WCC News 2017 ♔

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes back - after absences of various lengths:
Bruce Felton, Lenny Arsenault, Harry Richardson, Ed Rogers, Noah Rogers and Finneas Rogers.

♔ The club also welcomed back - after an absence of 57 years (!) - Frank Hacker of Fort Myers, FL,
who won the 1st official Wachusett Chess Club championship in 1960.
Frank visited the club and had his picture taken along with 7 other club champions.
The 8 are each listed with year(s) of their championships:
Rob King (2011), Bruce Felton (2004, 2005), Paul Godin (1967), Roger Cappallo (2016), Larry Gladding (1992, 1998, 2009), George Mirijanian (17 times between 1977 and 2015), Ray Paulson (2016, 2017), Frank Hacker (1960).

8 WCC Champs spanning 58 years, L to R:
♔ Rob King, Bruce Felton, Paul Godin, Roger Cappallo, Larry Gladding, George Mirijanian, Ray Paulson, & Frank Hacker ♔

Hi guys,
I made another video. It's much shorter this time, and the board sounds are softer, but for some reason the webcam footage came out darker.
Here's an attempt at a shorter video, check it out if you feel like it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UxeYYXGWFwI
What do you think?
-Brett

2014 WCC, Champ Carissa Yip, & Mika Brattain 4-time winner of the MACA Spiegel Cup High School Championship will provide strong representation of their home state as they compete in this year's US Junior Championships

With a USCF rating of 2368, WFM Carissa is the top seed in the Girls' Section. Having recently logged a plus score of 5/9 at the 2017 World Open in the Open Section competing with dozens of titled players, she is expected to be in top form for this tournament.
Mika Brattain, with a USCF rating 2486, a recent #2 finish at the 2017 Columbus Open in Ohio 1/2 point behind GM Pavel Blatney, & a regular top competitor in New England tournaments is expected to have a steeper climb at the US Junior as the #8 seed. We wish them both the best.

The round robin tournaments will run from July 7 to July 18 & will be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center in St Louis.
You may view the games live online at: http://uschesschamps.com/2017-us-junior-championship/information/watch-live
Prizes include $20,600 cahs plus invitations to next year's US Championship & US Women's Championship.

2017 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Hello Everyone,
The link below is to my youtube video of my last round game against Ray Paulson. It was an exciting game, but ended in a draw, which allowed Ray to win the 2017 Club Championship with 6.5/7. I'd like to extend my hearty congratulations to Ray on his achievement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzPXD1aT9rc
Cheers,
Roger
See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube Channel

The 2017 Harlow B. Daly Memorial tournament starts Wednesday, July 5, at the Wachusett Chess Club at Fitchburg State University. Those wishing to play round 1 on that date must be present by 7 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Complex, 67 Rindge Road, Fitchburg, in order to be paired. The following ratings for players will be in effect for this event:

Hi!
Roger's video about our game inspired me to make one of my own. Check it out if you're interested:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S4tRT6QipKE Cappallo - Kildahl 20170622
Thanks for checking out my first video! This is a game I played against Roger Cappallo during the 2017 Wachusett Chess Club Championship.

Hello All,
Linked below is my 6th round loss to Brett Kildahl in this year's championship. Brett played a Gruunfeld Defense, though I was able to steer it into somewhat unusual channels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-76-nQqsdU My Week at the Club #35
Cheers,
Roger
See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube Channel

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 7 of 7

Paul "Chicken Player" Godin sweeps Summer Festival Swiss

Some players play for money prizes and other play for rating points, but Paul Godin proved once again that he's in the game "for the chicken," i.e. the barbecue chicken dinner top prize that was awarded at the non-rated, four-round quick Swiss on Sunday, June 25, at the Finnish Center at Saima Park in Fitchburg. The 1967 Wachusett CC champion swept the 10-player field with a perfect 4-0 score - a score he also posted last year when he won the event that is part of the Finnish Center's Summer Festival each year, known in Finnish as "Kesajuhla." Tying as runners-up with 3-1 scores were 2016 club co-champion Roger Cappallo and inactive club player Dave Thomas.
-George M

Event: 		Summer Festival (Kesajuhla) SWISS 2017
Location: 	Fitchburg, MA
Event Date: 	2017-06-25
Chief TD: 	George Mirijanian
Non-rated
Time Control: G/15 d5


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Pair | Player Name		Rating	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Total	|
 Num  | 				|  1	|  2	|  3	|  4	| 	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1  | Paul Godin		2002	|  W8   |  W2	|  W4	|  W5	|  4.0	| 🐔
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   2  | Roger Cappallo		1969	|  W7   |  L1	|  W6	|  W4	|  3.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3  | Dave Thomas		1704	|  W10  |  L6	|  W9	|  W8	|  3.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   4  | Brett Kildahl		2177	|  W6   |  W5	|  L1	|  L2	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   5  | Joe Bennett		1832	|  W9   |  L4	|  W8	|  L1	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   6  | Dave Couture		1702	|  L4	|  W3	|  L2	|  W10	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   7  | Francis Scanlon		1101	|  L2	|  L8	|  W10	|  W9	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   8  | Gail Lingner		1500	|  L1   |  W7	|  L5	|  L3	|  1.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   9  | Rick Evans		1051	|  L5	|  W10	|  L3	|  L7	|  1.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10  | Steven Bousquet		Unr	|  L3	|  L9	|  L7	|  L6	|  0.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry Eldridge, longtime chess player, teacher, coach and journalist, dead at 84

Larry Eldridge at 27th Mass Game/60 Championship, Sunday, April 23, 2017
Larry Eldridge, one of this country's most accomplished chess teachers, died on Sunday, June 18th, at his home in West Newton, Mass. He was 84. Eldridge, a longtime active player who competed in tournaments at the Metrowest Chess Club in Natick and the Boylston Chess Club in North Cambridge, among others, was noted as a skillful chess coach who mentored many winning teams for years at the Hurvitz Cup, the Massachusetts Scholastic Team Championships, sponsored by the Massachusetts Chess Association (MACA). He was also a chess journalist who wrote many chess stories for the Christian Science Monitor, of which he was once the sports editor. He played a key role in getting the late GM Arthur Bisguier to become a chess columnist for the Monitor. Eldridge was also very generous with his huge chess library, donating many books and magazines over the years to MACA to sell at its fundraising auctions.
The funeral for Larry Eldridge will be held 11 a.m. Friday, June 23rd, in the Newton Cemetery Chapel, 791 Walnut St., Newton Centre, MA 02459. Following burial, a lunch/repast will be held at 36 Wedgewood Road, West Newton. Family and chess friends are welcome to attend.
-George M

Finnish Center at Saima Park to Host Fun Chess Tournament

The Finnish Center at Saima Park, Scott Road in Fitchburg, off Ashby State Road (Route 31), will host on Sunday, June 25th, as part of its Summer Festival (Kesajuhla), a fun chess tournament in its function hall. The non-rated event will be a 4-round Swiss in one section. Time control is Game/15, with a 5-second delay (on digital clocks). The tournament 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. Registration for the tournament is from 9:30 to 10 a.m., with Round 1 starting shortly thereafter. The tourney will end by 12:30 p.m.. There is no entry fee. Top prize will be a succulent chicken barbecue dinner, compliments of Lorna Sulin of the Finnish Center. Other prizes will be awarded to all participants. For a complete schedule of activities at the Summer Festival, visit www.saima-park.org
-George M

>2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 6 of 7

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Standings Update

	Paulson	Kildahl	Godin	Cappallo	Brassard	Gurge	Venezia	Commisso
Paulson	X	1	1		1	1		1
Kildahl	0	X	1			1	1	1
Godin	0	0	X	0F	1	1	0F	0F
Cappallo			1F	X		1	0.5	1
Brassard	0		0		X	0	1	1
Gurge	0	0	0	0	1	X	1
Venezia		0	1F	0.5	0	0	X	1
Commisso	0	0	1F	0	0		0	X
STANDINGS	PCT.	RECORD		GB	GR
	1.000	5-0-0	Paulson	-	2
	0.875	3-0-1	Cappallo	1	3
	0.800	4-1-0	Kildahl	1	2
	0.417	2-3-1	Venezia		1
	0.400	2-3-0	Brassard		2
	0.333	2-4-0	Gurge		1
	0.286	2-5-0	Godin		0
	0.167	1-5-0	Commisso		1

GB = Games Behind, GR = Games Remaining

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Standings Update

	Paulson	Kildahl	Godin	Cappallo	Brassard	Gurge	Venezia	Commisso
Paulson	X	1	1		1	1		1
Kildahl	0	X	1			1	1	1
Godin	0	0	X		1	1
Cappallo				X		1	0.5	1
Brassard	0		0		X	0	1	1
Gurge	0	0	0	0	1	X	1
Venezia		0		0.5	0	0	X	1
Commisso	0	0		0	0		0	X
STANDINGS	PCT.	RECORD		GB	GR
	1.000	5-0-0	Paulson	-	2
	0.833	2-0-1	Cappallo	1.5	4
	0.800	4-1-0	Kildahl	1	2
	0.500	2-2-0	Godin	2.5	3
	0.400	2-3-0	Brassard	3	2
	0.333	2-4-0	Gurge	3.5	1
	0.300	1-3-1	Venezia	3.5	2
	0.000	0-5-0	Commisso	5	2

GB = Games Behind, GR = Games Remaining

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Standings Update

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Standings Update

	Paulson	Kildahl	Godin	Cappallo	Brassard	Gurge	Venezia	Commisso
Paulson	X	1	1		1	1		1
Kildahl	0	X	1			1	1	1
Godin	0	0	X		1	1
Cappallo				X			0.5	1
Brassard	0		0		X	0	1	1
Gurge	0	0	0		1	X	1
Venezia		0		0.5	0	0	X	1
Commisso	0	0		0	0		0	X
STANDINGS	PCT.	RECORD		GB	GR
	1.000	5-0-0	Paulson	-	2
	0.800	4-1-0	Kildahl	1	2
	0.750	1-0-1	Cappallo	1.5	5
	0.500	2-2-0	Godin	2.5	3
	0.400	2-3-0	Brassard	3	2
	0.400	2-3-0	Gurge	3	2
	0.300	1-3-1	Venezia	3.5	2
	0.000	0-5-0	Commisso	5	2

GB = Games Behind, GR = Games Remaining

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 5 of 7

	Paulson	Kildahl	Godin	Cappallo	Brassard	Gurge	Venezia	Commisso
Paulson	X	1	1		1	1		1
Kildahl	0	X	1			1	1	1
Godin	0	0	X		1	1
Cappallo				X			0.5	1
Brassard	0		0		X		1	1
Gurge	0	0	0			X	1
Venezia		0		0.5	0	0	X	1
Commisso	0	0		0	0		0	X
STANDINGS				GB	GR
	1.000	5-0-0	Paulson	-	2
	0.800	4-1-0	Kildahl	1	2
	0.750	1-0-1	Cappallo	1.5	5
	0.500	2-2-0	Brassard	2.5	3
	0.500	2-2-0	Godin	2.5	3
	0.300	1-3-1	Venezia	3.5	2
	0.250	1-3-0	Gurge	3.5	3
	0.000	0-5-0	Commisso	5	2

GB = Games Behind, GR = Games Remaining

Four very active members of the Wachusett Chess Club and five inactive members of the Wachusett CC were among the participants in the tournament, "In Memory of IM Dr. Danny Kopec," held Saturday, June 10th, at Congregation Ahavas Achim in Keene, NH. The WCC contingent represented 20 percent of the total field of 43 players in three sections. Class A-rated players Vince Bradley III and Dave Kochman, inactive club members, competed in the Master-Expert section, which was won by GM Alexander Ivanov of Newton, MA with a score of 3.5-0.5. Semi-active club member Joe Bennett of Hubbardston also tallied 3.5-0.5 to tie for 1st-2nd place in the Under 1900 section. Also playing in that section were active club members Gary Brassard of Leominster, Dave Couture of Westminster, Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH, and Jim Hankard of Antrim, NH, as well as inactive club members Eric Strickland of Brattleboro, VT and Francois Gauthier of Francistown, NH. The tournament, directed by Hal Terrie of Manchester, NH, honored the memory of IM Danny Kopec. who died on June 12, 2016 at age 62. Kopec had played in the 1970s and '80s in the Central New Open tournaments held in Fitchburg and Leominster.
-George M

Two former Wachusett CC champions finished high in the standings in the Waltham June G/15 tournament held Friday night, June 9th, at the Waltham Chess Club. Rob King of Framingham, club champion in 2011, scored 4-1 to take clear second place, while Carissa Yip of Andover, club champion in 2014, tallied 3-2 to finish in a seven-way tie for 3rd place. The winner of the tournament with a perfect 5-0 result was IM Denys Shmelov of Newton, formerly of Pepperell. King lost to Shmelov in round 3, while Yip suffered losses to Shmelov and King in rounds 4 and 5, respectively. The quick-rated event drew 19 players.
-George M

Hi all,
George has won an award! The US Chess Forum announcement is pasted below.
-Mike C
The Executive Board names the following 2017 award winners. The awards ceremony will be held Saturday, August 5 at the US Open in Norfolk, VA.
Distinguished Service Award - Ruth Haring (N-CA), Mike Atkins (MD)
Outstandng Career Achievement Award:
Murrel Rhodes (IL), GM Larry Kaufman (MD), John Roush (WV), R. Mark Johnson (VA),
FM Macon Shibut (VA), Ernest W. Schlich (VA)
Special Services Award - Maureen Grimaud (SC), Tom Dart (IL)
Meritorious Services Award:
Jean Troendle (LA), Andy Rea (VA), Anand Dommalapati (VA), Ed Westing (WA), Ralph Mikell (DC)
Committee of the Year - Ethics Committee
Chess City of the Year - Franklin County, MS
Koltanowski Awards:
Gold - US Chess Trust
Silver - Two Sigma
Scholastic Service Award:
Individual - David MacEnulty (NY)
Organizer of the Year - Judit Sztaray (N-CA)
Frank J. Marshall Award - IM Walter Shipman (N-CA and NY) posthumously and IM Danny Kopec (NY) Posthumously
Grandmaster of the Year - GM Wesley So (MN)
Honorary Chess Mate - Helen and Allen Hinshaw (VA)
Chess Club of the Year - Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club (VA)
Chess College of the Year - St. Louis University (MO)
Tournament Director of the Year - NTD Korey J. Kormick (TN))
Tournament Director Lifetime Achievement Award - NTD George M. Mirijanian (MA) and NTD Ernest W. Schlich (VA)
Outstanding Player Achievement Award - IM Jay Bonin (NY)
Outstanding Team Performance Award:
2016 gold medal winning US Olympiad team
Woman Chessplayer of the Year Award - Nazi Paikidze (NV)
Special Friend of US Chess - Sen. John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 4 of 7

	Paulson	Kildahl	Godin	Cappallo	Brassard	Gurge	Venezia	Commisso
Paulson	X	1	1			1		1
Kildahl	0	X	1				1	1
Godin	0	0	X		1	1
Cappallo				X			0.5	1
Brassard			0		X		1	1
Gurge	0		0			X	1
Venezia		0		0.5	0	0	X
Commisso	0	0		0	0			X
STANDINGS				GB	GR
	1.000	4-0-0	Paulson	-	3
	0.750	3-1-0	Kildahl	1	3
	0.750	1-0-1	Cappallo	1.5	5
	0.667	2-1-0	Brassard	1.5	4
	0.500	2-2-0	Godin	2	3
	0.333	1-2-0	Gurge	2.5	4
	0.125	0-3-1	Venezia	3.5	3
	0.000	0-4-0	Commisso	4	3

GB = Games Behind, GR = Games Remaining

Rob King, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2011, is now 2017 co-champion of the Metrowest Chess Club in Natick. The 33-year-old player from Framingham shared top honors with master Sherif Khater in this year's MCC championship by drawing him in the 5th and final round of the event on Tuesday night, May 30th. Both scored 3.5-1.5. Among those whom King defeated in the six-player round robin was master Lawyer Times, who the day before (May 29th) had defeated GM Alexander Ivanov in the final round of the 86th Massachusetts Open in Marlborough, winning the event and becoming the new state champion.
-George M

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 3 of 7

Joe Bennett, a once-active member of the Wachusett Chess Club (whose last appearance at the club was at the Rocco Pasquale Memorial in October 2016), captured first place in the Under 1800 section of the 86th Massachusetts Open, held May 27-29 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough. The Hubbardston player scored 5.5.-0.5 in a 46-player field, the largest section in the four-section, three-day main event, and gained more than 100 rating points, bringing his current rating to 1804.
-George M

Bob Messenger, chief tournament director of the 2011 Wachusett Chess Club Championship, has been awarded the National Tournament Director title by the U.S. Chess Federation. The Nashua, NH resident, who is viewed by many players as New England's premier TD, received the award recently from the USCF for his more than 25 years of directing tournaments throughout the country and primarily on the East Coast. Since directing his first tournament, the Fall Foliage Festival, for the Massachusetts Chess Association on Nov. 3, 1991 in Andover, Mass., Messenger has been chief TD of 460 tournaments and has directed 2,648 sections and worked at 79 other events - for a total of 2,799 sections. Messenger's directing of the 2011 Wachusett CC Championship involved overseeing a 10-player round-robin "A" Division and a 20-player, 9-round Swiss "B" Division.
-George M

Hi all,
Link to gallery of 86th Mass Open, Saturday photos: https://goo.gl/photos/XDACnPg666YEWERJ9
Something to look at Sunday night instead of preparing for Monday's games. Good luck.
-Tony Cortizas Jr.

---

The 86th Mass Open & the Billerica CC May Swiss rating reports were filed this weekend. So, these are the rating updates for May 30, 2017:

Rob King, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2011, is currently tied for first place in the 2017 Metrowest Chess Club Championship in Natick. King defeated expert Alan Song in round 4 of the six-player round robin on Tuesday night, May 23, while master Sherif Khater upset top-rated IM David Vigorito in the same round. Both King and Khater stand at 3-1 and will face each other in the 5th and final round on May 30 in a game that will determine who the new Metrowest CC champion will be.
-George M

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 2 of 7

Hello All,
After about a 3 month "vacation" I'm resuming my club videos with my first game of the 2017 club championship.
Maybe I'm a little rusty at this video production business, as I neglected to do the little astronomy segment along with the chess.
So here they are separately, for your viewing pleasure:
My Week at the Club #32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFl0I6KrruQ
My Week at the Club #32 (astronomy addendum): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vR4RK1ZdnY
Cheers,
Roger
See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube Channel

Diego Ubiera, one of the Wachusett Chess Club's highest-rated players, made his debut Friday night, May 19, at the Waltham Chess Club, where he finished as runner-up in the Waltham May Game/5 tournament. Diego scored 7-3 and faced five opponents in the 13-player event, winning two games each against three of them, drawing two games against one other, but losing two games to the ultimate tournament winner, master Sherif Khater, who tallied 10-0.
-George M

2017 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 1 of 7

The USCF did a re-rating of a couple of events. So, these are the rating updates for 05/17/17:
-George M

Round 1 of the 2017 WCC B Championship will be played Wednesday, May 17, in Room C159 in the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University. Players must be present by 7:10 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m. Players who know they won't be there and wish to receive a half-point bye, please let Larry Gladding (lgladding@msn.com) and me (miriling2@aol.com) know by 7 p.m.
-George M

2017 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 4 of 4

 Round 1 - May 17, 2017:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Paulson (6) vs. Kildahl (2)
Board 2: Brassard (5) vs. Godin (3)
Board 3: Commisso (7) vs. Cappallo (1)
Board 4: Venezia (4) vs. Gurge (8)

Round 2 - May 24, 2017:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: Godin (3) vs. Paulson (6)
Board ?: Kildahl (2) vs. Commisso (7)
Board ?: Venezia (4) vs. Brassard (5)
Board ?: Cappallo (1) vs. Gurge (8) - POSTPONED

Round 3 - May 31, 2017:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: Venezia (4) vs. Kildahl (2)
Board ?: Paulson (6) vs. Commisso (7)
Board ?: Godin (3) vs. Gurge (8)
Board ?: Brassard (5) vs. Cappallo (1) - POSTPONED

Round 4 - June 7, 2017:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: Kildahl (2) vs. Godin (3)
Board ?: Gurge (8) vs. Paulson (6)
Board ?: Cappallo (1) vs. Venezia (4)
Board ?: Commisso (7) vs. Brassard (5)

Round 5 - June 14, 2017:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: Godin (3) vs. Cappallo (1)
Board ?: Kildahl (2) vs. Gurge (8)
Board ?: Brassard (5) vs. Paulson (6)
Board ?: Venezia (4) vs. Commisso (7)

Round 6 - June 21, 2017:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: Cappallo (1) vs. Kildahl (2)
Board ?: Paulson (6) vs. Venezia (4)
Board ?: Commisso (7) vs. Godin (3)
Board ?: Gurge (8) vs. Brassard (5) - POSTPONED

Round 7 -June 28, 2017:
Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board ?: Cappallo (1) vs. Paulson (6)
Board ?: Kildahl (2) vs. Brassard (5)
Board ?: Godin (3) vs. Venezia (4)
Board ?: Gurge (8) vs. Commisso (7)

George Mirijanian is receiving the Lifetime Achievement award at FATV's Boulder Awards, Thursday May 11th at Oak Hill Country Club. If you'd like to attend to celebrate tickets are available until this Friday, May 5th.
Meal choices are: Filet, Chicken Piccata or Vegetarian Pasta and are $30 each.

For more information, contact Anne Bisbee, operations manager (anne@fatv.org), or Glenn C. Fossa, executive director at 978-343-0834. http://www.fatv.org
It would be great to see a big turnout from the club members!
-David Couture

Brett Kildahl, one of the Wachusett Chess Club's highest-rated players, scored another victory in his chess career by scoring 4-0 to win the Absolutely Awesome April Swiss tournament, held Thursday nights, April 6-27, at the Greater Worcester Chess Club at the Hibernian Cultural Center in Worcester. Kildahl paved the way to victory by defeating Class B player Donna Alarie, expert Mike Odell, Class A entrant Muharrem Brahimaj and FM John Curdo respectively in the 8-player event. He finished 1.5 points ahead of his closest rival, Odell, who took clear 2nd place. The other players he beat all tallied 2-2 and tied for 3rd place.
-George M

[WCC member, Ralph McNeilage also played in the event.]

2017 Club Championship Qualification Standings

2017 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 3 of 4

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014, was among the prize winners in the 26th Eastern Class Championships, held April 28-30 at the Host Hotel at Cedar Lake in Sturbridge, Mass. The 13-year-old Woman FIDE master from Andover tallied 3-2 (two wins, two draws, one loss) to tie for 4th place in the 22-player Master section of the 278-player tournament. In addition to sharing 4th-place prize money, Carissa also cashed in on 2nd-place prize money in the Mixed Doubles competition, where she and Class A section 1st-place prize winner Anton Barash (5-0) teamed up and scored 8 points out of 10. Carissa's total prize winnings exceeded that of three GMs with whom she tied for 4th place in the Master section. They included Georgian GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (2663) and GM Irina Krush (2513), both of New York, and Israeli GM Gil Popilski (2633) of Texas.
-George M

Carissa was among nine active & inactive WCC members who played in the 2017 Eastern Class Championships tournament held this past weekend.

2017 Club Championship Qualification Standings

2017 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 2 of 4

Round 1 of the Martin Laine Memorial will be played Wednesday, April 19, in Room C159 in the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University. Players must be present by 7:10 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m. Players who know they won't be there and wish to receive a half-point bye, please let Larry Gladding (lgladding@msn.com) and me (miriling2@aol.com) know by 7 p.m.
-George M

Every once in a while, a chess related story shows up in mainstream media. Sometimes I catch them; sometimes I don't. Here's a few that may be particularly interesting.

♗ 60 Minutes: Chess in the Bible Belt
http://en.chessbase.com/post/60-minutes-chess-in-the-bible-belt-2
The television show 60 Minutes featured the chess program in Franklin County, Mississippi (MS). Over 15 million viewers watched that episode (original air date March 26, 2017), which featured Dr. Jeff Bulington along with his chess-playing students and their proud parents. Bulington's chess program began in August of 2015 and is sponsored for ten years by an anonymous wealthy benefactor.

♔ Boris Spassky 2016 interview
This interview was conducted by Yuri Golyshak and Sergei Kruzhkov for their column Friday Talk in the Sport-Express newspaper in early 2016.

♖ Nashoba Jr. Chess Club
[I couldn't resist this one! Dr. Imre Toth is one of the most outstanding & respected chess competitors in NEw England from back in the good old days when all chess clocks were analog & Bobby Fischer was still a kid.]
"Dr. Imre Toth, our resident Master of Postal Chess, teaches game fundamentals prior to each session. New players are treated to hands-on instruction at the Beginners' Table. Following instruction, the games begin!"
"Chess makes you smart and good looking." -Dr. Toth

2017 Club Championship Qualification Standings

2017 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Mascenic Chess Club Team Wins the NH State Championship!

On Saturday, April 8th, the Mascenic Chess Club traveled to Pelham to compete in the NH State Team Chess Championships. They played 4 rounds with our top four players battling against the top four players from other schools around southern New Hampshire. Mascenic entered three teams in three separate divisions, High School (grades 10-12), Junior High (grades 7-9) and Elementary (Grades 4-6).

The Elementary team placed 5th and the High School team placed 4th in their respective divisions. The Junior High team won its first three matches, and needed a draw or a win in their last match to secure 1st place. On the top two boards, Noah Rogers and Sebastian Tilton struggled with difficult positions against the Academy for Science and Design, and it looked like they would have to settle for 2nd place again this year. On boards three and four, however, Finn Rogers and Owen Hannah were slowly but surely grinding out winning positions, securing the draw for the team that ultimately earned them the 1st place trophy.

The junior high team collectively won twelve out of their sixteen games, beating out 2nd place World Academy and 3rd place Academy for Science and Design. Special recognition went to Finn Rogers for best performance on board three, winning all four of his games.
Congratulations to our NH State Champs & kudos to Boynton Middle School Chess Club Coach, Ed Rogers!
-Mascenic News

GM Arthur Bisguier Dies at 87: GM Arthur Bisguier GM Arthur Bisguier, one of America's greatest chess players of the 20th century, died on Wednesday at the age of 87 while in a care facility in Framingham, Massachusetts. The cause of death was respiratory failure. Arthur Bernard Bisguier was born in the Bronx on October 8, 1929. He was awarded the IM title in 1950 and the GM title in 1957. He was one of the dominant tournament players in America in the 1950s. After winning several U.S. junior titles in the late 1940s, Bisguier became U.S. champion in 1954 and U.S. Open champion in 1950, 1956 and 1959. He won the Manhattan Chess Club Championship in 1948, 1949, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1967-68, and 1968-69. He may have won even more, but served in the U.S. Army from 1951-1953. In 2005, he was awarded the honorific "Dean of American Chess" by US Chess, supplanting GM Arnold Denker, who had passed away that same year. Bisguier held the status until his death. He was the oldest of 20 living U.S. chess champions, but not the oldest living American grandmaster (GM Pal Benko was born one year earlier). GM Bisguier had been a regular active member of the Metrowest Chess Club in Natick MA until recently. For more coverage, visit: https://www.chess.com/news/view/gm-arthur-bisguier-1929-2017-9997 The Wachusett Chess Club celebrated Bisguier's 80th birthday in October-November 2009 with an Arthur Bisguier Octogenarian Tribute tournament. He also is known to have played in one or more of the WCC sponsored Central New England Open tournaments held from 1961 to 1986.

2017 Club Championship Qualification Standings

2017 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 4 of 5

US Women's Championship coverage on YouTube
Carissa is at 1:15 (one hour, 15 minutes, lots of coverage), GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley & WGM Jennifer Shahade covering, with post game comments from all the players.
-Joe Bennett

Fitchburg State University Math Club will be hosting a [presumably non-rated] chess tournament on Tuesday, April 4, in the Hammond Hall Campus Center [NOT the McKay building!] at the university. There may be an announcement about this event in the March 31 edition of the Leominster Champion.
The math club is offering a $25 first prize and a $15 second prize.
(Only FSU students & faculty members are eligible to win the prizes.)
Number of rounds & time control are TBD.
For details please contact Anthony Manganaro at: amangana@student.fitchburgstate.edu.

2017 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 3 of 5