	1		1/2			1	4.5

Ritvik Pulya 1849	0	0		1/2			0	1/2	1

Larry Gladding 1770	1	1	0				0	1	3
Ralph McNeilage 1747	1	1/2	0		1	1			3.5
Dave Couture 1734		0	0	0	1/2	0			0.5

June 12th, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 5 of 7

Bruce continues to dominate after 5 rounds

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 12th, 2019**
Round 5 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	0-1	Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson	1-0	Dave Couture
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Larry Gladding
Paul Godin	(postponed)	Ritvik Pulya
Total of 3 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 12th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
4.5	Felton
4.0	Paulson
3.5	McNeilage
3.0	Gladding
2.5	-----
2.0	-----
1.5	Godin
1.0	Cappallo, Pulya
0.5	Couture

Projected Round 6 Pairings for June 19th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Felton vs. McNeilage
Board 2: Godin vs. Paulson
Board 3: Pulya vs. Gladding
Board 4: Couture vs. Cappallo
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 6 on June 19th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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June 12th, 2019

2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 5 of 7

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 12th, 2019**
Round 5 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
♖ Roland Booker	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Michael David
Richard Hubbard	0-1	♔ Don Ostrowski
Andrew Jeselson	1-0	Jim Hankard
Paul Godin	0-1	♔ Gary Brassard
Stephen Murray	0-1	Ken Gurge
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Arthur Barlas
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Alexander Venezia
Mark Wheeler	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Bob Mathieu	0-1	John Bastarache
Mike Densmore	0-1	Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 12 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Paul Godin played as a filler. Receiving half-point byes were Jim Donahue, Mike Commisso and Don Briggs.
♖ Not playing round 5 were Keith Hamer and Raaga Pulya.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were was Steve Courtemanche, Mike Meehan had already withdrawn from the event.
♗ Requesting a bye for Round 6 is Gurge.

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 12th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
4.0	Kildahl, Mirijanian, Ostrowski
3.5	Donahue, Booker
3.0	Jeselson, Gurge, Brassard, Commisso, Fratturelli, David
2.5	Hubbard, Venezia, (Courtemanche), Hankard
2.0	(Godin), Murray, Briggs, Bastarache, Wheeler, O'Rourke, Biglow
1.5	Barlas, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
1.0	Hamer, H. McLaughlin, Pulya
0.5	(Meehan)
0.0	Mathieu, Densmore

Projected Round 6 Pairings for June 19th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 5: Ostrowski vs. Kildahl
Board 6: Mirijanian vs. Donahue
Board 7: Jeselson vs. Booker
Board 8: Brassard vs. Fratturelli
Board 9: David vs. Commisso
Board 10: Venezia vs. Hubbard
Board 11: Hankard vs. Murray
Board 12: Briggs vs. Wheeler
Board 13: Bastarache vs. O'Rourke
Board 14: Biglow vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Barlas
Board 16: H. McLaughlin vs. Hamer
Board 17: Pulya vs. Mathieu
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Mike Densmore of Chelmsford, rated 453P6, currently his all-time high.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 6 on June 19th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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June 10th, 2019

Revised projected Round 5 Pairings for WCC 'A' Championship

Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 12th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Cappallo vs. Felton
Board 2: Paulson vs. Couture
Board 3: McNeilage vs. Gladding
Postponed: Godin vs. Pulya (June 14 or 15)
Round 6 - June 19
Felton vs. McNeilage
Godin vs. Paulson
Pulya vs. Gladding
Couture vs. Cappallo
Before Round 7 is played on June 26th, McNeilage has to play Couture
Round 7 games on June 26th
Gladding vs. Felton
Cappallo vs. Godin
Paulson vs. Pulya
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

June 10th 2019

Murray, Ostrowski tie for first in Billiards Cafe June Quad

Stephen Murray of Ayer and Don Ostrowski of Fitchburg, two of the Wachusett Chess Club's most active players, tied for 1st place in the Billiards Cafe June Quad, held Sunday, June 9, at the Billiards Cafe in Ayer. The quick-rated (G/25) event saw both players score 2-1, finishing ahead of fellow Wachusett CC players Jim Hankard of Antrim, NH and Michael David of Groton, both of whom ended up with 1-2 tallies. In some individual encounters, Ostrowski beat Murray, while Hankard defeated David and David downed Ostrowski. The quad was directed by Larry Gladding of Leominster.
-George M

June 6th, 2019

ChessChat (Episode 142) - Ridvan Sakir Wins 88th Mass. Open (2019-06-03)

The latest episode, #142 of "Chess Chat" is now posted on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HNCc_r4Ars ChessChat (Episode 142) - Ridvan Sakir Wins 88th Mass. Open (2019-06-03)
[See this & other Chess Chat videos at Dave Couture's YouTube channel.]

June 5th, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 4 of 7

Felton in front after four

With four rounds finished & three more to go, Bruce Felton continues to lead the 2019 WCC 'A' Championship. After convincingly opening the tournament with three consecutive victories, Bruce was only slightly slowed by reaching a drawn opposite color bishop ending against Ritvik Pulya in their round 4 game. Ray Paulson & Larry Gladding are now each only a half point behind the leader, having won their games against Roger Cappallo & Dave Couture respectively. Paul Godin & Ralph McNeilage also drew their round 4 game.

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 5th, 2019**
Round 4 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Ritvik Pulya	1/2-1/2	Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson	1-0	Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin	1/2-1/2	Ralph McNeilage
Dave Couture	0-1	Larry Gladding
Total of 4 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, June 5th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
3.5	Felton
3.0	Paulson, Gladding
2.5	McNeilage
2.0	-----
1.5	Godin
1.0	Cappallo, Pulya
0.5	Couture

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.

♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 4 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating	Roger Cappallo	Paul Godin	Ray Paulson	Bruce Felton	Ritvik Pulya	Larry Gladding	Ralph McNeilage	Dave Couture	Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003			0		1	0	0		1

Paul Godin 1973				0		0	1/2	1	1.5
Ray Paulson 1965	1			0		1	1		3
Bruce Felton 1914		1	1		1/2			1	3.5

Ritvik Pulya 1849	0			1/2			0	1/2	1

Larry Gladding 1770	1	1	0					1	3
Ralph McNeilage 1747	1	1/2	0		1				2.5
Dave Couture 1734		0		0	1/2	0			0.5

Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 12th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Gladding vs. Felton
Board 2: Paulson vs. Pulya
Board 3: McNeilage vs. Couture
Board 4: Cappallo vs. Godin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on June 12th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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June 5th, 2019

2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 4 of 7

Big upset in 'B' Championship puts Mirijanian in front

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 5th, 2019**
Round 4 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
♔ George Mirijanian	1-0	Brett Kildahl
Jim Donahue	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Gary Brassard	0-1	Michael David
Mike Commisso	1/2-1/2	Steve Courtemanche
Stephen Murray	0-1	Roland Booker
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Richard Hubbard
John Bastarache	0-1	Andrew Jeselson
Ken Gurge	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Alexander Venezia	1/2-1/2	Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Don Briggs
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	♔ Emily Gawboy
Total of 11 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Jim Hankard, Arthur Barlas and Randy McLaughlin.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Keith Hamer and Raaga Pulya.
♟ Mike Meehan had already withdrawn from the tournament.

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 5th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
3.5	Mirijanian
3.0	Kildahl, Donahue, Booker, David, Ostrowski
2.5	Hubbard, Courtemanche, Commisso, Hankard
2.0	Jeselson, Gurge, Brassard, Murray, Fratturelli
1.5	Barlas, Venezia, Briggs, Wheeler, Biglow, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
1.0	Bastarache, O'Rourke, Hamer, Pulya
0.5	(Meehan)
0.0	H. McLaughlin

Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 12th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 5: Booker vs. Mirijanian
Board 6: Kildahl vs. Donahue
Board 7: Ostrowski vs. David
Board 8: Hubbard vs. Commisso
Board 9: Jeselson vs. Hankard
Board 10: Murray vs. Gurge
Board 11: Fratturelli vs. Brassard
Board 12: Wheeler vs. Barlas
Board 13: R. McLaughlin vs. Venezia
Board 14: Briggs vs. Gawboy
Board 15: Bastarache vs. Biglow
Board 16: O'Rourke vs. H. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on June 12th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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May 29th, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 3 of 7

Felton emerges as leader after 3 rounds

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 29th, 2019**
Round 3 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	1-0	Dave Couture
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	Ray Paulson
♔ Larry Gladding	1-0	Paul Godin
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 29th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Felton
2.5	----
2.0	Paulson, Gladding, McNeilage
1.5	----
1.0	Cappallo, Godin
0.5	Pulya, Couture

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.

♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 3 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating	Roger Cappallo	Paul Godin	Ray Paulson	Bruce Felton	Ritvik Pulya	Larry Gladding	Ralph McNeilage	Dave Couture	Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003					1	0	0		1

Paul Godin 1973				0		0		1	1
Ray Paulson 1965				0		1	1		2
Bruce Felton 1914		1	1					1	3

Ritvik Pulya 1849	0						0	1/2	0.5

Larry Gladding 1770	1	1	0						2
Ralph McNeilage 1747	1		0		1				2
Dave Couture 1734		0		0	1/2				0.5

Projected Round 4 Pairings for June 5th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Pulya vs. Felton
Board 2: Paulson vs. Cappallo
Board 3: Godin vs. McNeilage
Board 4: Couture vs. Gladding
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on June 5th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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May 29th, 2019

2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 3 of 7

**WCC 'B' Championship, May 29th, 2019**
Round 3 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Gary Brassard
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Stephen Murray
George Mirijanian	1-0	Richard Hubbard
♔ Jim Hankard	1-0	Ken Gurge
Michael David	1-0	Alexander Venezia
Don Briggs	0-1	Michael Commisso
Roland Booker	1-0	Keith Hamer
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Arthur Barlas	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Randy McLaughlin
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 12 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Jim Donahue and Steve Courtemanche.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Andrew Jeselson, Mike Meehan, Mike Stevens,
Jhojan Segura, Dillon Motyka and Tyler Bedard.

**WCC 'B' Championship, May 29th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Kildahl
2.5	Mirijanian, Donahue, Ostrowski
2.0	Brassard, Courtemanche, Murray, Commisso, Booker, Fratturelli, Hankard, David
1.5	Hubbard
1.0	Gurge, Barlas, Venezia, Briggs, Bastarache, Wheeler, O'Rourke, Biglow, Hamer, R. McLaughlin, Pulya
0.5	(Meehan), Gawboy
0.0	H. McLaughlin

Projected Round 4 Pairings for June 5th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
5     George Mirijanian (2.5)     Brett Kildahl (3.0)
6     Jim Donahue (2.5)     Don Ostrowski (2.5)
7     Gary Brassard (2.0)     Jim Hankard (2.0)
8     Michael Commisso (2.0)     Michael David (2.0)
9     Tom Fratturelli (2.0)     Roland Booker (2.0)
10     Ken Gurge (1.0)         Richard Hubbard (1.5)
11     Keith Hamer (1.0)     Arthur Barlas (1.0)
12     Alexander Venezia (1.0)     Larry O'Rourke (1.0)
13     Brian Biglow (1.0)          Don Briggs (1.0)
14     John Bastarache (1.0)     Raaga Pulya (1.0)
15     Randy McLaughlin (1.0)     Mark Wheeler (1.0)
16     Hugh McLaughlin (0.0)       Emily Gawboy (0.5)
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Steve Courtemanche will be paired if he shows up for Round 4. He has used up his (maximum number of) two byes.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes back Alexander Venezia of Lunenburg, who last played at the club in the Harlow B. Daly Memorial on August 2, 2017.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on June 5th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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May 28th 2019

Wachusett CC players competing in 88th Massachusetts Open

The 88th Massachusetts Open (state championship) got under way Saturday morning, May 25, at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center. Among the participants are five players from the Wachusett Chess Club: Brett Kildahl, the highest-rated player at the Wachusett CC, who is competing in the FIDE-rated Championship section; Ray Paulson & Gary Brassard in the Under 2100 section, and Roland Booker and Michael David, who are playing in the Under 1800 section. The tournament continued through Sunday and Monday, with a new state champion, Ridvan Sakir, who scored 5.5/6, being crowned Monday evening. The championship will be the subject of the next edition of "Chess Chat," produced by the Wachusett CC for Fitchburg Access Television (FATV), to be seen on Monday evening, June 3, at 7 p.m., via live streaming at www.fatv.org

Hosts George Mirijanian and Dave Couture will present a game from the championship. The program will be presented on Wednesday, June 5, at 6:40 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University, prior to the start of Round 4 of the 2019 Wachusett Chess Club Championship.
-George M

Other noteworthy Mass Open activities included:
Brett Kildahl beat GM Alexander Ivanov in round 1,
Ray Paulson finished undefeated with a score of 4.0/6
& both Michael David & Rob King competed in the Mass Open Blitz event which was held on Sunday night.
Below are their rating updates for the five WCC members who competed in this year's Mass Open Championship Tournament.

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Tuesday May 28, 2019 88th Mass Open Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12924445: BRETT KILDAHL	2019-05-27	88TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	1: CHAMPIONSHIP	2160 => 2179	Exp
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON	2019-05-27	88TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	2: UNDER 2100	1955 => 1965	A
11156665: GARY BRASSARD	2019-05-27	88TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	2: UNDER 2100	1725 => 1793	B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID	2019-05-27	88TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	3: UNDER 1800	1598 => 1607	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2019-05-27	88TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	3: UNDER 1800	1600 => 1600	B

May 22nd, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 2 of 7

Improbable results continue in WCC 'A' Championship

After two rounds and two additional upsets, the results of the 2019 WCC 'A' Championship have become increasingly unpredictable. Tonight's action included a small (59 point) upset at board 1 by Bruce Felton (1914) over Paul Godin (1973) & a major upset of 246 points by Ralph McNeilage over Roger Cappallo. These results combined with Ray Paulson's defeat of Larry Gladding at board 2 & a board 4 draw between Ritvik Pulya (1949) & Dave Couture (1734) left 2-time WCC Champ, Bruce Felton & relative newcomer, Ralph McNeilage leading the group by a full point. With 5 more rounds to go & several important matches yet to be played, practically anything is possible, but so far the most likely scenario is that predictions based on ratings alone are best taken with a grain of salt.

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 22nd, 2019**
Round 2 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	0-1	Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson	1-0	Larry Gladding
Roger Cappallo	0-1	♔ Ralph McNeilage
Ritvik Pulya	1/2-1/2	Dave Couture
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 22nd, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Felton, McNeilage
1.5	----
1.0	Godin, Paulson, Gladding
0.5	Pulya, Couture
0.0	Cappallo

Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 29th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Felton vs. Couture
Board 2: McNeilage vs. Paulson
Board 3: Gladding vs. Godin
Board 4: Cappallo vs. Pulya
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on May 29th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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May 22nd, 2019

2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 2 of 7

**WCC 'B' Championship, May 22nd, 2019**
Round 2 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Mike Commisso	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Gary Brassard	1-0	Roland Booker
Jim Donahue	1-0	Michael David
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Stephen Murray
Mike Meehan	0-1	George Mirijanian
Richard Hubbard	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Ken Gurge	1-0	Mark Wheeler
♖ Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Arthur Barlas
Jim Hankard	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Don Briggs
John Bastarache	1/2-1/2	♖ Emily Gawboy
Total of 11 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), 2 upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Steve Courtemanche, Don Ostrowski, Andrew Jeselson, Mike Stevens,
Keith Hamer and Raaga Pulya.
♖ Not playing round 2 were Jhohan Segura, Dillon Motyka and Tyler Bedard.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Geoff LePoer and Bryce McLaughlin.

**WCC 'B' Championship, May 22nd, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Kildahl, Brassard, Donahue, Murray
1.5	Mirijanian, Hubbard, Courtemanche, Ostrowski
1.0	Jeselson, Gurge, Commisso, Booker, Fratturelli, Hankard, David, Stevens, Briggs, Hamer, Pulya
0.5	Barlas, Meehan, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Biglow, Gawboy
0.0	Wheeler, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Segura, Motyka, Bedard

Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 29th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 5: Kildahl vs. Donahue
Board 6: Murray vs. Brassard
Board 7: Mirijanian vs. Courtemanche
Board 8: Ostrowski vs. Hubbard
Board 9: Jeselson vs. Hankard
Board 10: Stevens vs. Gurge
Board 11: David vs. Commisso
Board 12: Booker vs. Hamer
Board 13: Briggs vs. Fratturelli
Board 14: Barlas vs. Pulya
Board 15: O'Rourke vs. Meehan
Board 16: Biglow vs. Bastarache
Board 17: Gawboy vs. Wheeler
Board 18: R. McLaughlin vs. Segura
Board 19: Motyka vs. H. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new member Richard Hubbard of Hollis, NH, rated 1822.
Richard will be playing in the club championship "B" Division.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on May 29th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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May 21st 2019

Wachusett Chess Club USCF-Rated Blitz Players

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ WCC USCF-Rated Blitz Players ratings
1	Brett Kildahl	2170
2	Paul Godin	1990
3	Roger Cappallo	1890
4	Andrew Jeselson	1889
5	Larry Gladding	1877
6	Geoff LePoer	1874
7	Ray Paulson	1855
8	Dave Kochman	1850
9	Gary Brassard	1799
10	Mike Lally	1772
11	Dave Couture	1757
12	Ken Gurge	1756
13	Mike Commisso	1754
14	Arthur Barlas	1692
15	Stephen Murray	1685
16	Jim Hankard	1660
17	Mike Meehan	1656
18	Michael David	1621
19	Bruce Felton	1599
20	Ed Harris	1591
21	Don Ostrowski	1564
22	Dave Thomas	1545
23	Randy McLaughlin	1364
24	Larry O'Rourke	1332
25	Hugh McLaughlin	1202
26	Emily Gawboy	808

May 20th 2019

Kildahl wins Billiards Cafe Spring Blitz Tournament

Brett Kildahl won the Billiards Cafe Spring Blitz Tournament on Sunday evening, May 19, at the Billiards Cafe at 39 Main St. in downtown Ayer, Mass. In a 10-player, USCF-rated round-robin Game/5 event, the Worcester player scored 8.5-0.5 to finish first. Finishing as runner-up and winning 2nd-place prize money was Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH, who tallied 6-3. Taking 3rd place with a 5.5-3.5 result was Dave Couture of Westminster, while Ray Paulson of Lowell captured 4th place with a score of 4.5-4.5.

The tournament, which drew only Wachusett Chess Club players, was directed by USCF-certified Senior TD Larry Gladding of Leominster and organized by Michael David of Groton.
-George M

Pictures from the Billiards Cafe Spring Blitz tournament.

Below are their rating updates for the ten WCC members who competed.

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Monday May 20, 2019 Billiards Cafe Spring Blitz Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12924445: BRETT KILDAHL	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	2160 (P10) => 2170 (P19)	New
10011965: ROGER CAPPALLO	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1978 (P17) => 1890	A
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1893 => 1855	A
12413721: DAVE COUTURE	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1722 => 1757	B
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1652 => 1754	B
16752964: STEPHEN MURRAY	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1664 (P10) => 1685 (P19)	New
12222200: JAMES HANKARD	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1677 => 1660	B
12758321: MICHAEL MEEHAN	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1630 => 1656	B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1599 => 1621	B
12420184: DON OSTROWSKI	2019-05-19	BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)	1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT	1587 (P10) => 1564 (P19)	New

May 17th 2019

Billiards Cafe to host rated blitz tournament this Sunday, May 19

This Sunday, May 19, 2019, at 6:30 pm, the Billiards Cafe at 39 Main St., Ayer, MA will host a USCF blitz rated blitz tournament organized by Michael David & directed by Larry Gladding.
Format: G 5/0 Round-Robin
Entry Fee: $10
Prize Pool: 1st 80%, 2nd 20% (net of USCF fees)
Tournament Director: Larry Gladding
Tournament Organizer: Michael David
Registered Players:
1. Dave Couture
2. Stephen Murray
3. Roger Cappallo
4. Michael David
5. Mike Commisso
6. Don Ostrowski
7. Jim Hankard
8. Brett Kildahl
9. Ray Paulson
Potential Late Walk-ins: Don Briggs, Paul Godin, Andrew Jeselson, Mike Meehan, Larry Gladding (as an alternate player)
Dinner Options: Billiards Cafe has pizza and sandwiches with a full bar. Food and drink cannot be brought to the Cafe, but if you want some other pre-tournament choices:
Cottage Restaurant and Subway are across the street. If you go south on Main St to the rotary (approx. 1 mile) you'll find a Wendy's, McDonald's, and Taco Bell. If you are coming from points West and South you'll pass through the rotary coming off Rte 2 on your way to the Billiards Cafe.
Larry and I will be at the Billiards Cafe roughly an hour ahead of time for set-up and preparation of the tournament.
-MD
Call Mike David at 978-877-2322 if you are running late, but don't run too late or the train will leave the station.

May 15th, 2019

2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 1 of 7

Unexpected results in Championship opener

Of the four games comprising this year's 'A' WCC Championship, three ended in some form of upset. At board 1, Larry Gladding, rated 1770 accomplished a major upset of 233 points by defeating his USCF rated expert rival Roger Cappallo, who is the defending co-champ & the highest rated player in the section at 2003. Board 3 saw 1914 rated Bruce Felton defeat 1955 rated Ray Paulson. At board 4, Ralph McNeilage (1757) beat Ritvik Pulya (1849).

The only result predicted by ratings was 1973 rated Paul Godin's win over 1734 rated Dave Couture at board 2 in a tough game which could well have ended with any possible outcome. While the 8 contestants span a rating range of 269 points, it's easy to see that the 2019 WCC 'A' Championship round robin tournament will likely include many hotly contested games.

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 15th, 2019**
Round 1 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
♔ Larry Gladding	1-0	Roger Cappallo
Dave Couture	0-1	Paul Godin
Bruce Felton	1-0	Ray Paulson
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 15th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Godin, Felton, Gladding, McNeilage
0.5	----
0.0	Cappallo, Paulson, Pulya, Couture

Projected Round 2 Pairings for May 22nd:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Godin vs. Felton
Board 2: Paulson vs. Gladding
Board 3: Cappallo vs. McNeilage
Board 4: Pulya vs. Couture

May 15th, 2019

2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 1 of 7

**WCC 'B' Championship, May 15th, 2019**
Round 1 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Jim Hankard
♔ Michael David	1-0	Ken Gurge
Arthur Barlas	0-1	♔ Don Ostrowski
Don Briggs	0-1	Gary Brassard
Steve Courtemanche	1-0	John Bastarache
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Jim Donahue
Stephen Murray	1-0	Brian Biglow
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Mike Commisso
Roland Booker	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Total of 10 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Andrew Jeselson, Geoff LePoer, George Mirijanian, Mike Stevens,
Larry O'Rourke, Keith Hamer and Raaga Pulya.
♖ Not playing round 1 were Bryce McLaughlin, Jhojan Segura, Dillon Motyka and Tyler Bedard.

**WCC 'B' Championship, May 15th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Round
Points	Players
1.0	Kildahl, Brassard, Courtemanche, Donahue, Murray, Commisso, Booker, Fratturelli, David, Ostrowski
0.5	Jeselson, LePoer, Mirijanian, Stevens, O'Rourke, Hamer, Pulya
0.0	Gurge, Barlas, Hankard, Briggs, Bastarache, Wheeler, Biglow, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Segura, Motyka, Bedard

Projected Round 2 Pairings for May 22nd:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 5: Commisso vs. Kildahl
Board 6: Brassard vs. Booker
Board 7: Donahue vs. David
Board 8: Fratturelli vs. Murray
Board 9: Stevens vs. Jeselson
Board 10: LePoer vs. O'Rourke
Board 11: Hamer vs. Mirijanian
Board 12: Gurge vs. Pulya
Board 13: H. McLaughlin vs. Barlas
Board 14: Hankard vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 15: B. McLaughlin vs. Briggs
Board 16: Bastarache vs. Gawboy
Board 17: Segura vs. Wheeler
Board 18: Biglow vs. Bedard
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 2 are Courtemanche and Ostrowski. Motyka will be paired if he appears for the round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on May 22nd.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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May 13th, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Wachusett Chess Club "B" Division Championship tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Wachusett Chess Club "B" Division Championship.
The championship begins Wednesday, May 15th, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:30 to 7 p.m., with Round 1 getting under way at 7:15 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for the 2019 Wachusett Chess Club "B" Division Championship:
1	Brett Kildahl	2160
2	Andrew Jeselson	1927
3	Geoff LePoer	1915
4	George Mirijanian	1912
5	Dave Kochman	1901
6	Mike Lally	1894
7	Ken Gurge	1788
8	Arthur Barlas	1737
9	Gary Brassard	1725
10	Joe Bennett	1721
11	Dave Thomas	1701
12	Ed Harris	1700
13	Jim Donahue	1696
14	Stephen Murray	1664
15	Mike Commisso	1659
16	Vince Premus	1639
17	Roland Booker	1620
18	Tom Fratturelli	1616
19	Mike Meehan	1607
20	Bill Burke	1604
21	Jim Hankard	1600
22	Michael David	1598
23	Don Ostrowski	1587
24	Alan Condon	1586
25	Mike Stevens	1505
26	Bob Mathieu	1491
27	Don Briggs	1485
28	John Bastarache	1473
29	Mark Wheeler	1424
30	Larry O'Rourke	1424
31	Brian Biglow	1400
32	Keith Hamer	1379
33	Randy McLaughlin	1363
34	Hugh McLaughlin	1275
35	Raaga Pulya	1230
36	Bryce McLaughlin	1169
37	Emily Gawboy	1092
38	Jhojan Segura	1026
39	Dillon Motyka	1007
40	Tyler Bedard	624

May 13th 2019

Wachusett CC's Dave Couture ties for 1st in U1750 section of Bennington Spring Open

Dave Couture, an entrant in this year's Wachusett Chess Club Championship ("A" Division), tied for first place in the Under 1750 section of the Bennington Spring Open on Saturday, May 11, at the Bennington Free Library in Vermont. The longtime WCC member from Westminster scored 3-1 (two wins, one draw, a half-point bye in round 1) to share top honors in the section with Vermont Class B players Michael Corrigan (whom he drew in the final round) and Michael Burns. Winning the Open section with a perfect 4-0 tally was 63-year-old GM Alexander Ivanov of Newton, Mass. The three-section tournament drew 33 players and was organized by Parker Montgomery of Middlebury, Vermont, who played at the Wachusett CC in the years 2006-2008.
-George M

May 11th, 2019

2019 WCC "A" Championship pairings announced

Lineup for the Wachusett CC "A" Championship
due to start Wednesday, May 15.
The following players are officially expected to compete for the 2019 "A" Championship club crown:
Roger Cappallo (2003), Paul Godin (1973), Ray Paulson (1955), Bruce Felton (1914),
Ritvik Pulya (1849), Larry Gladding (1770), Ralph McNeilage (1757), and Dave Couture (1717).

♔ 2019 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship Contestants: ♔


Player	Rating	WCC History	Pairing #

Roger Cappallo	2003	co-champ: 2016, 2018 (Current)	3
Paul Godin	1973	Champ: 1967, Quick: 2015, 2016 (Current)	1
Ray Paulson	1955	Champ: 2017, co-champ 2016	2
Bruce Felton	1914	Champ: 2004, co-champ 2005, Quick: 2006, 2009, Blitz: 2013	6
Ritvik Pulya	1849	2nd-8th Martin Laine Memorial, 2019	8
Larry Gladding	1770	Champ: 2009 co-champ 1992, 1998	5
Ralph McNeilage	1757	2nd-8th Martin Laine Memorial, 2019	4
Dave Couture	1717	Martin Laine Mem: 2018	7

In keeping with a long standing tradition of the Wachusett Chess Club, dating back to the Summer of 2014,
duplicate score sheets will be distributed to all players in the Championship Section.
A copy of each player's score sheet must be handed in at the end of each round.
(Note: This is covered in Rule 15G of the USCF Official Rules of Chess.)
Game scores will not be posted (in the Games Section) until all championship games are completed.

♔ 2019 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship: ♔

Schedule of Rounds

Current WCC co-Champs

2018 WCC co-Champs,
Roger Cappallo & Gary Brassard

Round 1 - May 15, 2019:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: (5) Gladding vs. (3) Cappallo
Board 2: (4) Couture vs. (1) Godin
Board 3: (6) Felton vs. (2) Paulson
Board 4: (7) McNeilage vs. (8) R. Pulya

8 Previous WCC Champs

King, Felton, Godin, Cappallo,
Gladding, Mirijanian, Paulson, Hacker

Round 2 - May 22, 2015:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: (8) R. Pulya vs. (4) Couture
Board ?: (1) Godin vs. (6) Felton
Board ?: (2) Paulson vs. (5) Gladding
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (7) McNeilage

Round 3 - May 29, 2019:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (8) R. Pulya
Board ?: (7) McNeilage vs. (2) Paulson
Board ?: (5) Gladding vs. (1) Godin
Board ?: (6) Felton vs. (4) Couture

Round 4 - June 5, 2019:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: (8) R. Pulya vs. (6) Felton
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (5) Gladding
Board ?: (1) Godin vs. (7) McNeilage
Board ?: (2) Paulson vs. (3) Cappallo

Round 5 - June 12, 2019:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: (2) Paulson vs. (8) R. Pulya
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (1) Godin
Board ?: (7) McNeilage vs. (4) Couture
Board ?: (5) Gladding vs. (6) Felton

Round 6 - June 19, 2019:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: (8) R. Pulya vs. (5) Gladding
Board ?: (6) Felton vs. (7) McNeilage
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (3) Cappallo
Board ?: (1) Godin vs. (2) Paulson

Round 7 (final) - June 26, 2019:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: (1) Godin  vs. (8) R. Pulya
Board ?: (2) Paulson vs. (4) Couture
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (6) Felton
Board ?: (7) McNeilage vs. (5) Gladding

May 8th, 2019

2019 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 4 of 4

Brett clear first with big 4-0 finish

**Martin Laine Memorial, May 8th, 2019**
Round 4 of 4 Results
White	Result	Black
Geoff LePoer	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Ken Gurge	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Arthur Barlas	0-1	Paul Godin
Stephen Murray	0-1	Andrew Jeselson
Bruce Felton	1-0	Jim Hankard
Roland Booker	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Jim Donahue	0-1	♔ Michael David
Mike Stevens	0-1	Larry Gladding
Gary Brassard	0-1	♔ Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Dave Couture
Don Ostrowski	0-1	♔ Hugh McLaughlin
John Bastarache	1/2-1/2	Mark Wheeler
Keith Hamer	1/2-1/2	Randy McLaughlin
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Brian Biglow
Total of 14 boards, 3 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 4 were Ritvik Pulya, George Mirijanian, Ray Paulson, Tom Fratturelli, Mike Commisso,
Larry O'Rourke, Steve Courtemanche, Raaga Pulya, Tyler Bedard and Jhojan Segura.

**Martin Laine Memorial, May 8th, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
4.0	Kildahl
3.5	-----
3.0	Cappallo, Godin, Jeselson, Felton, Ri. Pulya, McNeilage, David
2.5	LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge
2.0	Gladding, Couture, Barlas, Hankard, Murray, Booker, Briggs, H. McLaughlin
1.5	Paulson, Donahue, Fratturelli, Stevens, Bastarache, Wheeler
1.0	Brassard, Commisso, Ostrowski, Biglow, O'Rourke, Hamer, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5	Courtemanche, Ra. Pulya
0.0	B. McLaughlin, Bedard, Segura

♔ 2019 Martin Laine Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: ♔	Brett Kildahl of Worcester
2nd-8th:	Roger Cappallo of Groton, Paul Godin of Bedford, Andrew Jeselson of Leominster, Bruce Felton of Fitchburg, Ritvik Pulya of Acton, Ralph McNeilage of Worcester, Michael David of Groton
Top U1850:	Ritvik Pulya of Acton and Ralph McNeilage of Worcester
Top U1650:	Michael David of Groton
Top U1450:	Hugh McLaughlin of Groton

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:

The following players had a rating increase of 50 or more points:
Michael David	+ 100
Ritvik Pulya	+ 77
Hugh McLaughlin	+ 59

Only 1 player
reached a new all time high:

The following players achieved a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya	1849

Pictures from this year's Martin Laine Memorial tournament.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 5/8/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2003	2102	Can. Master	39	28	5	6	31.0	.795
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1973	2020	1st Cat.	42	31	7	4	33.0	.786
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1955	2085	Can. Master	34	23	7	4	25.0	.735
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1914	1971	1st Cat.	22	13	4	5	15.5	.705
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1849	1745	3rd Cat.	34	19	8	7	22.5	.662
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1757	1787	3rd Cat.	22	13	7	2	14.0	.636
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1770	1953	1st Cat.	41	23	13	5	25.5	.622
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1717	1858	1st Cat.	37	20	12	5	22.5	.608
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1788	1856	2nd Cat.	41	21	14	6	24.0	.585
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1659	1770	2nd Cat.	38	19	13	6	22.0	.579
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1725	1904	1st Cat.	42	20	14	8	24.0	.571
DAVID THOMAS	Fitchburg	1701	1837	2nd Cat.	27	14	11	2	15.0	.556
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1664	1670	none	30	15	13	2	16.0	.533
MICHAEL DAVID	Groton	1598	1623	3rd Cat.	41	19	18	4	21.0	.512

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Wachusett CC Championship,
both "A" and "B" Divisions, will begin Wednesday, May 15th.
Players must be present by 7 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

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May 6th 2019

Five WCC players compete in 29th Mass G/60 Championship

Five WCC members competed in the 29th Mass G/60 Championship held this Sunday, May 5th in Westford.
Here are their rating updates.

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Monday May 6th, 29th Mass G/60 Championship< Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12763343: GEOFFREY LEPOER	2019-05-05	29TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)	1: OPEN	1911 => 1910	A
11156665: GARY BRASSARD	2019-05-05	29TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)	2: U2000	1800 => 1774	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2019-05-05	29TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)	3: U1800	1600 => 1600	B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD	2019-05-05	29TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)	3: U1800	1600 => 1600	B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID	2019-05-05	29TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)	3: U1800	1565 => 1498	C

May 1st, 2019

2019 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 3 of 4

**Martin Laine Memorial, May 1st, 2019**
Round 3 of 4 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Bruce Felton
Andrew Jeselson	0-1	♔ Ritvik Pulya
Geoff LePoer	1-0	Jim Hankard
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	George Mirijanian
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Mike Stevens
Paul Godin	1-0	Mike Commisso
Larry Gladding	0-1	♔ Roland Booker
♔ Michael David	1-0	Gary Brassard
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	John Bastarache
Don Briggs	0-1	Arthur Barlas
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Stephen Murray
Dave Couture	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue	1-0	Keith Hamer
Brian Biglow	0-1	♕ Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Tyler Bedard
Total of 15 boards, 4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ken Gurge, Larry O'Rourke and Raaga Pulya.
♖ Not playing round 3 were Bryce McLaughlin and Jhojan Segura.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Ray Paulson, Dave Kochman, Mike Lally, Ed Harris,
Steve Courtemanche and Dillon Motyka.

**Martin Laine Memorial, May 1st, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Kildahl, Ri. Pulya
2.5	LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge
2.0	Cappallo, Godin, Jeselson, Felton, McNeilage, Barlas, Hankard, Murray, Booker, David
1.5	(Paulson), Donahue, Fratturelli, Stevens
1.0	Gladding, Brassard, Couture, Commisso, Ostrowski, Bastarache, Briggs, Wheeler, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5	(Courtemanche), Hamer, Ra. Pulya
0.0	Biglow, B. McLaughlin, Bedard, Segura

Projected Round 4 Pairings for May 8th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Ri. Pulya vs. Kildahl
Board 2: Mirijanian vs. LePoer
Board 3: Gurge vs. Cappallo
Board 4: Barlas vs. Godin
Board 5: Murray vs. Jeselson
Board 6: Felton vs. Hankard
Board 7: Booker vs. McNeilage
Board 8: Donahue vs. David
Board 9: Stevens vs. Fratturelli
Board 10: Basttarache vs. Gladding
Board 11: Brassard vs. Wheeler
Board 12: O'Rourke vs. Couture
Board 13: Ostrowski vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 14: Gawboy vs. Briggs
Board 15: Hamer vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 16: Bedard vs. Biglow
Board 17: Segura vs. B. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 5/1/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1980	2020	1st Cat.	41	30	7	4	32.0	.780
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2012	2102	Can. Master	38	27	5	6	30.0	.789
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1952	2085	Can. Master	34	23	7	4	25.0	.735
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1808	1953	1st Cat.	40	22	13	5	24.5	.613
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1768	1856	2nd Cat.	40	21	13	6	24.0	.600
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1800	1904	1st Cat.	41	20	13	8	24.0	.585
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1772	1745	3rd Cat.	34	19	8	7	22.5	.662
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1661	1770	2nd Cat.	38	19	13	6	22.0	.579
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1746	1858	1st Cat.	36	19	12	5	21.5	.597
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1905	1971	1st Cat.	21	12	4	5	14.5	.690
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1748	1787	3rd Cat.	21	12	7	2	13.0	.619

WCC: Biographies

Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot	Qualified by GPP	Qualified by Pct.	Qualified, not yet eligible	Eligible, not yet qualified

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on May 8th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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April 27th, 2019

2019 Martin Laine Memorial Rd 1

Hey guys,
Check out my video about last Wednesday's game against Gary Brassard: https://youtu.be/O8aDTXCCOQ0
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

April 24th, 2019

2019 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 2 of 4

**Martin Laine Memorial, April 24th, 2019**
Round 2 of 4 Results
White	Result	Black
Gary Brassard	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo	0-1	♔ Ritvik Pulya
♔ Ken Gurge	1-0	Paul Godin
Arthur Barlas	0-1	Andrew Jeselson
Bruce Felton	1-0	Ralph McNeilage
Jim Hankard	1-0	Larry Gladding
Stephen Murray	0-1	Geoff LePoer
George Mirijanian	1-0	Jim Donahue
♔ Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Dave Couture
♔ Mike Stevens	1-0	Steve Courtemanche
Mike Commisso	1-0	Keith Hamer
Larry O'Rourke	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Roland Booker	1-0	Brian Biglow
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Michael David
John Bastarache	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Tyler Bedard	0-1	Don Briggs
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Jhojan Segura
Total of 17 boards, 4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving a half-point bye was Ray Paulson.
♖ Not playing round 2 were Dave Kochman, Mike Lally, Ed Harris, Hugh McLaughlin, Bryce McLaughlin and Dillon Motyka.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Dave Thomas and Mike Meehan.

**Martin Laine Memorial, April 24th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Kildahl, Jeselson, Felton, Ri. Pulya, Gurge, Hankard
1.5	Paulson, LePoer, Mirijanian, Fratturelli, Stevens
1.0	Cappallo, Godin, Gladding, Brassard, McNeilage, Barlas, Murray, Commisso, Booker, David, Bastarache, Briggs, Wheeler
0.5	Kochman, Lally, Couture, Harris, Courtemanche, Donahue, Ostrowski, O'Rourke, Hamer
0.0	Biglow, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka, Bedard, Segura

Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 1st:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Kildahl vs. Felton
Board 2: Jeselson vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 3: Paulson vs. Hankard
Board 4: LePoer vs. Fratturelli
Board 5: Stevens vs, Mirijanian
Board 6: Booker vs. Cappallo
Board 7: Godin vs. Commisso
Board 8: David vs. Brassard
Board 9: McNeilage vs. Bastarache
Board 10: Briggs vs. Barlas
Board 11: Wheeler vs. Murray
Board 12: Couture vs. Ostrowski
Board 13: Donahue vs. O'Rourke
Board 14: Hamer vs. Biglow
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 16: H. McLaughlin vs. Bedard
Board 17: Segura vs. B. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 3 is Gurge.
♙ The Wachusett Chess welcomes on a visit 1983 club co-champion Steve Courtemanche of Royersford, PA,
formerly of Fitchburg, an active member of the Amity Chess Club in Douglasville, PA.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 4/24/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1980	2020	1st Cat.	40	29	7	4	31.0	.775
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2012	2102	Can. Master	37	26	5	6	29.0	.784
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1926	2085	Can. Master	34	23	7	4	25.0	.735
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1800	1904	1st Cat.	40	20	12	8	24.0	.600
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1768	1856	2nd Cat.	40	21	13	6	24.0	.600
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1661	1770	2nd Cat.	37	19	12	6	22.0	.595
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1772	1745	3rd Cat.	33	18	8	7	21.5	.652
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1746	1858	1st Cat.	35	19	12	4	21.0	.600
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1905	1971	1st Cat.	20	12	3	5	14.5	.725
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1748	1787	3rd Cat.	20	11	7	2	12.0	.600

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on May 1st.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

Return to Top of List

April 22nd 2019

Recent activity of WCC members

Seven WCC players competed in various outside tournaments this weekend & last. Here are the rating updates:

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Monday April 22, 2019 Recent Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
15782648: ANDREW JESELSON	2019-04-14	2ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)	1: OPEN	1926 => 1931	A
10032059: DAVID M KOCHMAN	2019-04-14	2ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)	1: OPEN	1921 => 1922	A
12465223: EDWARD HARRIS	2019-04-14	2ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)	1: OPEN	1736 => 1720	B
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD	2019-04-14	2ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)	1: OPEN	1671 => 1624	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2019-04-20	BCF LOC TAIMANOV (MA)	2: U1900	1600 => 1607	B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID	2019-04-14	WESTFORD APRIL OPEN (MA)	4: U1600	1549 => 1565	C
12887537: MICHAEL STEVENS	2019-04-21	13TH ANNUAL OPEN AT FOXWOODS (CT)	5: UNDER 1600	1525 => 1481	C

April 22nd, 2019

2019 Martin Laine Memorial Rd 1

Hey guys,
I played Mike Commisso in the first round of the Martin Laine Memorial, and here's a video about the game:
https://youtu.be/iZcpXZGIKTI
Mike was kind enough to send me his notes on the game, so I included them!
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

April 19th, 2019

Roger's video: My Week at the Club #62

Hello All,
I've recorded, edited, and uploaded Wednesday night's game vs Don Ostrowski (1627), in a Scotch Opening.
My astronomy piece is on primordial black-holes. The chess starts at 07:17. https://youtu.be/jIIFVhloMyo
Hope you like it,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

April 18th, 2019

Revised projected Round 2 Pairings for Martin Laine Memorial

Projected Round 2 Pairings for April 24th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
1     Gary Brassard (1.0)     Brett Kildahl (1.0)
2     Roger Cappallo (1.0)     Ritvik Pulya (1.0)
3     Ken Gurge (1.0)     Paul Godin (1.0)
4     Arthur Barlas (1.0)     Andrew Jeselson (1.0)
5     Bruce Felton (1.0)         Ralph McNeilage (1.0)
6     Jim Hankard (1.0)          Larry Gladding (1.0)
7     Stephen Murray (1.0)     Geoff Lepoer (0.5)
8     Dave Thomas (0.5)        George Mirijanian (0.5)
9     Michael Lally (0.5)         Mike Meehan (0.5)
10     Dave Couture (0.5)     Tom Fratturelli (0.5)
11     Ed Harris (0.5)               Mike Stevens (0.5)
12     Keith Hamer (0.5)           Jim Donahue (0.5)
13     Michael Commisso (0.0)     Raaga Pulya (0.0)
14     Larry O'Rourke (0.0)        Don Ostrowski (0.0)
15     Roland Booker (0.0)        Byrce McLaughlin (0.0)
16     Hugh McLaughlin (0.0)     Michael David (0.0)
17     John Bastarache (0.0)     Emily Gawboy (0.0)
18     Dillon Motyka (0.0)     Don Briggs (0.0)
19     Mark Wheeler (0.0)     Jhojan Segura (0.0)
20     Tyler Bedard (0.0)         Brian Biglow (0.0)
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

April 17th, 2019

2019 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 1 of 5

**Martin Laine Memorial, April 17th, 2019**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Mike Commisso
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin	1-0	Roland Booker
Michael David	0-1	Ray Paulson
Andrew Jeselson	1-0	John Bastarache
Don Briggs	0-1	Bruce Felton
Larry Gladding	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow	0-1	Gary Brassard
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Arthur Barlas
Jim Hankard	1-0	Tyler Bedard
Jhohan Segura	0-1	Stephen Murray
Total of 14 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Dave Kochman, Geoff LePoer, George Mirijanian, Mike Lally, Dave Couture,
Ed Harris, Jim Donahue, Dave Thomas, Mike Meehan, Tom Fratturelli, Mike Stevens and Keith Hamer.
♖ Not playing round 1 were Bryce McLaughlin and Dillon Motyka.

**Martin Laine Memorial, April 17th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Kildahl, Cappallo, Godin, Paulson, Jeselson, Felton, Gladding, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Gurge, McNeilage, Barlas, Hankard, Murray
0.5	Kochman, LePoer, Mirijanian, Lally, Couture, Harris, Donahue, Thomas, Meehan, Fratturelli, Stevens, Hamer
0.0	Commisso, Ostrowski, Booker, David, Bastarache, Briggs, Wheeler, Biglow, O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka, Bedard, Segura

Projected Round 2 Pairings for April 24th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Brassard vs. Kildahl
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 3: Gurge vs. Godin
Board 4: Paulson vs. McNeilage
Board 5: Barlas vs. Jeselson
Board 6: Felton vs. Hankard
Board 7: Murray vs. Gladding
Board 8: Kochman vs. Donahue
Board 9: Thomas vs. LePoer
Board 10: Meehan vs. Mirijanian
Board 11: Lally vs. Fratturelli
Board 12: Couture vs. Stevens
Board 13: Harris vs. Hamer
Board 14: Commisso vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 15: O'Rourke vs. Ostrowski
Board 16: Booker vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 17: H. McLaughlin vs. David
Board 18: Bastarache vs. Gawboy
Board 19: Motyka vs. Briggs
Board 20: Wheeler vs. Segura
Board 21: Bedard vs. Biglow
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Jhojan Segura.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 4/17/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1980	2020	1st Cat.	39	29	6	4	31.0	.795
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2012	2102	Can. Master	36	26	4	6	29.0	.806
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1926	2085	Can. Master	34	23	7	4	25.0	.735
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1808	1953	1st Cat.	38	22	11	5	24.5	.645
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1800	1904	1st Cat.	39	20	11	8	24.0	.615
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1768	1856	2nd Cat.	39	20	13	6	23.0	.590
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1746	1858	1st Cat.	34	19	11	4	21.0	.618
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1661	1770	2nd Cat.	36	18	12	6	21.0	.583
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1772	1745	3rd Cat.	32	17	8	7	20.5	.641
DAVID THOMAS	Fitchburg	1701	1837	2nd Cat.	27	14	11	2	15.0	.556
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1670	1670	none	27	14	11	2	15.0	.556
JIM DONAHUE	Stow	1723	1738	3rd Cat.	27	11	11	5	13.5	.500
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1905	1971	1st Cat.	19	11	3	5	13.5	.711
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1748	1787	3rd Cat.	19	11	6	2	12.0	.632

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on April 24th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

Return to Top of List

April 15th, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Martin Laine Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Martin Laine Memorial, which begins Wednesday, April 17, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:30 to 7 p.m., with Round 1 starting at 7:15 p.m.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for the 2019 Martin Laine Memorial tournament:
1	Brett Kildahl	2144
2	Roger Cappallo	2012
3	Paul Godin	1980
4	Ray Paulson	1926
5	Andrew Jeselson	1926
6	Dave Kochman	1921
7	Geoff LePoer	1911
8	Bruce Felton	1905
9	George Mirijanian	1900
10	Mike Lally	1894
11	Larry Gladding	1808
12	Gary Brassard	1800
13	Ritvik Pulya	1772
14	Ken Gurge	1768
15	Ralph McNeilage	1748
16	Dave Couture	1746
17	Arthur Barlas	1745
18	Ed Harris	1736
19	Jim Donahue	1723
20	Joe Bennett	1721
21	Dave Thomas	1701
22	Jim Hankard	1671
23	Stephen Murray	1670
24	Mike Commisso	1661
25	Vince Premus	1639
26	Don Ostrowski	1627
27	Mike Meehan	1607
28	Bill Burke	1604
29	Roland Booker	1600
30	Tom Fratturelli	1595
31	Alan Condon	1586
32	Michael David	1565
33	Michael Stevens	1525
34	Bob Mathieu	1491
35	John Bastarache	1482
36	Don Briggs	1462
37	Harry Richardson	1447
38	Angel Soto	1444
39	Mark Wheeler	1432
40	Brian Biglow	1417
41	Larry O'Rourke	1417
42	Keith Hamer	1395
43	Raaga Pulya	1238
44	Hugh McLaughlin	1216
45	Bryce McLaughlin	1184
46	Andrew Kiser	1088
47	Emily Gawboy	1044
48	Dillon Motyka	1007
49	Francis Scanlon	991
50	Tyler Bedard	624

April 15th 2019

Wachusett Chess Club's Andrew Jeselson sweeps students section
of Worcester State University Intercollegiate Tournament

Andrew Jeselson, a Wachusett Chess Club member from Leominster and a student at Fitchburg State University, posted a perfect score of 4-0 to claim first place in the students section of the Worcester State University Intercollegiate Tournament, held on Saturday, April 13, in Sheehan Hall at the university. Capturing 2nd place on tiebreak with a 3-1 tally was Christian Scillitoe of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, while Dermot McCormick of Worcester State University was awarded 3rd place on tiebreak with the same score. Jeselson defeated both Scillitoe and McCormick. The tournament, which had a total of 37 players - 13 in the students section and 24 in the non-students (Open) section, was hosted by Bill Shakalis and Alvin Marchena of Worcester State University. Joe Alfano of Assumption College was the tournament director.
-George M

   Worcester State University  Intercollegiate Chess Tournament, Saturday April 13, 2019
  
   Hosted by Bill Shakalis and Alvin Marchena, Worcester State University
   Tournament director: Joe Alfano, Assumption College  
   The tournament had two sections: Students section and Non-students/Open section.
  
   STUDENTS SECTION
                                    Round 1    Round 2    Round 3    Round 4    Prize
                                    --------   --------   --------   --------   -----
   ( 1) Andrew Jeselson (WCC) FSU   (10) 1.0   ( 5) 2.0   ( 3) 3.0   ( 2) 4.0    1st   ( 2) Christian Scillitoe   WPI   ( 9) 1.0   (11) 2.0   ( 4) 3.0   ( 1) 3.0    2nd 
   ( 3) Dermot McCormick      WSU   (13) 1.0   ( 6) 2.0   ( 1) 2.0   ( 7) 3.0    3rd 
   ( 4) Kha Li                UMM   ( 8) 1.0   (10) 2.0   ( 2) 2.0   (11) 3.0   
   ( 5) Patrick Houlihan      WPI   (12) 1.0   ( 1) 1.0   (11) 2.0   ( 6) 3.0     
   ( 6) Stephen Papagno       WSU   ( 7) 1.0   ( 3) 1.0   ( 8) 2.0   ( 5) 2.0
   ( 7) Alvin Marchena        WSU   ( 6) 0.0   ( 9) 1.0   (10) 2.0   ( 3) 2.0
   ( 8) Tom Walsh             WPI   ( 4) 0.0   (12) 1.0   ( 6) 1.0   ( 9) 2.0
   ( 9) Tamanna Gurung        SHS   ( 2) 0.0   ( 7) 0.0   (12) 1.0   ( 8) 1.0
   (10) Ryan Doyle            WPI   ( 1) 0.0   ( 4) 0.0   ( 7) 0.0   (12) 1.0
   (11) Justin Korn           WPI   (BY) 1.0   ( 2) 1.0   ( 5) 1.0   ( 4) 1.0
   (12) Prince Henaku         SHS   ( 5) 0.0   ( 8) 0.0   ( 9) 0.0   (10) 0.0
   (13) Kadriana Colon        SHS   ( 3) 0.0   (WD) 0.0   (WD) 0.0   (WD) 0.0

    The tie-break method for selecting trophy winners among those who scored 3.0 points:
    1.. Strength of opponents: Christian's opponents had the highest total score, Patrick's had lowest.
    2.. Then a 5-minute blitz game between Dermot and Kha Li; Dermot won that game.

   NON-STUDENTS/OPEN SECTION
                                    Round 1    Round 2    Round 3    Round 4    Prize
                                    --------   --------   --------   --------   -----  
   ( 1)  Achu Balasubramanian WPI   ( 4) 1.0   (11) 2.0   ( 8) 3.0   ( 6) 4.0    1st
   ( 2)  Bhon Bunnag          WPI   (13) 1.0   (18) 2.0   ( 3) 3.0   ( 5) 4.0    2nd
   ( 3)  Juan Luis Herrero    WPI   ( 7) 1.0   (12) 2.0   ( 2) 2.0   ( 9) 3.0    3rd
   ( 4)  Andrew Nolan               ( 1) 0.0   (20) 1.0   (14) 2.0   (10) 3.0  
   ( 5)  Roger Cappallo     (WCC)   (16) 1.0   (19) 2.0   ( 9) 3.0   ( 2) 3.0   ( 6)  Matt Garcia                (BY) 1.0   (10) 2.0   (15) 3.0   ( 1) 3.0 
   ( 7)  Bob Secino                 ( 3) 0.0   (24) 1.0   (11) 2.0   (12) 3.0 
   ( 8)  Stephen Dann               (19) 1.0   (16) 2.0   ( 1) 2.0   (23) 2.5
   ( 9)  Tommy Thach          SHS   (21) 1.0   (14) 2.0   ( 5) 2.0   ( 3) 2.0  
   (10)  Mike Bocka                 (22) 1.0   ( 6) 1.0   (13) 2.0   ( 4) 2.0  
   (11)  Mushtaq Al-Zuhairi         (20) 1.0   ( 1) 1.0   ( 7) 1.0   (21) 2.0  
   (12)  Glenn MacDonald            (17) 1.0   ( 3) 1.0   (18) 2.0   ( 7) 2.0  
   (13)  Joe Garcia                 ( 2) 0.0   (BY) 1.0   (10) 1.0   (18) 2.0  
   (14)  Riyadh Al-Zuhairi          (24) 1.0   ( 9) 1.0   ( 4) 1.0   (17) 2.0     
   (15)  Tim Antonelli        WSU   (18) 0.0   (21) 1.0   ( 6) 1.0   (19) 2.0  
   (16)  Nkosi Muhangi              ( 5) 0.0   ( 8) 0.0   (17) 0.5   (20) 1.5 
   (17)  Mike Pucci                 (12) 0.0   (22) 1.0   (16) 1.5   (14) 1.5 
   (18)  Todd Daigneault            (15) 1.0   ( 2) 1.0   (12) 1.0   (13) 1.0
   (19)  Ed Chrzanowski             ( 8) 0.0   ( 5) 0.0   (22) 1.0   (15) 1.0
   (20)  Fitzgerald Pucci           (11) 0.0   ( 4) 0.0   (BY) 1.0   (16) 1.0
   (21)  Larry Legros       (WCC)   ( 9) 0.0   (15) 0.0   (24) 1.0   (11) 1.0   (22)  Bryan Laferrierre          (10) 0.0   (17) 0.0   (19) 0.0   (24) 1.0
   (23)  Joe Alfano           AC    (BY) 0.0   (BY) 0.0   (BY) 0.0   ( 8) 0.5
   (24)  Hugh McLaughlin    (WCC)   (14) 0.0   ( 7) 0.0   (21) 0.0   (22) 0.0
    The tie-break method for selecting trophy winners among those who scored 4.0 points:
      A 5-minute blitz game between Achu and Bhon; Achu won that game.

    The tie-break method for selecting trophy winners among those who scored 3.0 points:
      Strength of opponents: Juan Luis's opponents had the highest total score.

        AC  = Assumption College
        FSU = Fitchburg State University
        SHS = South High School
        UMM = UMass Medical School
        WPI = Worcester Polytechnic Institute
        WSU = Worcester State University
        (WCC) = Wachusett Chess Club
        1.0 = Win
        0.0 = Loss
        0.5 = Draw
        BY  = Bye
        WD  = Withdrew.

   In each round, the player is listed with their opponent and final score.
   E.g. in Round 1, Andrew Jeselson played Ryan Doyle (player 10) and won.
   
   Please contact Joe Alfano (jalfano@assumption.edu) if you have corrections,
   e.g. if I recorded your school/club incorrectly.

April 15th 2019

Wachusett CC's Michael David wins prize in Westford April Open

Michael David, a Wachusett Chess Club member from Groton, scored an undefeated result of 3-1 to tie for first place in the Under 1600 section of the Westford April Open , held April 13-14 at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center. The director of the Billiards Cafe Chess Club in Ayer shared top honors with fellow Bay State players Robert Kauffman, Prachi Dayal and Meghana Kunamneni. David defeated Dayal and drew Kauffman and Kunamneni.

Winning the Championship section with a score of 3.5-0.5 was 30-year-old GM Jianchao Zhou of China. [Close behind with scores of 3.0-1.0, a trio of Massachusetts residents including GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez (winner of the 2018 USChess Grand Prix), GM Alexander Ivanov, & NM Karthik Padmanadhan finished in a tie for second place overall.] The four-section tournament drew a total of 53 players.
-George M

April 13th, 2019

Roger's video: My Week at the Club #61

Hello All,
This week my game was with Mike Meehan, who played the White side of a Stonewall Attack against me. I've also included a bit of information about the EHT black hole image result, in which I was involved. Hope you enjoy them.
Hope you enjoy it,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u0gosq-qwo
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

April 13th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial Rd 5

Hey guys,
Black vs. Andrew Jeselson (1922 USCF) Time Control: G100 d5. Here's the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9YG10exH08&t=438s
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

April 10th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Four Finish First at 4/5

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, April 10th, 2019**
Round 5 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Geoff LePoer	1/2-1/2	Ray Paulson
Andrew Jeselson	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Paul Godin	1-0	Bruce Felton
Larry Gladding	1-0	Mike Commisso
Mike Meehan	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Gary Brassard	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
♔ Jim Hankard	1-0	Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	♔ Don Ostrowski
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Michael David
Jim Donahue	1-0	Mark Wheeler
John Bastarache	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Roland Booker
Mike Stevens	1-0	Keith Hamer
Brian Biglow	1-0	Don Briggs
♔ Dillon Motyka	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Tyler Bedard
Total of 16 boards, 3 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were Mike Lally, David Kochman, Dave Couture, Ed Harris, George Mirijanian, Arthur Barlas,
David Martin, Stephen Murray, Dave Thomas and Raaga Pulya.

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, April 10th, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
4.0	Kildahl, Godin, Paulson, LePoer
3.5	Jeselson, Gladding
3.0	Cappallo, Felton, Lally, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Donahue, Hankard, Ostrowski
2.5	Kochman, Commisso, Couture, Harris, Bastarache
2.0	Mirijanian, Gurge, McNeilage, Barlas, Martin, Murray, Meehan, Booker, Fratturelli, Stevens, David, Wheeler, Biglow, Motyka
1.5	Thomas, O'Rourke, B. McLaughlin
1.0	Briggs, Hamer, H. McLaughlin
0.5	Ra. Pulya
0.0	Gawboy, Bedard

♔ 2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-4th:	Brett Kildahl of Worcester, Paul Godin of Bedford, Ray Paulson of Lowell, Geoff LePoer of Westford
Top U1810:	Larry Gladding of Leominster
Top U1610:	Jim Hankard of Antrim, NH, Don Ostrowski of Fitchburg
Top U1410:	Dillon Motyka of Leominster

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:

The following players had a rating increase of 50 or more points:
Dillon Motyka	+ 72
Jim Hankard	+ 71
Don Ostrowski	+ 66

A total of 5 players
reached new all time highs:

The following players achieved a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya	1772
Stephen Murray	1670
Don Ostrowski	1627
Dillon Motyka	1007P8
Tyler Bedard	624P2

Pictures from this year's Gail S. Lingner Memorial tournament.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 4/10/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games�	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1980	2020	1st Cat.	38	28	6	4	30.0	.789
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2012	2102	Can. Master	35	25	4	6	28.0	.800
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1926	2085	Can. Master	33	22	7	4	24.0	.727
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1808	1953	1st Cat.	37	21	11	5	23.5	.635
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1800	1904	1st Cat.	38	19	11	8	23.0	.605
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1768	1856	2nd Cat.	38	19	13	6	22.0	.579
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1746	1858	1st Cat.	34	19	11	4	21.0	.618
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1661	1770	2nd Cat.	35	18	11	6	21.0	.600
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1772	1745	3rd Cat.	31	16	8	7	19.5	.629
DAVID THOMAS	Fitchburg	1701	1837	2nd Cat.	27	14	11	2	15.0	.556
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1670	1670	none	26	13	11	2	14.0	.538
JIM DONAHUE	Stow	1723	1738	3rd Cat.	27	11	11	5	13.5	.500
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1905	1971	1st Cat.	18	10	3	5	12.5	.694
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN	Fitchburg	1900	2186	1st Cat.	18	9	4	5	11.5	.639
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1748	1787	3rd Cat.	18	10	6	2	11.0	.611

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Martin Laine Memorial, starts Wednesday, April 17th.
Players must be present on that date by 7:00 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Complex in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

Return to Top of List

April 1st 2019

Wachusett CC's Michael David wins prize in 28th Eastern Class Championships

Wachusett CC's Michael David wins prize in 28th Eastern Class Championships
Michael David, a Wachusett Chess Club member from Groton, tied for 3rd-5th place, sharing the 3rd-4th place prizes in the Class C section of the 28th annual Eastern Class Championships, held April 5-7 at the Host Hotel at Cedar Lake in Sturbridge. David, who is the director of the Billiards Cafe Chess Club that meets Sunday nights at the Billiards Cafe at 39 Main St. in Ayer, Mass., finished with a score of 3.5-1.5 (3 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw), which included a draw with section co-winner Terrence Mooney of Connecticut.
The seven-section tournament drew a total of 225 players, not counting a blitz tournament, including four WCC members. Here are the rating updates:

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Monday April 8, 2019 28th Eastern Class Championship Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE	2019-04-07	28TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)	4: CLASS B	1691 => 1720	B
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO	2019-04-07	28TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)	4: CLASS B	1706 => 1652	B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID	2019-04-07	28TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)	5: CLASS C	1537 => 1549	C
12887537: MICHAEL STEVENS	2019-04-07	28TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)	5: CLASS C	1561 => 1539	C

April 8th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial Rd 4

Hey guys,
I played Ken Gurge on Wednesday. Here's the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wQIUUi_i2A
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

April 5th 2019

Wachusett CC players Commisso, Donahue & David to compete
in 28th Eastern Class Championships

Three of the Wachusett Chess Club's most active players are among the more than 200 contestants set to compete this weekend, April 5-7, in the 28th annual Eastern Class Championships at the Host Hotel at Cedar Lake in Sturbridge. Taking part in the 3-day tournament, sponsored by the Continental Chess Association, are Wachusett CC members Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH and Jim Donahue of Stow, playing in the Class B section, as well as Michael David of Groton, playing in the Class C section. David was the winner of the "B" Division Championship at the Wachusett Chess Club in 2018, while Commisso was one of the runners-up in that event.
-George M

April 3rd, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 4 of 5

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, April 3rd, 2019**
Round 4 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Ray Paulson	1-0	Paul Godin
Ed Harris	0-1	Andrew Jeselson
Ken Gurge	0-1	Brett Kildahl
David Kochman	1/2-1/2	Larry Gladding
Mike Lally	1-0	Ralph McNeilage
Mike Commisso	1-0	Michael David
Don Ostrowski	1/2-1/2	Gary Brassard
Arthur Barlas	1/2-1/2	Jim Donahue
Don Briggs	0-1	David Martin
Keith Hamer	0-1	Mike Meehan
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Brian Biglow
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Mike Stevens
John Bastarache	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Bryce McLaughlin
Tyler Bedard	0-1	Dillon Motyka
Total of 15 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Geoff LePoer, Bruce Felton, Dave Couture, Roger Cappallo, George Mirijanian,
Ritvik Pulya, Stephen Murray, Jim Hankard, Dave Thomas, Larry O'Rourke, Roland Booker and Raaga Pulya.

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, April 3rd, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
3.5	Paulson, LePoer, Jeselson
3.0	Kildahl, Godin, Felton, Lally
2.5	Kochman, Gladding, Commisso, Couture, Harris
2.0	Cappallo, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gurge, McNeilage, Ri. Pulya, Barlas, Donahue, Martin, Murray, Meehan, Hankard, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, David, Wheeler
1.5	Thomas, Bastarache, O'Rourke, B. McLaughlin
1.0	Booker, Stevens, Briggs, Hamer, Biglow, Motyka
0.5	Ra. Pulya
0.0	H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Bedard

Projected Round 5 Pairings for April 10th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: LePoer vs. Paulson
Board 2: Jeselson vs. Kildahl
Board 3: Godin vs. Felton
Board 4: Gladding vs. Lally
Board 5: Couture vs. Commisso
Board 6: Cappallo vs. Harris
Board 7: Mirijanian vs. Murray
Board 8: Meehan vs. Brassard
Board 9: Hankard vs. Gurge
Board 10: McNeilage vs. Fratturelli
Board 11: Ri. Pulya vs. Ostrowski
Board 12: David vs. Barlas
Board 13: Donahue vs. Wheeler
Board 14: Thomas vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 15: Bastarache vs. O'Rourke
Board 16: Biglow vs. Booker
Board 17: Stevens vs. Hamer
Board 18: Motyka vs. Briggs
Board 19: Ra. Pulya vs. Gawboy
Board 20: H. McLaughlin vs. Bedard
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new USCF member Tyler Bedard, a student at Leominster High School.
♝ The club welcomes back David W. Martin, whose last appearance at the club was in June 2017, when he played in the "B" Division of the Wachusett Chess Club Championship.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on April 10th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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April 2nd, 2019

Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for Gail S. Lingner Memorial

Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for April 3rd:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
1     Ray Paulson (2.5)           Paul Godin (3.0)
2     Andrew Jeselson (2.5)     Bruce Felton (2.5)
3     Brett Kildahl (2.0)           Ed Harris (2.5)
4     David Kochman (2.0)     Ralph McNeilage (2.0)
5     Michael Lally (2.0)     Dave Couture (2.0)
6     Ken Gurge (2.0)          Larry Gladding (2.0)
7     George Mirijanian (1.5)     Michael David (2.0)
8     Jim Hankard (1.5)     Gary Brassard (1.5)
9     Ritvik Pulya (1.5)         Stephen Murray (1.5)
10     Don Ostrowski (1.5)     Michael Commisso (1.5)
11     Arthur Barlas (1.5)     Jim Donahue (1.5)
12     Dave Thomas (1.0)     Don Briggs (1.0)
13     Mark Wheeler (1.0)     Mike Meehan (1.0)
14     Tom Fratturelli (1.0)     Larry O'Rourke (1.0)
15     Keith Hamer (1.0)         Mike Stevens (1.0)
16     John Bastarache (0.5)     Brian Biglow (1.0)
17     Roland Booker (0.5)     Byrce McLaughlin (0.5)
18     Raaga Pulya (0.0)        Dillon Motyka (0.0)
19     Emily Gawboy (0.0)     Hugh McLaughlin (0.0)
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

April 1st 2019

Andrew Jeselson wins U2100 section in Modern Chess Conceptions Classic

Wachusett Chess Club's Andrew Jeselson wins U2100 section in Modern Chess Conceptions Classic
Andrew Jeselson, a Wachusett Chess Club member from Leominster and a student at Fitchburg State University, scored 3.5-0.5 to capture first place in the 13-player Under 2100 section of the Modern Chess Conceptions Classic, held Sunday, March 31, at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center in Westford. The Class A player, who hails from Rome, New York and started playing rated chess in late August 2015, gained 86 rating points and boosted his rating to 1922. Winning the 11-player Championship section with a score of 4-0 was 62-year-old GM Alexander Ivanov of Newton, a 14-time Massachusetts state champion.
The four-section tournament drew a total of 51 players including seven WCC members. Here are the rating updates:

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Monday April 1, 2019 Modern Chess Conceptions Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
10032059: DAVID M KOCHMAN	2019-03-31	THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)	5: XRG	1935 => 1933	A
15782648: ANDREW JESELSON	2019-03-31	THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)	2: U2100	1836 => 1922	A
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO	2019-03-31	THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)	3: U1800	1756 => 1706	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2019-03-31	THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)	3: U1800	1600 => 1600	B
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD	2019-03-31	THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)	3: U1800	1600 => 1600	B
12758321: MICHAEL MEEHAN	2019-03-31	THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)	3: U1800	1632 => 1600	B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID	2019-03-31	THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)	3: U1800	1489 => 1512	C

April 1st 2019

Hikaru Nakamura wins U.S. Championship

Grandmaster Hikaru Nakmura, the 1th-ranked player in the world, won the 2019 U.S. Championship on Sunday, March 31, at the St. Louis Chess Club. The 31-year-old GM won his 5th national title by defeating GM Jeffery Xiong in the 11th and final round, finishing with a score of 8-3. Nakamura's previous U.S. Championship victories came in 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2016. Tying for 2nd-3rd with 7.5 points each were GM Fabiano Caruana, the No. 2 player in the world and 2016 U.S. champion, and GM Leinier Dominguez, a 5-time Cuban national champion who was making his debut in a U.S. Championship. Caruana drew with 2018 U.S. champion Sam Shankland, while Dominguez was held to a draw by GM Timur Gareyev. Tying for 4th-5th place with 6 points apiece were 2017 U.S. champion Wesley So and Massachusetts' GM Sam Sevian. Shankland ended in clear 6th place with 5.5 points. Xiong and GM Awonder Liang, who beat So, tied for 7th-8th place with 5 points each. Deadlocked in 10-12th place with 4 points apiece were GM Aleksandr Lenderman, who drew Sevian, GM Varuzhan Akobian, who defeated GM Ray Robson, and GM Gareyev. Robson finished 12th and last with 3.5 points.

Jennifer Yu clinched this year's U.S. Women's Championship in Round 10 on Saturday. She ended the tournament with a win against Massachusetts' Carissa Yip in Round 11 and finished with a phenomenal score of 10-1. Tied for 2nd-3rd place with 7.5 points each were 3-time U.S. women's champion Anna Zatonskih and Tatev Abrahamyan. In 4th place with 7 points was Annie Wang. Tied for 5th-7th place with 5 points apiece were 7-time U.S.women's champion Irina Krush, Anna Sharevich and Ashritha Eswaran. Ending up in 8th place with 4.5 points was Carissa Yip. Deadlocked in 9th-11th place with 4 points each were Maggie Feng, Sabina Foisor and Akshita Gorti. Taking 12th and last place was Emily Nguyen. Results of Round 11 games were as follows: Foisor 1-0 Zatonskih, Gorti 1/2-1/2 Abrahamyan, Wang 1/2-1/2 Sharevich, Krush 1-0 Feng, and Nguyen 0-1 Eswaran.

"Chess Chat," a program produced by the Wachusett Chess Club at Fitchburg State University for Fitchburg Access Television (FATV) will present on Monday, April 1, at 7 p.m. a LIVE program about the 2019 U.S. Championship, complete with final results in the Open Division and the Women's Division. The program will coincide with the closing ceremony of this year's U.S. Championship, taking place at the St. Louis Chess Club. Hosts George Mirijanian and Dave Couture will present with analysis one of the best games from the championship: GM Sam Sevian's win in Round 7 against GM Ray Robson. The "Chess Chat" program can be seen anywhere in the world at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 1, via LIVE STREAMING at www.fatv.org
-George M

March 31st 2019

Tension mounts as U.S. Championship enters final round with 3-way tie for first

The 11th and final round of the U.S. Championship will be packed with tension on Sunday, March 31, when GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Leinier Dominguez and Fabiano Caruana square off in an attempt to win to become this year's U.S. champion. All three are deadlocked in first place with scores of 7-3. In Round 10, played on Saturday, March 30, Nakamura drew Dominguez, while Caruana defeated Aleksandr Lenderman to become one of the three leaders. A full point behind the leaders is Wesley So, who drew Massachusetts' Sam Sevian. who stands at 5.5-4.5. Results of other Round 10 games were as follows: Awonder Liang 1/2-1/2 Jeffery Xiong, Varuzhan Akobian 1/2-12 Sam Shankland, Timur Gareyev 1-0 Ray Robson. The three critical Round 11 games are as follows: Xiong vs. Nakamura, Dominguez vs. Gareyev, and Shankland vs. Caruana.
Jennifer Yu clinched 1st place in the Women's Championship on Saturday, defeating rival Anna Zatonskih in Round 10. Jennifer stands at a phenomenal 9-1 with one round to play. Despite the loss, Zatonskih remains in 2nd place with 7.5 points. A half point behind Zatonskih is Tatev Abrahamyan, who beat Sabina Foisor. Annie Wang is in 4th place with 6.5 points after beating Massachusetts' Carissa Yip, who is tied for 5th-6th place with Anna Sharevich, both of whom have 4.5 points. Sharevich downed Emily Nguyen. Results of other games were as follows: Maggie Feng 0-1 Akshita Gorti, Ashritha Eswaran 1/2-1/2 Irina Krush.
-George M

March 31st 2019

U.S Championship leaders Nakamura & Dominguez set for big battle in Round 10

U.S. Championship leaders Hikaru Nakamura and Leinier Dominguez are set for a big battle on Saturday, March 30, when they face each other at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Round 10, after scoring wins in Round 9 on Friday to maintain their joint lead in the 12-player round robin with 6.5 points apiece. Nakamura beat Ray Robson, while Dominguez defeated Awonder Liang. Just a half point behind them is Fabiano Caruana, who downed Varuzhan Akobian. Wesley So is in 4th place with 5.5 points following his win against Aleksandr Lenderman. Massachusetts' Sam Sevian holds onto 5th place with a 5-4 score after drawing Jeffery Xiong. In the only other decisive game, defending U.S. champion Sam Shankland beat Timur Gareyev.
The Women's Championship will also see a big game in Round 10 on Saturday, when tournament leader Jennifer Yu, who stands with an 8-1 score, faces Anna Zatonskih, who is in second place with 7.5 points. In Round 9, Yu drew with Tatev Abrahamyan, who is in 3rd place with 6 points, while Zatonskih defeated Annie Wang, who is in 4th place with 5.5 points. Massachusetts' Carissa Yip maintains 5th place in the standings with 4.5 points after defeating Emily Nguyen. Results of other games were as follows: Ashritha Eswaran 0-1 Maggie Feng, Irina Krush 1/2-1/2 Anna Sharevich, Sabina Foisor 1-0 Akshita Gorti.
-George M

March 29th 2019

Dominguez tied with Nakamura for lead in U.S. Championship

After 8 rounds of play in the U.S. Championship at the Saint Louis Chess Club, Leinier Dominquez is now tied for the lead with 4-time U.S. champion Hikaru Nakamura. The 35-year-old, 5-time Cuban national champion, who changed federations in December 2018, defeated Massachusetts' top player, 18-year-old Sam Sevian, on Thursday, March 28. The win gave Dominguez a total of 5.5 points and put him even with Nakamura, who drew defending U.S. champion Sam Shankland. Just a half-point behind Nakamura and Dominguez is 2016 U.S. champion Fabiano Caruana, who drew with 2017 U.S. champion Wesley So. Standing at 5.5. point each are So and Sevian. Results of other games were as follows: Aleksandr Lenderman 1/2-1/2 Jeffery Xiong, Awonder Liang 1/2-1/2 Ray Robson, Timur Gareyev 1/2-1/2 Varuzhan Akobian.
Jennifer Yu continues to hold her lead in the Women's Championship with a terrific score of 7.5-0.5, defeating Akshita Gorti in Round 8. Anna Zatonskih still remains in second place, with 6.5 points, after drawing Emily Nguyen. Tied for 3rd-4th place with 5.5 points apiece are Annie Wang and Tatev Abrahamyan, who drew each other in the round. Massachusetts' Carissa Yip, who lost to 7-time U.S. Women's champion Irina Krush, is tied for 5th-6th place with Ashritha Eswaran, who drew Anna Sharevich. Both have 3.5 points. In the only other decisive game, Maggie Feng beat 2017 U.S. women's champion Sabina Foisor.
-George M

March 27th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 3 of 5

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 27th, 2019**
Round 3 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	1-0	Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding	0-1	Geoff LePoer
Gary Brassard	0-1	Ray Paulson
Bruce Felton	1-0	Mike Commisso
♔ Ed Harris	1-0	George Mirijanian
Andrew Jeselson	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Arthur Barlas
David Kochman	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Mike Stevens	0-1	Mike Lally
Don Briggs	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Dave Couture	1-0	Mike Meehan
♔ Michael David	1-0	Dave Thomas
Stephen Murray	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue	1-0	Keith Hamer
Roland Booker	0-1	Jim Hankard
♖ Bryce McLaughlin	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Brian Biglow	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Total of 19 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), one upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving a half-point bye was Roger Cappallo.
♖ Not playing round 3 was Dillon Motyka.
♟ Withdrawn from the tournament was Bob Mathieu.

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 27th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Godin, LePoer
2.5	Paulson, Felton, Jeselson, Harris
2.0	Kildahl, Kochman, Lally, Gladding, Gurge, McNeilage, Couture, David
1.5	Cappallo, Mirijanian, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Commisso, Barlas, Donahue, Murray, Hankard, Ostrowski
1.0	Thomas, Meehan, Fratturelli, Stevens, Briggs, O'Rourke, Hamer, Wheeler, Biglow,
0.5	Booker, Bastarache, B. McLaughlin
0.0	Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 4 Pairings for April 3rd:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: LePoer vs. Godin
Board 2: Paulson vs. Jeselson
Board 3: Harris vs. Felton
Board 4: Gurge vs. Kildahl
Board 5: Kochman vs. McNeilage
Board 6: Lally vs. Couture
Board 7: David vs. Gladding
Board 8: Mirijanian vs. Donahue
Board 9: Barlas vs. Brassard
Board 10: Ri. Pulya vs. Murray
Board 11: Hankard vs. Commisso
Board 12: Ostrowski vs. Thomas
Board 13: Hamer vs. Meehan
Board 14: Fratturelli vs. O'Rourke
Board 15: Wheeler vs. Stevens
Board 16: Briggs vs. Biglow
Board 17: Bastarache vs. Booker
Board 18: Ra. Pulya vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 19: Gawboy vs. H. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 is Cappallo.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Keith Hamer of Hollis, NH, who renewed his USCF membership after an absence of about 30 years from over-the-board play. Welcome, Keith!.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on April 3rd.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

The "Celebration of the Life of longtime Wachusett CC member Gail Sandra Lingner" will be held
This Sunday, March 31, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Stone House at Coggshall Park in Fitchburg.
Entrance to the park is off Electric Avenue on the road right before the Knights of Columbus Hall.
Directions will be sent to all players who plan to attend - with or without an accompanying spouse or friend.

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March 26th 2019

Nakamura takes lead in U.S. Championship;
Yu on top in Women's Championship

Four-time U.S. champion Hikaru Nakamura has taken over the lead in this year's U.S. Championship, after he defeated fellow GM Timur Gareyev in the 6th round on Monday, March 25, at the St. Louis Chess Club. Nakamura now stands at 4-2 in the 12-player field. Tied for the runner-up spot with 3.5 points are Massachusetts' Sam Sevian, who drew defending U.S. champion Sam Shankland, 2016 champion Fabiano Caruana, who drew former tournament leader Jeffery Xu, 2017 champion Wesley So, who beat Leinier Dominguez, and Dominquez himself, who is making his debut in a U.S. Championship. Results of other games were as follows: Awonder Liang 1-0 Varuzhan Akobian, Aleksandr Lenderman 1/2-1/2 Ray Robson.
Jennifer Yu holds onto the lead in the Women's Championship with a score of 5.5-0.5 after defeating Maggie Feng in Round 6. Four-time Women's champion Anna Zatonskih is in 2nd place with a 5-1 tally following her win against Ashritha Eswaran. Tatev Abrahamyan has taken over 3rd place with a 4.5-1.5 record after she bested 7-time Women's champion Irina Krush. Annie Wang downed Sabina Foisor to move into 4th place with a 4-2 score. And Massachusetts' own Carissa Yip is now in 5th place after she drew Anna Sharevich. In the only other decisive game, Akshita Gorti beat Emily Nguyen.
The players will take a rest on Tuesday, March 26, only to resume play for Round 7 on Wednesday, March 27. The 11th and final round will be played on Sunday, March 31.
-George M

March 25th 2019

Sevian tied for lead in U.S. Championship;
Yip tied for 4th in Women's Championship

Round 5 on Sunday, March 24, in the U.S. Championship at the St. Louis Chess Club produced two decisive games in the Open division, where 18-year-old Sam Sevian of Holden, Mass. defeated Varuzhan Akobian and Timur Gareyev beat Awonder Liang. Sevian's win now puts him in a 5-way tie for first place at 3-2 with Wesley So, Hikaru Nakamura, Leinier Dominguez and Jeffery Xiong. The games Ray Robson-So, Nakamura-Fabiano Caruana, Dominguexz-Xiong and Sam Shankland-Aleksandr Lenderman ended in draws.
Jennifer Yu, the 17-year-old Woman Grandmaster, still remains in first place in the Women's Championship with a score of 4.5-0.5 after drawing WIM Annie Wang in Round 5. In current possession of 2nd place with a 4-1 record is IM Anna Zatonskih, who drew WGM Anna Sharevich. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan is in 3rd place with 3.5 points after defeating WIM Ashritha Eswaran for her third win in a row. In the only other decisive game, 15-year-old WIM Carissa Yip of Andover, Mass. beat WIM Maggie Feng to move into a tie for 4th place with Wang. Drawn were the games Irina Krush-Akshita Gorti and Emily Nguyen-Sabina Foisor.
-George M

March 25th 2019

Jennifer Yu on hot streak leads U.S. Women's Championship, 4-0;
Xiong, So, Nakamura & Dominguez tied for lead in Championship

Jennifer Yu, the 17-year-old Woman Grandmaster from Ashburn, Virginia, chalked up her fourth win in a row on Saturday, March 23, defeating WIM Emily Nguyen in the U.S. Women's Championship at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Four other games also ended decisively as follows: Anna Zatonskih 1-0 Carissa Yip, Tatev Abrahamyan 1-0 Anna Sharevich, Sabina Foisor 1-0 Irina Krush and Akshita Gorti 1-0 Ashritha Eswaran. The game Maggie Feng vs. Annie Wang was drawn. Currently in 2nd place with a score of 3.5-0.5 is Zatonskih, while Abrahamyan and Wang are tied for 3rd with tallies of 2.5-1.5.
In the all-Grandmaster main event, Jeffery Xiong lost to Ray Robson to fall into a 4-way for first place with 2.5 points out of 4 with Wesley So, who drew Sam Shankland, Hikaru Nakamura, who drew Awonder Liang, and Leinier Dominguez, who drew Fabiano Caruana. Results of other Round 4 games were as follows: Sam Sevian 1/2-1/2 Timur Gareyev, Aleksandr Lenderman 1/2-1/2 Varuzhan Akobian.
-George M

March 24th 2019

Xiong takes lead in U.S. Championship; Yu on top in Women's Championship

Round 3 of the U.S. Championships on Friday, March 22, at the St. Louis Chess Club produced new tournament leaders in both divisions of play. Jeffery Xiong scored a major win in the main event by defeating defending U.S. champion Sam Shankland. The win now puts Xiong in the lead with a score of 2.5-0.5. Tied for the runner-up spot are Hikaru Nakamura, who beat Massachusetts' Sam Sevian; Wesley So, who drew Varuzhan Akobian; and Leinier Dominguez, who defeated Ray Robson. So, Nakamura and Dominguez have 2-1 tallies. Other Round 3 results were as follows: Awonder Liang 1/2-1/2 Fabiano Caruana, Timur Gareyev 1/2-1/2 Aleksandr Lenderman. WGM Jennifer Yu took over the lead in the Women's Championship, defeating former U.S. Women's champion GM Irina Krush for her third win in a row. IM Anna Zatonskih is now in 2nd place with a score of 2.5-0.5 after beating WIM Maggie Feng. Tied for 3rd place with 2-1 tallies are WIM Carissa Yip of Massachusetts, who lost to former U.S. Women's champion WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, and WIM Annie Wang, who drew WIM Emily Nguyen. Results of other games were as follows: WIM Ashritha Eswaran 1-0 WGM Sabina Foisor, WGM Anna Sharevich 0-1 WIM Akshita Gorti.
-George M

March 22th, 2019

Roger's video: My Week at the Club #60

Hello All,
Here is a link for my video on last night's game against Larry O'Rourke, in which he assayed the Slav Defense. The astronomy segment addresses the question, "Which planet, on average, is closest to the Earth?"
Hope you enjoy it,
https://youtu.be/_6W7ozE--6c
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

March 22th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial Rd 2

Hey guys,
Looks like Roger beat me to it this week. Here's a video about my game with John Bastarache:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_500kTSEnTA
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

March 22nd 2019

Yip and Yu tied for lead in U.S. Women's Championship;
Sevian shares lead in main championship after Round 2

Yip and Yu tied for lead in U.S. Women's Championship; Sevian shares lead in main championship after Round 2
Carissa Yip, the youngest participant in this year's U.S. Women's Championship, won again in the 12-player round-robin event by defeating 16-year-old WIM Akshita Gorti in Round 2 on Thursday, March 21, at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The win puts the 15-year-old WIM from Andover, Mass. in a tie for the lead with 17-year-old WGM Jennifer Yu, who beat WIM Ashritha Eswaran. Both Carissa and Jennifer have 2 points and currently lead the field. Results of the other Round 2 games in the Women's Championship were as follows: WIM Annie Wang 1/2-1/2 GM Irina Krush, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan 1/2-1/2 IM Anna Zatonskih, WGM Sabina Foisor 1/2-1/2 WGM Anna Sharevich, WIM Maggie Feng 1/2-1/2 WIM Emily Nguyen.
Massachusetts' other participant in the U.S. Championship, 18-year-old GM Sam Sevian of Holden scored a win in the main event's 2nd round over GM Awonder Liang to now share the lead with 1.5 points with GMs Jeffery Xiong and Wesley So. Xiong drew with GM Varuzhan Akobian, while So defeated GM Timur Gareev. Results of the other games were as follows: GM Fabiano Caruana 1/2-1/2 GM Ray Robson, GM Aleksandr Lenderman 1/2-1/2 GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Leinier Dominguez 1/2-1/2 GM Sam Shankland.

Yip wins, Sevian draws in Round 1 of U.S. Championships in St. Louis
The two Massachusetts players competing in this year's U.S. Championships got off to a good start on Wednesday, March 20th, in Round 1 of the round-robin event being played at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Fifteen-year-old WIM Carissa Yip of Andover, 2014 Wachusett CC champion and 2016 Boylston CC champion, defeated WGM Sabina Foisor in the Women's Championship, while 18-year-old GM Sam Sevian of Holden held the top seed and the world's No. 2 player, Fabiano Caruana, to a draw in the main event. All the games in the women's division were decisive, with the following results in addition to Carissa's win with White over Foisor: GM Irina Krush 1-0 Emily Nuguyen, Anna Zatonskih 1-0 Akshita Gorti, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan 0-1 FM Maggie Feng, WIM Ashrita Eswaran 0-1 WIM Annie Wang, WGM Anna Sharevich 0-1 WIM Jennifer Yu. In the all-GM main event, the only decisive game was Jeffrey Xiong's win (with Black) over Timur Gareev. In addition to Sevian's draw with Caruana, results of the others games were as follows: Hikaru Nakamura 1/2-1/2 Wesley So, Sam Shankland (defending U.S. champion) 1/2-1/2 Ray Robson, Awonder Liang 1/2-1/2 Aleksandr Lenderman, Varuzhan Akobian 1/2-1/2 Leinier Dominguez.
-George M
[Follow the games on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmByUlYjiqA Round 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAeKjJlM8Qs Round 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG8f8P4lHAo Round 1
or live at USChess:
https://www.uschesschamps.com/2019-us-championships-live]

March 20th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 2 of 5

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 20th, 2019**
Round 2 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	Paul Godin
Ritvik Pulya	1/2-1/2	Bruce Felton
Geoff LePoer	1-0	Dave Couture
Arthur Barlas	1/2-1/2	Andrew Jeselson
Gary Brassard	1/2-1/2	Ed Harris
Dave Thomas	0-1	Larry Gladding
Ken Gurge	1-0	Stephen Murray
Ray Paulson	1-0	Jim Donahue
Mike Meehan	1/2-1/2	Dave Kochman
George Mirijanian	1-0	Jim Hankard
Mike Commisso	1-0	Roland Booker
John Bastarache	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Brian Biglow
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Mike Stevens
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Michael David
Total of 18 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Mike Lally and Bob Mathieu.
♖ Not playing round 2 were Bryce McLaughlin and Dillon Motyka.

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 20th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Godin, LePoer, Gladding, Gurge
1.5	Paulson, Felton, Mirijanian, Jeselson, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Commisso, Barlas, Harris
1.0	Kildahl, Cappallo, Kochman, Lally, McNeilage, Couture, Thomas, Murray, Meehan, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Stevens, Briggs, Mathieu, David
0.5	Donahue, Hankard, Booker,
0.0	Bastarache, O'Rourke, Wheeler, Biglow, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 3 Pairings for March 27th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Godin vs. Gurge
Board 2: Gladding vs. LePoer
Board 3: Brassard vs. Paulson
Board 4: Felton vs. Commisso
Board 5: Harris vs. Mirijanian
Board 6: Jeselson vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 7: Kildahl vs. Barlas
Board 8: Kochman vs. Fratturelli
Board 9: Stevens vs. Lally
Board 10: Briggs vs. McNeilage
Board 11: Couture vs. Meehan
Board 12: David vs. Thomas
Board 13: Murray vs. Ostrowski
Board 14: Donahue vs. Hankard
Board 15: Booker vs. Bastarache
Board 16: O'Rourke vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 17: Wheeler vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 18: Biglow vs. Gawboy
Board 19: Motyka vs. Ra. Pulya
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 3 is Cappallo.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes back two Wachusett CC players: Dave Kochman, whose last appearance was on Feb. 3, 2016, when he won the Reggie Boone Memorial, 4.5-0.5; and Roland Booker, whose last appearance was on Sept. 26, 2018.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on March 27th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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March 19th, 2019

Brett Kildahl at Shamrock Open in Cambridge

Hello chess fans!
I went to the Shamrock Open in Cambridge last Saturday. Here are the games for those of you who are interested:
https://youtu.be/jIhvgv3-bYc - 2019 Shamrock Open (Pt 1)
https://youtu.be/6GOkIGVDET4 - 2019 Shamrock Open (Pt 2)
Thanks!
Brett
[See these & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

March 18th 2019

Worcester Telegram & Gazette features George Mirijanian

This Sunday's Worcester Telegram & Gazette (March 17th 2019) contains a feature story by correspondent, Paula J. Owen, about WCC Program Director, George Mirijanian.
You can read the entire article at the Worcester Telegram web site:
Sunday Sitdown: George M. Mirijanian, chess player at Wachusett Chess Club
https://www.telegram.com/news/20190317/sunday-sitdown-george-m-mirijanian-chess-player-at-wachusett-chess-club

March 16th, 2019

Roger's video: My Week at the Club #59

Hello All,
Well, I finally bit the bullet and analyzed my lost to Steve Murray (1651), against whom I adopted a French Defense. As a bonus, I've included a short segment on "The Myth of Infrared". Hope you enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VSXmJbJgM4
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

March 14th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial Rd 1

Hey guys,
Check out the video about my game with Dave Thomas: https://youtu.be/r2ZCz5dExrs
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

March 13th, 2019

2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Big upsets topple top two boards

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 13th, 2019**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	0-1	♔ Dave Thomas
♔ Stephen Murray	1-0	Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
♖ Jim Hankard	1/2-1/2	Ray Paulson
Bruce Felton	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Mike Stevens	0-1	Geoff LePoer
Andrew Jeselson	1-0	Don Briggs
Michael David	0-1	Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding	1-0	John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Dave Couture	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Arthur Barlas
Ed Harris	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Total of 15 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Mike Lally, Mike Commisso, Jim Donahue, Mike Meehan and Bob Mathieu.
♖ Not playing round 1 were Bryce McLaughlin and Dillon Motyka.

**Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 13th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Godin, Felton, LePoer, Jeselson, Brassard, Gladding, Gurge, McNeilage, Ri. Pulya, Couture, Barlas, Harris, Thomas, Murray
0.5	Paulson, Mirijanian, Lally, Commisso, Donahue, Meehan, Hankard, Mathieu
0.0	Kildahl, Cappallo, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Stevens, Briggs, David, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Wheeler, Biglow, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 2 Pairings for March 20th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: McNeilage vs. Godin
Board 2: Ri. Pulya vs. Felton
Board 3: LePoer vs. Couture
Board 4: Barlas vs. Jeselson
Board 5: Brassard vs. Harris
Board 6: Thomas vs. Gladding
Board 7: Gurge vs. Murray
Board 8: Paulson vs. Donahue
Board 9: Meehan vs. Mirijanian
Board 10: Lally vs. Hankard
Board 11: Mathieu vs. Commisso
Board 12: Wheeler vs. Kildahl
Board 13: Cappallo vs. O'Rourke
Board 14: Fratturelli vs. Biglow
Board 15: Ostrowski vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 16: Ra, Pulya vs. Stevens
Board 17: Briggs vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 18: Gawboy vs. David
Board 19: Bastarache vs. Motyka
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on March 20th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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March 14th 2019

China wins Women's World Team Championship; USA defeats Egyptian team to finish in 7th place

The Chinese women's team dominated this year's World Team Championship by winning on Thursday, March 14, the 10-team round-robin event in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Chinese won all nine matches, with Russia, scoring 6 match wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, ending up in 2nd place. The U.S. women's team finished in 7th place, with a 2.5-1.5 win over Egypt in the final round. Drawing on board 1 was WGM Katerina Nemcova, losing on board 2 was WIM Carissa Yip, winning on board 3 was WGM Sabina-Fransceca Foisor and on board 4 WCM Rochelle Wu. Carissa's loss was to 21-year-old WGM Shrook Wafa (FIDE-rated 2166), a former Women's African chess champion.
-George M

March 12th 2019

U.S. women's team "routed" in Round 7 by India in World Team Championship

The U.S. women's team was soundly defeated, 4-0, by India in Round 7 of the World Team Championship, played Tuesday, March 12, in Astana, Kazakhstan. All members of the U.S. team, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan on board 1, WGM Katerina Nemcova on board 2, WIM Carissa Yip on board 3, and WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor on board 4 lost to their Indian opponents. Carissa lost to 17-year-old International Master and Woman Grandmaster Padmini Rout (FIDE rated 2332), four-time Indian women's champion (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). Despite the loss, the U.S. team still remains in 7th place in the standings, with two rounds left to play.
-George M

March 11th 2019

U.S. women's team loses to Russia in World Team Championship - Rd. 6

The U.S. women's team lost to Russia on Monday, March 11th, in round 6 of the World Team Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan. Draws were gained by WGM Tatev Abrahamyan on board 1, WGM Katerina Nemcova on board 2, and WCM Rochelle Wu on board 4. Suffering the team's only loss was 15-year-old WIM Carissa Yip on board 3. Carissa, a former Wachusett CC and Boylston CC champion, lost to 20-year-old GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE rated 2504), a two-time Russian women's champion and a two-time World Girls Under-20 champion. The loss now puts the U.S. women's team in 7th place in a field of 10 teams, with three rounds yet to play.
-George M

March 11th, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Gail S. Lingner Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Gail S. Lingner Memorial, which begins Wednesday, March 13, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:30 to 7 p.m., with Round 1 starting at 7:15 p.m.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for the 2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial tournament:
1	Brett Kildahl	2168
2	Roger Cappallo	2031
3	Paul Godin	1971
4	Ray Paulson	1960
5	Bruce Felton	1911
6	George Mirijanian	1900
7	Geoff LePoer	1887
8	Mike Lally	1881
9	Andrew Jeselson	1828
10	Gary Brassard	1808
11	Larry Gladding	1787
12	Ken Gurge	1785
13	Ralph McNeilage	1778
14	Ritvik Pulya	1764
15	Mike Commisso	1756
16	Dave Couture	1743
17	Arthur Barlas	1740
18	Joe Bennett	1721
19	Ed Harris	1715
20	Dave Thomas	1706
21	Jim Donahue	1691
22	Stephen Murray	1651
23	Mike Meehan	1632
24	Jim Hankard	1603
25	Tom Fratturelli	1591
26	Don Ostrowski	1561
27	Mike Stevens	1530
28	Don Briggs	1499
29	Bob Mathieu	1491
30	Michael David	1489
31	John Bastarache	1478
32	Larry O'Rourke	1431
33	Mark Wheeler	1419
34	Brian Biglow	1415
35	Randy McLaughlin	1362
36	Raaga Pulya	1260
37	Hugh McLaughlin	1247
38	Bryce McLaughlin	1146
39	Emily Gawboy	1100
40	Dillon Motyka	935

March 10th 2019

U.S. women's team back on winning path
defeats Armenia in World Team Championship

The U.S. women's team rebounded from its loss to Kazakhstan on Friday to defeat Armenia, 3-1, in Round 5 of the 2019 World Team Championship on Saturday, March 9, in Astana, Kazakhstan. Winning for the USA were WGM Tatev Abrahamyan on board 1, WGM Katerina Nemcova on board 2, and WIM Carissa Yip on board 3. WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor suffered the team's only loss on board 4. Carissa's victory was against 17-year-old Woman FIDE Master Anna M. Sargsyan.
-George M
[Follow the event here: http://chess-results.com/tnr421067.aspx?lan=1&art=46]

March 10th, 2019

Roger's video: My Week at the Club #58

My last-round game against Gary Brassard , on the Black side of a London/Indian Defense. The astronomy segment is 'The Color of Stars'
I've published episode 58 of MWATC, my game last night in the 5th round of the George O'Rourke Memorial. I had the black pieces against Gary Brassard (1742) and we ended up in a London / Indian hybrid. The astronomy segment is 'The Color of Stars'. I hope you enjoy it.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

2019 George O'Rourke Memorial Rd 5
Hey,
I made a video about my game with Ritvik [Pulya] for those who are interested:
https://youtu.be/JTGdFMUBmvk
See you next week.
Brett

[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

March 6th, 2019

2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Kildahl wins with perfect 5-0... again!

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, March 6th, 2019**
Round 5 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Gary Brassard	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Larry Gladding	1/2-1/2	Paul Godin
Bruce Felton	1/2-1/2	Mike Commisso
Michael Stevens	0-1	Ken Gurge
Stephen Murray	0-1	Andrew Jeselson
Don Briggs	0-1	Ed Harris
Jim Donahue	0-1	Dave Couture
♔ Michael David	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Jim Hankard	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
John Bastarache	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Mark Wheeler
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Dillon Motyka	0-1	Emily Gawboy
Total of 14 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were Ray Paulson, Michael Lally, Ralph McNeilage, Arthur Barlas, George Mirijanian, Geoff LePoer,
Dave Thomas, Bob Mathieu, Don Ostrowski, Joe Bennett and Bryce McLaughlin.

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, March 6th, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
5.0	Kildahl
4.5	-----
4.0	Cappallo
3.5	Gurge, Gladding, Brassard, Ri. Pulya
3.0	Godin, Felton, Jeselson, Harris, Commisso
2.5	Paulson, Lally, Couture, McNeilage, Barlas, Stevens, David
2.0	Mirijanian, LePoer, Thomas, Murray, Briggs, Bastarache, Wheeler, O'Rourke, Biglow, Mathieu
1.5	Donahue, Hankard, Fratturelli, Ostrowski
1.0	R. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5	-----
0.0	Bennett, B. McLaughlin, Motyka

♔ 2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: ♔	Brett Kildahl of Worcester
2nd:	Roger Cappallo of Groton
Top U1850:	Ken Gurge, Larry Gladding and Gary Brassard, all of Leominster, and Ritvik Pulya of Acton
Top U1650:	Michael Stevens of Whitinsville, Michael David of Groton
Top U1450:	John Bastarache and Brian Biglow, both of Fitchburg, Mark Wheeler of Leominster, Larry O'Rourke of Acton, and Bob Mathieu of Ashburnham

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:

The following players had a rating increase of 50 or more points:
Bob Mathieu	+ 89
Gary Brassard	+ 67
Ritvik Pulya	+ 56

A total of 2 players
reached new all time highs:

The following players achieved a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya	1764
Stephen Murray	1651

Pictures from this year's George E. O'Rourke Memorial tournament.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 3/6/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2031	2102	Can. Master	32	23	3	6	26.0	.813
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1971	2020	1st Cat.	33	24	5	4	26.0	.788
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1960	2085	Can. Master	28	19	7	2	20.0	.714
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1787	1953	1st Cat.	32	18	10	4	20.0	.625
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1808	1904	1st Cat.	33	17	10	6	20.0	.606
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1785	1856	2nd Cat.	33	17	10	6	20.0	.606
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1756	1770	2nd Cat.	31	16	9	6	19.0	.613
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1743	1858	1st Cat.	31	17	10	4	19.0	.613
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1764	1745	3rd Cat.	27	14	7	6	17.0	.630
MICHAEL DAVID	Groton	1489	1623	3rd Cat.	32	14	14	4	16.0	.500
DAVID THOMAS	Fitchburg	1706	1837	2nd Cat.	24	13	9	2	14.0	.583
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1651P23	1651	none	23	12	10	1	12.5	.543
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN	Fitchburg	1900	2186	1st Cat.	16	8	3	5	10.5	.656
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1911	1971	1st Cat.	14	8	2	4	10.0	.714
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1778	1787	3rd Cat.	13	8	3	2	9.0	.692
ARTHUR BARLAS	Stow	1740	1833	2nd Cat.	13	7	4	2	8.0	.615

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 3/6/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2031	2102	Can. Master	32	23	3	6	26.0	.813
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1971	2020	1st Cat.	33	24	5	4	26.0	.788
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1960	2085	Can. Master	28	19	7	2	20.0	.714
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1787	1953	1st Cat.	32	18	10	4	20.0	.625
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1808	1904	1st Cat.	33	17	10	6	20.0	.606
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1785	1856	2nd Cat.	33	17	10	6	20.0	.606
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1756	1770	2nd Cat.	31	16	9	6	19.0	.613
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1743	1858	1st Cat.	31	17	10	4	19.0	.613
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1764	1745	3rd Cat.	27	14	7	6	17.0	.630
MICHAEL DAVID	Groton	1489	1623	3rd Cat.	32	14	14	4	16.0	.500
DAVID THOMAS	Fitchburg	1706	1837	2nd Cat.	24	13	9	2	14.0	.583
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1651P23	1651	none	23	12	10	1	12.5	.543
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN	Fitchburg	1900	2186	1st Cat.	16	8	3	5	10.5	.656
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1911	1971	1st Cat.	14	8	2	4	10.0	.714
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1778	1787	3rd Cat.	13	8	3	2	9.0	.692
ARTHUR BARLAS	Stow	1740	1833	2nd Cat.	13	7	4	2	8.0	.615

Above are the standings for the club championship qualification.
The players in green would qualify on the basis of grand prix points and the players in yellow would qualify on the basis of winning percentage.
The top sheet of the standings shows who would qualify if the season ended today.
The bottom sheet shows who would qualify if they play enough of the remaining games to reach the 50% threshold.

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Gail S. Lingner Memorial, will begin Wednesday, March 13th.
Players must be present in Room C159 by 7 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 1 on March 13th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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March 7th 2019

Carissa Yip still undefeated in World Team Championship.
Draws former Georgian women's champion in round 3.

Carissa Yip remained undefeated in the women's division of the 2019 World Team Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan, as she drew the former women's champion of Georgia, 32-year-old WGM Nino Batsiashvili, in round 3 of the nine-round team event on Thursday, March 7. Carissa split the point on board 3 with Batsiashvili, who was Georgian women's champion in 2015 and 2018, while her team mates, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan on board 1, WGM Katerina Nemcova on board 2, and WCM Rochelle Wu on board 4, lost their games, giving Georgia a 3.5-0.5 win over the American team.
-George M

March 5th 2019

Carissa Yip defeats former Women's World Champion in World Team Championship

Former Wachusett CC champion Carissa Yip beats ex-Women's World Champion Ushenina.
Carissa Yip, the 2014 champion of the Wachusett Chess Club, got off to an excellent start in Round 1 in the Women's Division of the 2019 World Team Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan by defeating former Women's World Champion GM Anna Ushenina of Ukraine on Tuesday, March 5th. The 15-year-old Women's International Master from Andover, Mass. beat 33-year-old Ushenina with the black pieces on board 2 in the USA vs. Ukraine match, which ended in a 2-2 tie. Carissa scored the only win for the U.S. team, with fellow team mates WGM Tatev Abrahamyan losing on board 1, WGM Sabina Foisor drawing on board 3, and 12-year-old Woman Candidate Master Rochelle Wu splitting the point on board 4.
-George M

[Here's the game:]
[White "Ushenina, Anna"]
[Black "Yip, Carissa"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E73"]
[Opening "King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Geller Defense"]
1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 4. d4 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 Nbd7 { E73 King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Geller Defense } 7. Qd2 c6 8. Nf3 e5 9. d5 Nc5 10. Qc2 a5 11. O-O Rb8 12. a3 cxd5 13. cxd5 Qc7 14. Nd2 Bd7 15. Nb5 Bxb5 16. Bxb5 Rfc8 17. Rac1 Qd8 18. Qb1 a4 19. Be3 Qa5 20. Be2 b5 21. f3 Nfd7 22. Rc3 Bf6 23. Qc2 Bd8 24. Rb1 Qa6 25. Qd1 Ba5 26. Rc2 Bb6 27. Bf2 Kg7 28. Rbc1 Rc7 29. Qf1 Ba7 30. Rc3 Rcc8 31. Kh1 Qb7 32. R1c2 Rf8 33. b4 axb3 34. Nxb3 Qa6 35. Bh4 Qa4 36. Qb1 b4 37. axb4 Qxb4 38. Qa2 Nxb3 39. Qxa7 Nd4 40. Qxd7 Qxc3 { White resigns. } 0-1

March 1st 2019

Chess videos by Andrew Jeselson

The newest member of the Wachusett Chess Club, Andrew Jeselson, has posted a number of chess videos on YouTube. Andrew reviews some classical games by players such as Mikhail Botvinnik & Alexi Shirov as well as a game of his from the
2017 New York State Open.
Check out Andrew's chess videos at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR3Yy09EAQgD1SXfpQKuRw
-PG

February 27th, 2019

Brett's video: OTB Chess 02/27/19
Roger's video: My Week at the Club #57
Board 1 in Round 4 of the George O'Rourke Memorial, Roger Cappallo vs. Brett Kildahl

This week the board 1 pairing consisted once again of NM Brett Kildahl vs. CM Roger Cappallo & both players decided to explain their moves & ideas in respective YouTube videos, so the Wachusett Chess Club is treated with duelling videos for this interesting & important game.

2019 George O'Rourke Memorial Rd 4
Hello,
Here's my game against Roger: https://youtu.be/r5yWFuwGHJE
Thanks!
Brett

[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

My Week at the Club #57
And here's my game against Brett. :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mZEg81q5tw
My board 1 encounter this week, as White vs. National Master Brett Kildahl, in a Giuoco Pianissimo opening
Cheers,
Roger

[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

February 27th, 2019

2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 4 of 5

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 27th, 2019**
Round 4 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	0-1	Brett Kildahl
♔ Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Bruce Felton
George Mirijanian	0-1	♔ Gary Brassard
Mike Commisso	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage	1/2-1/2	Arthur Barlas
Stephen Murray	0-1	Larry Gladding
Paul Godin	1-0	Bob Mathieu
Ray Paulson	1-0	Jim Donahue
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Michael Stevens
Andrew Jeselson	1-0	John Bastarache
Dave Couture	1/2-1/2	Michael David
Ed Harris	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Don Briggs
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Don Ostrowski
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Brian Biglow
Total of 15 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Michael Lally and Geoff LePoer.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Dave Thomas, Jim Hankard, Hugh McLaughlin and Dillon Motyka.
♟ Already withdrawn from the tournament are Joe Bennett and Bryce McLaughlin.

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 27th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
4.0	Kildahl
3.5	Brassard, Ri. Pulya
3.0	Cappallo, Gladding
2.5	Godin, Paulson, Felton, Lally, Gurge, McNeilage, Barlas, Commisso, Stevens
2.0	LePoer, Mirijanian, Jeselson, Harris, Thomas, Murray, Briggs, Mathieu
1.5	Couture, Donahue,Fratturelli, Ostrowski, David, Biglow
1.0	Hankard, Bastarache, Wheeler, O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin
0.5	-----
0.0	(Bennett), (B. McLaughlin), Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 5 Pairings for March 6th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
1     Brett Kildahl (4.0)        Ritvik Pulya (3.5)
2     Gary Brassard (3.5)     Roger Cappallo (3.0)
3     Larry Gladding (3.0)     Paul Godin (2.5)
4     Arthur Barlas (2.5)     Ray Paulson (2.5)
5     Bruce Felton (2.5)       Ralph McNeilage (2.5)
6     Mike Lally (2.5)            Michael Commisso (2.5)
7     Michael Stevens (2.5)     Ken Gurge (2.5)
8     Stephen Murray (2.0)     George Mirijanian (2.0)
9     Don Briggs (2.0)            Andrew Jesselson (2.0)
10     Bob Mathieu (2.0)       Ed Harris (2.0)
11     Jim Donahue (1.5)       Dave Couture (1.5)
12     Michael David (1.5)     Tom Fratturelli (1.5)
13     Jim Hankard (1.0)          Brian Biglow (1.5)
14     John Bastarache (1.0)     Raaga Pulya (1.0)
15     Larry O'Rourke (1.0)     Mark Wheeler (1.0)
16     Dillon Motyka (0.0)     Emily Gawboy (0.0)
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Class A player Andrew Jeselson of Rome, New York, who is studying for an MBA at Fitchburg State University.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on March 6th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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February 23rd 2019

Ex-Wachusett CC Champion, Carissa Yip to compete in World Team Championship

Former Wachusett Chess Club champion Carissa Yip of Andover, Mass. will represent the United States on a national women's team competing in the 2019 World Team Championship, which will be played between March 4 (arrival) and March 15 (departure) in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan. The 2014 Wachusett CC champion and Woman International Master will join team mates WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, WGM Katerina Nemcova, WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor, and alternate WCM Rochelle Wu in competing with teams from Russia, China, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia, India, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Egypt. Team captain is noted chess teacher GM Melikset Khachiyan of Los Angeles, GM Levon Aronian's first chess coach.
-George M

February 22nd, 2019

My Week at the Club #56
Board 2 in Round 3 of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Ken Gurge

My Week at the Club #55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LpDq_lTAvE

Hello All,
This week I played Ken Gurge (1778) on the Black side of a French Defense. Ken sac'd a pawn and the black king was looking pretty shaky. For the details on how it turned out, as well as a few words on the rotation of Mercury, see:
https://youtu.be/uNZuV9msAS0
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

February 21st, 2019

Brett Kildahl vs. Mike Commisso
Board 1 in Round 3 of the George O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Mike Commisso

OTB Chess 02/14/19

Hey guys,
I had a tough game against Mike Commisso in the third round, and just made a video about it:
https://youtu.be/uZzudIufoo8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZzudIufoo8 2019 George O'Rourke Memorial Rd 3
Thanks,
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

February 20th, 2019

2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 3 of 5

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 20th, 2019**
Round 3 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Mike Commisso
Ken Gurge	0-1	Roger Cappallo
♔ Gary Brassard	1-0	Ray Paulson
Bruce Felton	1-0	Jim Donahue
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Dave Couture
Don Briggs	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Larry Gladding	1-0	John Bastarache
Arthur Barlas	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Bob Mathieu	1-0	Michael David
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Geoff LePoer
Brian Biglow	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Dillon Motyka	0-1	Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 13 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Michael Lally, Dave Thomas, Stephen Murray, Paul Godin,
Michael Stevens, Jim Hankard and Raaga Pulya.
♙ Bryce McLaughlin and Vince Premus withdrew from the tournament.
♟ Joe Bennett had already withdrawn from the event.

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 20th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Kildahl, Cappallo
2.5	Felton, Brassard, Ri. Pulya
2.0	Mirijanian, Lally, Gurge, McNeilage, Gladding, Barlas, Commisso, Thomas, Murray, Mathieu
1.5	Godin, Paulson, LePoer, Donahue, Fratturelli, Stevens
1.0	Couture, Hankard, Briggs, David, Bastarache, Wheeler, O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin
0.5	Ostrowski, Biglow
0.0	(Bennett), (B. McLaughlin), Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 4 Pairings for February 27th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Cappallo vs. Kildahl
Board 2: Ri. Pulya vs. Felton
Board 3: Mirijanian vs. Brassard
Board 4: Lally vs. Barlas
Board 5: Commisso vs. Gurge
Board 6: McNeilage vs. Thomas
Board 7: Murray vs. Gladding
Board 8: Godin vs. Mathieu
Board 9: Paulson vs. Donahue
Board 10: Fratturelli vs. Stevens
Board 11: Couture vs. Wheeler
Board 12: Hankard vs. Bastarache
Board 13: Ra. Pulya vs. Briggs
Board 14: David vs. O'Rourke
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Ostrowski
Board 16: Motyka vs. Biglow
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 is is LePoer.
♝ Also not playing but declining a half-point bye is H. McLaughlin.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on February 27th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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February 20th 2019

Jeff Caruso and Robb Stewart to run in MACA elections

MACA elections are right around the corner! Billerica CC members, Jeff Caruso and Robb Stewart, are running for positions on the MACA board. Jeff has represented MACA as a director for a number of years and this year he is running for Vice President. Robb Stewart is running for one of the open director positions and has asked for our support. I've known Robb for a long time through the chess circles and has been an instructor for the club in the past.

For those that don't know him, Robb has been an active chess player for over 30 years, and is very involved with scholastic chess. He volunteers to manage a chess program at his daughter's school, directs scholastic tournaments, and tutors students privately.

Both Jeff and Robb are great candidates for the positions and will help Mass Chess move forward. They would like you and/or your child's vote - yes, your child can vote! Mass Chess bylaws state that junior members are eligible to vote The process to vote is underway currently and is a two-step process that is easy to complete.

The first step is that you have to register with the election committee to vote.
You simply need to send an email to the following address: election@masschess.org

You do need to be a current member of MACA. You can paste this text in your note:
Please send me an online ballot for the upcoming election to [your-email].
This must be completed before February 28th.

The second step is to vote!
An on-line ballot will be emailed to the address you provided at the beginning of May which will allow you to vote.
Online voting needs to be completed by May 22nd.
MACA has posted FAQs on its website about the election process; the link can be found here:
http://masschess.org/resources/faqs/chess_faqs.aspx?faq_type_uid=5
Please vote! And please support Robb Stewart and Jeff Caruso, they are both great choices for the future of Mass Chess.
-Paul G.

February 16th, 2019

My Week at the Club #55
Board 2 in Round 2 of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Larry Gladding

My Week at the Club #55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LpDq_lTAvE

Hello All,
This week I played Larry Gladding (1765) in a QGD. The opening line was somewhat similar to our game in episode #52, and Larry got a promising K-side attack out of it.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

February 14th, 2019

Brett Kildahl vs. Ralph McNeilage
Board 1 in Round 2 of the George O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Ralph McNeilage

OTB Chess 02/14/19

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
I made a video about last night's game. Check it out if you feel like it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbtSn9hFNWU 2019 George O'Rourke Memorial Rd 2
Thanks,
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

February 13th, 2019

2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 2 of 5

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 13th, 2019**
Round 2 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Larry Gladding
♔ Mike Commisso	1-0	Paul Godin
Bruce Felton	1/2-1/2	Gary Brassard
Jim Donahue	1/2-1/2	Mike Lally
John Bastarache	0-1	Ken Gurge
Ray Paulson	1-0	Bob Mathieu
Geoff LePoer	0-1	♔ Stephen Murray
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	George Mirijanian
Dave Couture	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Michael Stevens	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Don Briggs
Michael David	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Dillon Motyka
Total of 15 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ritvik Pulya, Dave Thomas, Arthur Barlas, Vince Premus, Jim Hankard and Raaga Pulya.
♙ Joe Bennett withdrew from the tournament.

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 13th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Kildahl, Cappallo, Gurge, Commisso
1.5	Paulson, Felton, Mirijanian, Lally, Brassard, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Thomas, Murray
1.0	Godin, Couture, McNeilage, Gladding, Barlas, Premus, Stevens, Briggs, David, Bastarache, Wheeler, Mathieu
0.5	LePoer, Hankard, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Biglow, Ra. Pulya
0.0	(Bennett), O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 3 Pairings for February 20th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Kildahl vs. Commisso
Board 2: Gurge vs. Cappallo
Board 3: Brassard vs. Paulson
Board 4: Ri. Pulya vs. Felton
Board 5: Mirijanian vs. Donahue
Board 6: Lally vs. Thomas
Board 7: Murray vs. Godin
Board 8: Briggs vs. Couture
Board 9: David vs. McNeilage
Board 10: Gladding vs. Bastarache
Board 11: Barlas vs. Wheeler
Board 12: Mathieu vs. LePoer
Board 13: Hankard vs. Biglow
Board 14: Ostrowski vs. Fratturelli
Board 15: Ra. Pulya vs. O'Rourke
Board 16: H. McLaughlin vs. Gawboy
Board 17: Motyka vs. B. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 3 is Stevens.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on February 20th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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February 9th, 2019

My Week at the Club #54
Board 2 in Round 1 of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Don Ostrowski

My Week at the Club #54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHrBSFO0yHo

Hello All,
After a bit more effort than I care to admit, I got my most recent analysis video posted. In it I play Don Ostrowski in the first round of the George O'Rourke Memorial. He played 1. e4 and I responded with a French Defense.
My weekly game from the Wachusett Chess Club, where I played Black in a French Defense against Don Ostrowski (1571).
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

Board 1 in Round 1 of the Grorge E. O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Jim Hankard

Good morning,
I posted a video about my game against Jim Hankard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y80iQChzZ4
There's also a new one about the Budapest Gambit, for those of you who are interested in openings:
Chess Openings: Budapest Gambit: https://youtu.be/m0oBpiVwonQ
See you Wednesday!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

February 6th, 2019

2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 1 of 5

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 6th, 2019**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Jim Hankard
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin	1-0	Michael Stevens
Don Briggs	0-1	Bruce Felton
Mike Lally	1-0	Michael David
♔ John Bastarache	1-0	Dave Couture
Ken Gurge	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Larry Gladding	1-0	Brian Biglow
♔ Bob Mathieu	1-0	Joe Bennett
Gary Brassard	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Mike Commisso
Jim Donahue	1-0	Bryce McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Dave Thomas	1-0	Dillon Motyka
Total of 15 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ray Paulson, Geoff LePoer, George Mirijanian, Arthur Barlas,
Vince Premus and Tom Fratturelli.

**George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 6th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Kildahl, Cappallo, Godin, Felton, Lally, Gurge, McNeilage, Gladding, Brassard, Commisso, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Thomas, Bastarache, Mathieu
0.5	Paulson, LePoer, Mirijanian, Barlas, Premus, Fratturelli
0.0	Couture, Bennett, Hankard, Ostrowski, Stevens, Briggs, David, Wheeler, O'Rourke, Biglow, Ra. Pulya, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 2 Pairings for February 13th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Gladding vs. Kildahl
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Brassard
Board 3: Commisso vs. Godin
Board 4: Felton vs. Donahue
Board 5: Ri. Pulya vs. Lally
Board 6: Thomas vs. Gurge
Board 7: McNeilage vs. Bastarache
Board 8: Paulson vs. Mathieu
Board 9: LePoer vs. Barlas
Board 10: Premus vs. Mirijanian
Board 11: Couture vs. Fratturelli
Board 12: Bennett vs. O'Rourke
Board 13: Hankard vs. Biglow
Board 14: Ra. Pulya vs. Ostrowski
Board 15: Stevens vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 16: B. McLaughlin vs. Briggs
Board 17: David vs. Gawboy
Board 18:Wheeler vs. Motyka
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♘ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes back Bruce Felton, Joe Bennett, and Mike Lally, the last of whom has not played at the club since September 17, 2014.
♙ The club also welcomes new player Michael Stevens of Whitinsville, who is a regular player at the Greater Worcester Chess Club.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on February 13th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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February 5th, 2019

Ratings in effect for the George E. O'Rourke Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 6, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.

At 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6, the latest episode of Chess Chat will be presented, showing the game between 18-year-old GM Sam Sevian (the No. 1 player in Massachusetts, who lives in Central Mass. in Holden) and soon-to-be 20-year-old IM Ravi Haria (British player) from the Pro Chess League match between the Montclair Sopranos and the London Lions. WIM Carissa Yip, 2014 Wachusett CC champion, is also a member of the Montclair Sopranos team. The Chess Chat episode can also be seen on video On Demand at http://www.fatv.org.
Players must be present by 7 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for the 2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial tournament:
1	Brett Kildahl	2155
2	Roger Cappallo	2022
3	Paul Godin	1994
4	Ray Paulson	1985
5	Geoff LePoer	1907
6	George Mirijanian	1906
7	Dave Couture	1780
8	Ken Gurge	1778
9	Ralph McNeilage	1774
10	Larry Gladding	1765
11	Gary Brassard	1742
12	Arthur Barlas	1733
13	Mike Commisso	1728
14	Jim Donahue	1711
15	Ritvik Pulya	1708
16	Dave Thomas	1706
17	Jim Hankard	1652
18	Stephen Murray	1642
19	Vince Premus	1639
20	Tom Fratturelli	1637
21	Mike Meehan	1632
22	Roland Booker	1600
23	Don Ostrowski	1571
24	Don Briggs	1498
25	Michael David	1484
26	John Bastarache	1442
27	Mark Wheeler	1432
28	Larry O'Rourke	1432
29	Brian Biglow	1404
30	Raaga Pulya	1284
31	Hugh McLaughlin	1265
32	Bryce McLaughlin	1157
33	Emily Gawboy	1106
34	Dillon Motyka	1090

February 2nd, 2019

Local chess on WGBY TV

Scholastic Chess in the WMCA region was on Connecting Point PBS (WGBY) Tues 7pm 22 Jan
The show segment was published on YouTube & may be viewed here:
Western Mass Scholastic Chess League | Connecting Point | Jan. 22, 2019

February 1st, 2019

Roger's video: My Week at the Club #53
Brett's video: OTB Chess 01/30/19
Board 1 in Round 5 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, Roger Cappallo vs. Brett Kilhadl

Duelling videos!

This week the board 1 pairing consisted of NM Brett Kildahl vs. CM Roger Cappallo & both players decided to explain their moves & ideas in respective YouTube videos, so the Wachusett Chess Club is treated with duelling videos for this interesting & important game.

Brett comments on Roger's YouTube video:
Nice analysis, Roger.
It was interesting to hear that you wanted to avoid the Benko and Benoni. I was hoping for one of those openings, and didn't have much of an idea what I'd do against the Slav, so you had me pegged in that regard.
Your description of my late middlegame blunder as a slight glitch was generous. If you had had even a few minutes more on your clock at that point, I think you would have found that line and won the game.
Thanks for linking to my video. I'll do the same!
-Brett

[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

My Week at the Club #53

The last round fight for 1st place in the Reggie Boone Memorial, where I played Black in a Slav Defense against Brett Kildahl (2132). Brett's video on this game can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiYvEPejnBU, and the club's web site is located at http://www.wachusettchess.org.
Brett also has made a video, which I've linked to in my description. As always, thanks for watching.
Cheers,
Roger

[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

January 30th, 2019

Brett Kildahl vs. Roger Cappallo
Board 1 in Round 5 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Roger Cappallo

OTB Chess 01/30/19

Hi all,
I made a video about my game against Roger Cappallo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiYvEPejnBU
See you all next week.
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

January 30th, 2019

2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Brett Kildahl tops 2019 opener with perfect 5.0

NM Brett Kildahl is back at the WCC & started off the new year with a bang by finishing clear first at 5.0/5 in the five round Reggie Boone Memorial tournament, a full point ahead of his nearest competitor, second place finisher, Paul Godin. Lest one think Brett's clean sweep was some kind of lucky fluke, it's worth noting that after defeating a pair of strong class B players, Dave Thomas & Dave Couture, Brett then went on a complete romp by beating the three highest rated players in the club (aside from himself), Paul Godin, Ray Paulson, & Roger Cappallo, to achieve a tournament performance rating (TPR) of 2421. It's difficult to imagine a more convincing victory, so kudos to Brett.

Paul Godin took clear second place by scoring a solid 65 move win over USCF expert Ray Paulson after Ray had declined Paul's offer to split the point at move 52. Gary Brassard beat Jim Hankard to share the under 1800 prize with Mike Commisso who beat Dave Couture in a somewhat complex tactical melee which will undoubtedly provide more material for any updates to Dave's book Progressive Tactics.

There were several other games of particular interest in the final round. The two "giant killers", Tom Fratturelli & Don Briggs met each other & Briggs was victorious, which landed him the top under 1600 prize. Raaga Pulya scored a huge upset against 1507 rated Mark Wheeler & this combined with her round 2 victory over Briggs netted her 146 rating points & launched her to a new all time high of 1284.

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 30th, 2019**
Round 5 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson	0-1	Paul Godin
Mike Commisso	1-0	Dave Couture
Gary Brassard	1-0	Jim Hankard
Don Briggs	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Ken Gurge	1-0	John Bastarache
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Don Ostrowski	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
♕ Raaga Pulya	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Dillon Motyka	1/2-1/2	Bryce McLaughlin
Total of 11 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were George Mirijanian, Geoff LePoer, Larry Gladding, Jim Donahue, Dave Thomas, Arthur Barlas,
Michael David, Randy McLaughlin and Emily Gawboy.
♙ Stephen Murray was withdrawn from the tournament.

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 30th, 2019**
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
5.0	Kildahl
4.5	-----
4.0	Godin
3.5	Cappallo, Brassard, Commisso
3.0	Briggs
2.5	Paulson, Mirijanian, LePoer, Couture, Gurge, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Hankard, Fratturelli
2.0	McNeilage, Donahue, Thomas, Ostrowski, Biglow, Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.5	Barlas, David, O'Rourke
1.0	Wheeler, H. McLaughlin
0.5	B. McLaughlin, Motyka
0.0	R. McLaughlin, Gawboy

♔ 2019 Reggie Boone Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: ♔	Brett Kildahl of Worcester
2nd:	Paul Godin of Bedford
Top U1800:	Gary Brassard of Leominster, Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH
Top U1600:	Don Briggs of Lunenburg
Top U1400:	Raaga Pulya of Acton

Only 1 player
gained 50 or more rating points:

The following player had a rating increase of 50 or more points:
Raaga Pulya	+ 146

Only 1 player
reached a new all time high:

The following player achieved a new all-time high rating:
Raaga Pulya	1284

Pictures from this year's Reggie Boone Memorial tournament.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members	Hometown	Current Rating As Of 1/30/19	All-Time High	TITLE	Total Games	W	L	D	Grand Prix Points	Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN	Bedford	1994	2020	1st Cat.	29	22	4	3	23.5	.810
ROGER CAPPALLO	Groton	2022	2102	Can. Master	27	19	2	6	22.0	.815
RAYMOND PAULSON	Lowell	1985	2085	Can. Master	25	17	6	2	18.0	.720
DAVE COUTURE	Westminster	1780	1858	1st Cat.	26	15	8	3	16.5	.635
LARRY GLADDING	Leominster	1765	1953	1st Cat.	27	15	9	3	16.5	.611
KEN GURGE	Leominster	1778	1856	2nd Cat.	28	14	9	5	16.5	.589
GARY BRASSARD	Leominster	1742	1904	1st Cat.	28	14	9	5	16.5	.589
MIKE COMMISSO	Brookline, NH	1728	1770	2nd Cat.	26	14	8	4	16.0	.615
RITVIK PULYA	Acton	1708	1745	3rd Cat.	23	11	6	6	14.0	.609
MICHAEL DAVID	Groton	1484	1623	3rd Cat.	27	12	12	3	13.5	.500
DAVID THOMAS	Fitchburg	1706	1837	2nd Cat.	23	12	9	2	13.0	.565
STEPHEN MURRAY	Ayer	1642P20	1642	none	20	11	8	1	11.5	.575
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN	Fitchburg	1906	2186	1st Cat.	14	7	2	5	9.5	.679
JIM DONAHUE	Stow	1711	1738	3rd Cat.	18	8	7	3	9.5	.528
TOM FRATTURELLI	Leominster	1637	1688	2nd Cat.	15	7	6	2	8.0	.533
BRUCE FELTON	Fitchburg	1933	1971	1st Cat.	9	6	1	2	7.0	.778
RALPH MCNEILAGE	Worcester	1774	1787	3rd Cat.	9	6	2	1	6.5	.722
ARTHUR BARLAS	Stow	1733	1833	2nd Cat.	11	6	4	1	6.5	.591
MICHAEL MEEHAN	Westminster	1632	1705	3rd Cat.	12	5	5	2	6.0	.500

WCC: Biographies

Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot	Qualified by GPP	Qualified by Pct.	Qualified, not yet eligible	Eligible, not yet qualified

Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club will be the George E. O'Rourke Memorial.
Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:00 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 1 on February 6th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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January 27th, 2019

My Week at the Club #52
Board 2 in Round 4 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Larry Gladding

Hello All,
I've finished and uploaded the video for Wednesday night's Round 4 game against Larry Gladding. It was a QGD Exchange variation. For convenience I've attached an updated index to my video series. [mwatc_index.xlsx.pdf]
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

January 24th, 2019

Ray Paulson vs Brett Kildahl
Board 1 in Round 4 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Ray Paulson

Hi all,
The video about my game with Ray [Paulson] is up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz70Of3xUac
See you all next Wednesday!
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

January 23rd, 2019

2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 4 of 5

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 23rd, 2019**
Round 4 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Ray Paulson	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Larry Gladding
Paul Godin	1-0	Ken Gurge
Dave Couture	1-0	Jim Donahue
Arthur Barlas	0-1	Jim Hankard
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Gary Brassard
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
John Bastarache	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Michael David
Total of 10 boards, no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Geoff LePoer, Mike Commisso, Dave Thomas and Brian Biglow.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Stephen Murray, Hugh McLaughlin, Raaga Pulya, Bryce McLaughlin and Dillon Motyka.
♟ Randy McLaughlin had already withdrawn from the tournament.

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 23rd, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
Points	Players
4.0	Kildahl
3.5	Cappallo
3.0	Godin
2.5	Paulson, Mirijanian, LePoer, Couture, Brassard, Gladding, Commisso, Hankard, Fratturelli
2.0	Donahue, Thomas, Briggs, Bastarache
1.5	Gurge, Barlas, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, David, O'Rourke, Biglow
1.0	Murray, Wheeler, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5	-----
0.0	(R. McLaughlin), B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 5 Pairings for January 30th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Kildahl vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Paulson vs. Godin
Board 3: Gladding vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Hankard vs. LePoer
Board 5: Couture vs. Fratturelli
Board 6: Commisso vs. Brassard
Board 7: Donahue vs. Briggs
Board 8: Bastarache vs. Thomas
Board 9: Ostrowski vs. Gurge
Board 10: David vs. Barlas
Board 11: Ri. Pulya vs. O'Rourke
Board 12: Murray vs. Biglow
Board 13: Ra. Pulya vs. Wheeler
Board 14: Gawboy vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 15: Motyka vs. B. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on January 30th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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January 18th, 2019

My Week at the Club #51
Board 2 in Round 3 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Geoff LePoer

Hello All,
After a fair amount of futzing about with the machine, I was able to get a video produced on my game against Geoff LePoer. I was on the Black side of a Torre Attack. Here's the link:
https://youtu.be/qnegT7pIASo My Week at the Club #51
My weekly bout at the Wachusett Chess Club, this week playing Black against Geoff LePoer (1907) in a Torre Attack.
I hope you find something of interest in it.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

January 18th 2019

Just The Rules: No Claim, No Fame

Position from H. McLaughlin - Mike Commisso, 2019.01.16

Kxb6??

Your opponent's flag is about to fall in a US Chess sudden death time control. The TD comes over to the contest to observe. They see that your opponent has run out of time-their flag is down, but the TD says nothing and does nothing. You look up at them with a quizzical expression, and still there is no response from the TD. To get the TD to act, you must point out the flag fall and say something-like "Flag" or "Flag Fall" or "Time." You and your opponent are locked in a position where your king gets checked over, and over, and over. The TD is watching this little dance contest; yet, says nothing. Why? There was no claim by a player. Note: the TD can declare a draw without a claim if the same position appears five times in a row. Your opponent touches their queen but moves their knight instead. They do this right in front of the TD; yet, the TD does nothing?! But if you make a claim, what do you think the TD will do?

Rarely will a TD intervene in your game without an invitation by you or your opponent to do so. TDs rarely rule on a claim that you don't make, even if they observe a violation of US Chess rules (FIDE rules are a bit different and there are some rare exceptions in US Chess.) So if you want to claim a flag fall, draw, illegal move, touched piece, etc., then you have to make that request-verbally. One notable time a claim does not need to be verbalized is when 75 moves have been made with no pawn move plus no piece has been captured-then the TD can simply declare the game drawn. If a TD sees an illegal move early in the game-the US Chess rules have some wiggle room here-a TD may, unannounced, step in and correct the miscue (even though US Chess advises against it). They positively cannot do a thing about an illegal move in the last five minutes of a time control unless you or your opponent makes an illegal move claim-aloud.

Coaches, friends, relatives, spectators, teachers, and all others cannot make any claim in the game you are playing. Having someone summon a TD for you is not the same as making a claim. When the TD does show up, you have to state your claim yourself.
-Larry G.

January 16th, 2019

2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 3 of 5

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 16th, 2019**
Round 3 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Paul Godin
Geoff LePoer	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Arthur Barlas	0-1	Ray Paulson
Ken Gurge	0-1	Larry Gladding
George Mirijanian	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Jim Hankard	1/2-1/2	Dave Couture
Jim Donahue	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Michael David	0-1	John Bastarache
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Mark Wheeler
Don Briggs	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow	1-0	Dillon Motyka
Total of 13 boards, no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ritvik Pulya, Dave Thomas and Larry O'Rourke.
♖ Not playing round 3 was Stephen Murray.
♙ Randy McLaughlin had already withdrawn from the tournament.

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 16th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
Points	Players
3.0	Kildahl
2.5	Cappallo, Paulson, Gladding
2.0	Godin, Mirijanian, LePoer, Donahue, Commisso
1.5	Couture, Gurge, Barlas, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Thomas, Hankard, Fratturelli, O'Rourke, Bastarache
1.0	Murray, Ostrowski, Wheeler, Briggs, Biglow, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5	David
0.0	(R. McLaughlin), B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Motyka

Projected Round 4 Pairings for January 23rd:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Paulson vs. Kildahl
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Gladding
Board 3: Godin vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Commisso vs. Donahue
Board 5:Couture vs. Thomas
Board 6: Fratturelli vs. Gurge
Board 7: Barlas vs. Hankard
Board 8: O'Rourke vs. Brassard
Board 9: Bastarache vs. Murray
Board 10: Ostrowski vs. Briggs
Board 11: Wheeler vs. David
Board 12: Gawboy vs. Motyka
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 4 are LePoer and Biglow.
♝ Not being paired are Ritvik and Raaga Pulya as well as Hugh and Bryce McLaughlin.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new player Dillon Motyka of Leominster, who is playing in his first USCF-rated tournament.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on January 23rd.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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January 10th, 2019

Dave Couture vs Brett Kildahl
Board 1 in Round 2 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Dave Couture

Hi all,
For those of you who are interested, I'm back to making chess videos.
Here's my most recent: https://youtu.be/IcNe4m_V2UE
The rest can be found through my channel (Brett Kildahl).
Thanks!
Brett
[See this & all of Brett Kildahl's other videos at Brett's YouTube channel.]

January 10th, 2019

My Week at the Club #50
Board 2 in Round 2 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Ken Gurge

Hello All,
I've just posted my 50th Week at the Club video on youtube. It's at:
https://youtu.be/qH4ybOwGJo0
In it I play Ken Gurge (1784) on the white side of a Caro-Kann Panov Attack. I hope you enjoy it.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

January 9th, 2019

2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 2 of 5

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 9th, 2019**
Round 2 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Dave Couture	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding	1/2-1/2	Ray Paulson
Paul Godin	1-0	Jim Donahue
Mike Commisso	0-1	Geoff LePoer
Ritvik Pulya	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Gary Brassard
John Bastarache	0-1	Jim Hankard
Dave Thomas	1-0	Brian Biglow
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Bryce McLaughlin
♔ Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Mark Wheeler
♕ Raaga Pulya	1-0	Don Briggs
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Total of 13 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Arthur Barlas, Stephen Murray and Michael David.
♙ Withdrawing from the tournament were Randy McLaughlin and Francis Scanlon.

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 9th, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
2.0	Kildahl, Godin, LePoer
1.5	Cappallo, Paulson, Gurge, Barlas, Gladding, Fratturelli
1.0	Mirijanian, Couture, Donahue, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Thomas, Hankard, Murray, Ostrowski, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5	Brassard, David, Bastarache
0.0	Wheeler, Briggs, Biglow, (R. McLaughlin), B. McLaughlin, Gawboy

Projected Round 3 Pairings for January 16th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Kildahl vs. Godin
Board 2: LePoer vs. Cappallo
Board 3: Paulson vs. Barlas
Board 4: Gurge vs. Gladding
Board 5: Donahue vs. Fratturelli
Board 6: Murray vs. Couture
Board 7: Ostrowski vs. Commisso
Board 8: O'Rourke vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 9: H. McLaughlin vs. Thomas
Board 10: Hankard vs. Ra.Pulya
Board 11: Brassard vs. David
Board 12: Wheeler vs. Bastarache
Board 13: Briggs vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 14: Biglow vs. Gawboy
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on January 16th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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January 8th 2019

Carissa Yip to play in PRO Chess League

Carissa Yip is on the Montclair Sopranos along with GM's Sam Sevian, Aleksandr Lenderman, Gadir Guseinov & WGM Sabina Foisor.
PRO Chess League season 3 starts Tuesday January 8, 2019.
Greg Shahade, Pro Chess League Commissioner, explains the Pro Chess League objectives & comments about the coming season in a 2017 interview on YouTube.
Here's an example of a Pro Chess League game where Carissa Yip checkmates GM Demchenko:
[Event "PRO League Group Stage"]
[Site "chess.com INT"]
[Date "2019.01.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Yip,Carissa"]
[Black "Demchenko,A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTitle "FM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2279"]
[BlackElo "2679"]
[ECO "C44"]
[Opening "Scotch gambit"]
[Variation "Dubois-Reti defence"]
[WhiteTeam "Montclair Sopranos"]
[BlackTeam "New York Marshalls"]
[WhiteFideId "2090732"]
[BlackFideId "4160258"]
[EventDate "2019.01.08"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. e5 Ne4 6. Qe2 Nc5 7. O-O Ne6 8. Rd1 d5 9. exd6 Bxd6 10. c3 O-O
11. cxd4 Re8 12. Be3 Nf4 13. Qd2 Qf6 14. Ne1 Bg4 15. f3 Bh5 16. Nc3 Bg6 17. Nb5 Ne6 18. Nxd6 cxd6 19. d5 Ne5
20. Bb5 Nf8 21. Bxe8 Rxe8 22. Bd4 Qh4 23. f4 Ned7 24. Nf3 Qd8 25. Re1 Re4 26. Ng5 Rxe1+ 27. Rxe1 h6 28. Nf3 Nb6
29. Qa5 Qb8 30. Bxb6 axb6 31. Qxb6 Nd7 32. Qe3 Nf6 33. Nd4 Qa8 34. f5 Bh7 35. Qa3 Qd8 36. Qb3 Qc7 37. Kh1 Kh8
38. a4 Qc5 39. Nf3 Bxf5 40. Qxb7 Be4 41. Qxf7 Bxd5 42. Qf8+ Kh7 43. Re7 Qc1+ 44. Ng1 Qg5 45. Re2 Ng4 46. h3 Ne5
47. Qxd6 Nd3 48. Rd2 Nf4 49. Nf3 Bxf3 50. gxf3 Qg3 51. a5 Qxf3+ 52. Kg1 Qg3+ 53. Kf1 Qxh3+ 54. Ke1 Qh1+ 55. Kf2 Qh2+
56. Ke3 Qg3+ 57. Ke4 g5 58. Qe7+ Kg6 59. Qe8+ Kf6 60. Rd6+ Kg7 61. Qe7+ Kg8 62. Rd8# 1-0

January 7th 2019

WCC Weekend Warriors

Five Wachusett Chess Club players competed in a few events this past weekend. Here are the rating updates from: The 2019 Westford January Blitz & the 7th Boston Chess Congress tournaments.

**♙ ♝ ♘ ♜ ♘ ♟ Monday January 7, 2019 Westford January Blitz & 7th Boston Chess Congress Rating Updates ♗ ♞ ♖ ♞ ♗ ♟**
USCFID#: WCC Member Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
14514636: CARISSA SHIWEN YIP	2019-01-05	WESTFORD JANUARY BLITZ (MA)	1: OPEN	2221 => 2213	NM
12681247: ROBERT KING	2019-01-06	7TH ANNUAL BOSTON CHESS CONGRE (MA)	1: PREMIER	2202 => 2202	NM
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE	2019-01-06	7TH ANNUAL BOSTON CHESS CONGRE (MA)	3: U1900	1724 => 1718	B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID	2019-01-05	WESTFORD JANUARY BLITZ (MA)	1: OPEN	1586 (P18) => 1615	B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD	2019-01-06	7TH ANNUAL BOSTON CHESS CONGRE (MA)	4: U1700	1673 => 1615	B

January 2nd, 2019

2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 1 of 5

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 2nd, 2019**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Dave Thomas
Jim Hankard	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Paul Godin
Geoff LePoer	1-0	Michael David
Don Briggs	0-1	Dave Couture
Ken Gurge	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow	0-1	Arthur Barlas
Gary Brassard	1/2-1/2	♖ John Bastarache
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Larry Gladding
Jim Donahue	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Mike Commisso
Total of 12 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Ritvik Pulya, Stephen Murray and Tom Fratturelli.
♖ Not playing round 1 were Bryce McLaughlin, Raaga Pulya and Francis Scanlon.

**Reggie Boone Memorial, January 2nd, 2019**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Kildahl, Cappallo, Paulson, Godin, LePoer, Couture, Gurge, Barlas, Gladding, Donahue, Commisso
0.5	Mirijanian, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Murray, Fratturelli, Bastarache
0.0	Thomas, Hankard, Ostrowski, Wheeler, David, Briggs, O'Rourke, Biglow, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Gawboy, Scanlon

Projected Round 2 Pairings for January 9th:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Couture vs. Kildahl
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Gurge
Board 3: Barlas vs. Paulson
Board 4: Godin vs. Donahue
Board 5: Gladding vs. LePoer
Board 6: Commisso vs. Mirijanian
Board 7: Fratturelli vs. Brassard
Board 8: Bastarache vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 9: Thomas vs. Biglow
Board 10: H. McLaughlin vs. Hankard
Board 11: Ostrowski vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 12: B. McLaughlin vs. Wheeler
Board 13: David vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 14: Scanlon vs. Briggs
Board 15: O'Rourke vs. Gawboy
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 2 is Murray.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on January 9th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

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January 1st, 2019

Ratings in effect for the Reggie Boone Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Reggie Boone Memorial, which begins Wednesday, Jan. 2, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Players must be present by 7 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for the 2019 Reggie Boone Memorial tournament:
1	Brett Kildahl	2132
2	Roger Cappallo	2021
3	Ray Paulson	2016
4	Paul Godin	1977
5	Bruce Felton	1933
6	George Mirijanian	1909
7	Geoff LePoer	1907
8	Dave Couture	1808
9	Ken Gurge	1784
10	Arthur Barlas	1758
11	Gary Brassard	1756
12	Larry Gladding	1740
13	Jim Donahue	1724
14	Mike Commisso	1714
15	Ritvik Pulya	1714
16	Dave Thomas	1703
17	Jim Hankard	1673
18	Stephen Murray	1642
19	Vince Premus	1639
20	Mike Meehan	1632
21	Tom Fratturelli	1622
22	Roland Booker	1600
23	Don Ostrowski	1600
24	Mark Wheeler	1507
25	Michael David	1491
26	Don Briggs	1486
27	Larry O'Rourke	1446
28	Brian Biglow	1400
29	John Bastarache	1400
30	Hugh McLaughlin	1238
31	Bryce McLaughlin	1181
32	Raaga Pulya	1138
33	Emily Gawboy	1125
34	Francis Scanlon	991
35	Tom Whistler	882

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For information & news stories from 2018, please refer to the WCC 2018-News Archive

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♚ WCC News Archives: ♚
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

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Photo credits unless otherwise noted: Dave Couture
Wachusett Chess Clob Logo design: Joe Bennett
2015 Web Site Design Revision & Maintenance: Paul Godin
Content: George Mirijanian, Paul Godin, Dave Couture, Arthur Barlas & other individual contributors
Tournament Results: Larry Gladding & George Mirijanian
Tournament Reports: Paul Godin
YouTube Videos: Roger Cappallo & Brett Kildahl
Club Member Statistics & Spreadsheets: Dave Couture & Paul Godin
Copyright: © PG Designs, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 all rights reserved.
♙ ♘ ♗ ♖ ♕ ♔ Wachusett Chess Club ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙

WCC News 2019 ♔

International News & RSS Feeds:

Nearby Chess Events:

USCF Events by State:

Miscellaneous News & Other Chess Events of Interest:

♔ ♞ Print or download a .PDF version of the Wachusett Chess Club Flyer ♘ ♚

YOU CAN NOW EASILY CONVERT YOUR GAMES TO PGN FORMAT & EMAIL THEM! ♗ ♞ ♖

An unofficial but nice to have Glossary of Chess terms ♜ ♘ ♝

♚ ♔ ♚ Three books by local author FM John Curdo, 'Chess Caviar', 'More Chess Caviar' & 'Still More Chess Caviar'
all now available directly from John Curdo. Each book contains 100 of John's selected miniature games ♔ ♚ ♔

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WCC News 2019 ♔

International News & RSS Feeds:

Nearby Chess Events:

USCF Events by State:

Miscellaneous News & Other Chess Events of Interest:

♔ ♞ Print or download a .PDF version of the Wachusett Chess Club Flyer ♘ ♚

YOU CAN NOW EASILY CONVERT YOUR GAMES TO PGN FORMAT & EMAIL THEM! ♗ ♞ ♖

An unofficial but nice to have Glossary of Chess terms ♜ ♘ ♝

♚ ♔ ♚ Three books by local author FM John Curdo, 'Chess Caviar', 'More Chess Caviar' & 'Still More Chess Caviar' all now available directly from John Curdo. Each book contains 100 of John's selected miniature games ♔ ♚ ♔

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♚ ♔ ♚ Three books by local author FM John Curdo, 'Chess Caviar', 'More Chess Caviar' & 'Still More Chess Caviar'
all now available directly from John Curdo. Each book contains 100 of John's selected miniature games ♔ ♚ ♔