♟  "The blockading piece should be somewhat thick-skinned. The slight touchiness of the queen makes her a poor blockader." -Aaron Nimzowitsch  ♟

WCC News 2018 ♔

Miscellaneous News & Other Chess Events of Interest:


IM David Vigorito Simultaneous Exhibition
Saturday January 12, 2019 (11:00 AM - 4:00 PM)
LOCATION: Activity Room and Large Meeting Room
Nashua Public Library, 2 Court Street, Nashua, NH
Play chess against an international master! David Vigorito will give a simultaneous exhibition, playing multiple opponents at one time.
Limited to 30 players; others can watch-quietly please!
Players must register at the Nashua Library website
Observers need not register. Bring your own chess set. For ages 12 and up. Snow date: January 26.
Scroll to the bottom of the NH chess website, http://nhchess.org/ for details.


♗ 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:
♔ Massachusetts, ♛ New Hampshire, ♖ Rhode Island, ♝ Connecticut, ♘ Maine ♟ Vermont

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

♘ 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 ♜ ♘ ♝

ECO code to enjoy =  A01 Nimzovich-Larsen attack, modern variation: 1.b3 e5 
♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   Four Random Mating Patterns   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚

Box Mate

Fianchetto Mate

David & Goliath Mate

Opera Mate


December 31st, 2018
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:
1Brett Kildahl 2132
2Roger Cappallo 2021
3Ray Paulson 2016
4Paul Godin 1977
5Bruce Felton 1933
6George Mirijanian 1909
7Geoff LePoer 1907
8Dave Couture 1808
9Ken Gurge 1784
10Arthur Barlas 1758
11Gary Brassard 1756
12Larry Gladding 1740
13Jim Donahue 1724
14Mike Commisso 1714
15Ritvik Pulya 1714
16Dave Thomas 1703
17Jim Hankard 1673
18Stephen Murray 1642
19Vince Premus 1639
20Mike Meehan 1632
21Tom Fratturelli1622
22Roland Booker 1600
23Don Ostrowski 1600
24Mark Wheeler 1507
25Michael David 1491
26Don Briggs 1486
27Larry O'Rourke 1446
28Brian Biglow 1400
29John Bastarache 1400
30Hugh McLaughlin 1238
31Bryce McLaughlin 1181
32Raaga Pulya 1138
33Emily Gawboy 1125
34Francis Scanlon 991
35Tom Whistler 882

December 26th, 2018
2018 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Roger Cappallo finishes 2018 first by a full point

George Sturgis Memorial, December 26th, 2018
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Arthur Barlas
Dave Couture 0-1Paul Godin
Larry Gladding 0-1Geoff LePoer
Jim Donahue 0-1Brett Kildahl
Jim Hankard 0-1George Mirijanian
♔ Stephen Murray 1-0Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard 1-0Don Ostrowski
Don Briggs 0-1Larry O'Rourke
Dave Thomas 1-0Mark Wheeler
Michael David 1-0Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow 0-1John Bastarache
Total of 11 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were Ray Paulson, Ritvik Pulya, Mike Commisso, Tom Fratturelli, Hugh McLaughlin,
Raaga Pulya, Randy McLaughlin and Bryce McLaughlin.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 26th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
5.0Cappallo
4.5-----
4.0Godin
3.5Paulson, LePoer
3.0Kildahl, Mirijanian, Brassard, Couture, Gladding, Barlas, Murray
2.5Ri. Pulya, Thomas, Donahue, O'Rourke
2.0Gurge, Commisso, Hankard, David, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Briggs, H. McLaughlin
1.5Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.0Wheeler, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5Biglow
0.0B. McLaughlin

♔ 2018 George Sturgis Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: ♔ Roger Cappallo of Groton
2nd: Paul Godin of Bedford
Top U1850: Gary Brassard and Larry Gladding, both of Leominster,
Dave Couture of Westminster, and Arthur Barlas of Stow
Top U1700: Stephen Murray of Ayer
Top U1550: Tom Fratturelli of Leominster, Don Briggs of Lunenburg
Top U1400: Larry O'Rourke of Acton

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Tom Fratturelli + 76
Larry O'Rourke + 67
Don Briggs + 56
A total of 3 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Stephen Murray 1642P20
Don Ostrowski 1600
Raaga Pulya 1138

Pictures from this year's George Sturgis Memorial tournament.

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 12/26/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1977 2020 1st Cat. 24 18 3 3 19.5 .813
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2021 2102 Can. Master 22 16 1 5 18.5 .841
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 2010 2085 Can. Master 20 15 4 1 15.5 .775
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1808 1858 1st Cat. 21 13 6 2 14.0 .667
KEN GURGE Leominster 1784 1856 2nd Cat. 23 12 7 4 14.0 .609
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1740 1953 1st Cat. 23 13 8 2 14.0 .609
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1714 1770 2nd Cat. 22 11 7 4 13.0 .591
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1756 1904 1st Cat. 23 11 8 4 13.0 .565
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1714 1745 3rd Cat. 20 10 5 5 12.5 .625
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1530 1623 3rd Cat. 24 11 10 3 12.5 .521
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1703 1837 2nd Cat. 21 11 8 2 12.0 .571
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1642P20 1642 none 20 11 8 1 11.5 .575
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1909 2186 1st Cat. 12 6 2 4 8.0 .667
JIM DONAHUE Stow 1724 1738 3rd Cat. 14 6 5 3 7.5 .536
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1933 1971 1st Cat. 9 6 1 2 7.0 .778
TOM FRATTURELLI Leominster 1622 1688 2nd Cat. 11 5 4 2 6.0 .545
MICHAEL MEEHAN Westminster 1632 1705 3rd Cat. 12 5 5 2 6.0 .500
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1772 1787 3rd Cat. 8 5 2 1 5.5 .688
ARTHUR BARLAS Stow 1758 1833 2nd Cat. 8 5 2 1 5.5 .688
EDWARD HARRIS Marlboro, NH 1717 1998 2nd Cat. 8 4 3 1 4.5 .563
BRETT KILDAHL Worcester 2132 2214 Natl. Master 2 2 0 0 2.0 1.000
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Reggie Boone Memorial, will start Wednesday, January 2, 2019.
Players must be present in room C159 or C192 by 7:00p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7:00 p.m. ♘ ♕ ♔ ♜ ♔ ♕ ♗
  ♔ ♘ ☕ ☺ ☮ ♡ ☆   HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WCC PLAYERS!   ☆ ♡ ☮ ☺ ⛄ ♝ ♕  
♘ ♕ ♔ ♜ ♔ ♕ ♗

December 21st, 2018
My Week at the Club #47
Board 4 in Round 5 of the George Sturgis Memorial, vs. Paul Godin

Hello All,
Last night [Wednesday, December 19] I played [black against] Paul Godin and I've actually gotten my video out by the next day for a change! Paul played a Reti version of a King's Indian Attack against me, and I tried out a new defensive setup.
https://youtu.be/BCse3ueTXl0
Merry Christmas,
Roger

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

December 19th, 2018
2018 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 4 of 5

George Sturgis Memorial, December 19th, 2018
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 0-1Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson 1-0Gary Brassard
Dave Couture 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Don Ostrowski 0-1Larry Gladding
Geoff LePoer 1-0Don Briggs
Ken Gurge1/2-1/2Jim Hankard
Jim Donahue 1-0Dave Thomas
Brett Kildahl 1-0Michael David
Mark Wheeler 0-1Mike Commisso
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Stephen Murray
♔ Hugh McLaughlin 1-0John Bastarache
Brian Biglow 0-1Larry O'Rourke
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Emily Gawboy
Total of 13 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Arthur Barlas, Ritvik Pulya, George Mirijanian and Raaga Pulya.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 19th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Cappallo
3.5Paulson
3.0Godin, Couture, Gladding, Barlas
2.5LePoer, Ri. Pulya, Donahue
2.0Kildahl, Mirijanian, Gurge, Brassard, Commisso, Murray, Hankard, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Briggs, H. McLaughlin
1.5Thomas, O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya
1,0David, Wheeler, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5Biglow, Bastarache
0-0B. McLaughlin
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for December 26th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Paulson
Board 2: Gladding vs. Godin
Board 3: Barlas vs. Couture
Board 4: Donahue vs. LePoer
Board 5: Murray vs. Kildahl
Board 6: Fratturelli vs. Gurge
Board 7: Hankard vs. Brassard
Board 8: Commisso vs. Briggs
Board 9: Thomas vs. Ostrowski
Board 10: O'Rourke vs. Wheeler
Board 11: David vs. Gawboy
Board 12: Biglow vs. Bastarache

Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates.
Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes back Brett Kildahl of Worcester, who last played at the club on November 1, 2017. Brett is a National Master with a norms based Candidate Master title.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on December 26th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

December 15th, 2018
My Week at the Club #46
Board 3 in Round 5 of the George Sturgis Memorial, vs. Dave Couture

Hello All,
I played Dave Couture and was White in a Scandinavian Defense.
BTW - From time to time I make errors in my recording, which I'd like to correct, but have yet to successfully overlay text on my youtube video. One such example is this video at ~11:40, where I forgot that the best continuation is Bb3 attacking the Q, followed by the Nc7+ fork. Also, sorry for the lack of audio sync toward the end of the video; it must be due somehow to the use of my laptop, since I'm on the road.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

December 12th, 2018
2018 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 3 of 5

George Sturgis Memorial, December 12th, 2018
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Dave Couture
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Paul Godin
Don Briggs 0-1Ray Paulson
Arthur Barlas 1-0Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard 1-0Jim Donahue
Larry Gladding 1-0Stephen Murray
Michael David 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Mike Commisso 0-1Don Ostrowski
Geoff LePoer 1-0Mark Wheeler
John Bastarache 0-1Dave Thomas
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Jim Hankard
Emily Gawboy 0-1Raaga Pulya
Total of 12 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Hugh McLaughlin and Brian Biglow.
♖ Not playing Round 3 was Bryce McLaughlin.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Bruce Felton and Vince Premus.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 12th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0Cappallo, Godin
2.5Paulson, Barlas
2.0Brassard, Couture, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Briggs
1.5LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge, Thomas, Donahue, Hankard
1.0Commisso, Murray, David, Wheeler, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5Biglow, Bastarache, O'Rourke
0.0B. McLaughlin, Gawboy
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for December 19th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs, Cappallo
Board 2: Paulson vs. Barlas
Board 3: Ostrowski vs. Brassard
Board 4: Couture vs. Fratturelli
Board 5: Briggs vs. Gladding
Board 6: Donahue vs. LePoer
Board 7: Hankard vs. Mirijanian
Board 8: Gurge vs. Thomas
Board 9: David vs. Commisso
Board 10: Wheeler vs. Murray
Board 11: H. McLaughlin vs. Bastarache
Board 12: Biglow vs. O'Rourke
Board 13: B. McLaughlin vs. Gawboy

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 are Ritvik and Raaga Pulya.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on December 19th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

December 10th 2018
Raaga Pulya prize winner in Harry Nelson Pillsbury Memorial

Wachusett Chess Club member Raaga Pulya of Acton was among the prize winners in the Harry Nelson Pillsbury Memorial tournament, held Sunday, December 9th, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Burlington, Mass. Raaga, who has been playing USCF-rated chess since March 2015 and played in her first Wachusett CC tournament in May 2017, scored 3 wins vs. one loss to tie for 3rd-5th place in the Under 1510 section of the event. Raaga's performance netted her a gain of 20 rating points. She is currently in the top 12 percent [88.3 percentile] of female chess players in the country.
-George M

A pair of WCC players, Dave Couture & Jim Hankard, had also competed in the dual rated (both regular & quick) Western Mass 9th Saint Nick Quick tournament the previous Saturday, December 1st 2018, where Dave scored 2.5 to gain 47 rating points & a new class A rating of 1804, while Jim gained a whopping 92 rating points for his 3.0 score in the 4 rounder. Jim also competed in the Pillsbury tournament & gained another 14 rating points there to push his current rating to 1712, the highest it's been since Frbruary of 1997.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday December 10, 2018 Harry Nelson Pillsbury Memorial & Saint Nick Quick Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12413721: DAVE COUTURE2018-12-019TH SAINT NICK QUICK (MA)1: OPEN 1757 => 1804 A
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD2018-12-09HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)3: U1810 1698 => 1712 B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA2018-12-09HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)2: U2010 1745 => 1709 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2018-12-09HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)3: U1810 1600 => 1600 B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID2018-12-09HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)3: U1810 1570 => 1507 C
15648362: RAAGA PULYA2018-12-09HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)4: U1510 1098 => 1118 E

December 6th 2018
Appeal to Wachusett CC players to help save Boston Globe chess column

Please let Brian McGrory - McGrory@globe.com know how you feel about the cancellation of the chess column. With enough responses to him, the Globe might consider reinstating the column.

Dear Wachusett CC players - both current and former members:
Please read the email from Chris Chase (see below), the chess columnist who has been writing the Boston Globe chess column ("Chess Notes") for the past 3 years - following the death of longtime Globe chess columnist Harold Dondis on Dec. 10, 2015.
Chris reports that the Globe is canceling the chess column once again, after it canceled the column twice before. He needs our help in contacting the Globe and specifically its editor, Brian McGrory - McGrory@globe.com - and urge him to reinstate the chess column.
I remember a letter to the editor by the late Larry Eldridge that the Globe published, in which the urged the Globe to reinstate the chess column that was written by Harold Dondis. That letter was the impetus for others to call, write and email the Globe asking for the same thing. It had enough of an influence that the Globe brought back the chess column - because of popular demand - and the reinstated column now ran twice a week! I think we can do the same for Chris if we "bombard" the Globe editor with our emails.
Please help by contacting the Globe editor and letting you know how you feel about this cancellation of this chess column - one of the very few that appears in a U.S. newspaper and one of the best in the country.


Yours for chess,
George Mirijanian
Wachusett Chess Club
Fitchburg, MA
-George M

December 6th, 2018
My Week at the Club #45
Board 2 in Round 5 of the George Sturgis Memorial, vs. Ritvik Pulya

Hello All,
This week I played Black in a Benko Gambit against Ritvik Pulya (1745), and as I note in my video, I should savor my victories while I can. In order to make these videos as useful as possible I've attached an index to all 45 videos I've recorded so far. I've included the opening in it, so that you might find it useful for either looking at an opening or preparing for an opponent.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

December 5th, 2018
2018 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Two by two

The dynamic duo of Tom Fratturelli & Don Briggs struck Wednesday night by once again scoring the only two major upsets in tonight's action in the George Sturgis Memorial tournament. Last week, Fratturelli (1546) scored a quick victory over his 372 point higher rated opponent, Geoff LePoer (1918), while Briggs (1430) took down current WCC Co-champ Gary Brassard (1762) in round one. This week Fratturelli was paired up once again against Larry Gladding (1745) & this time scored a 199 point upset while Briggs faced Dave Thomas (1745) & came away with a 315 point upset by squeezing a win out of a pawn ending after a long game where Don led most of the time. For their efforts, both Tom & Don will likely gain 60 rating points or more each. Projected pairings for round three indicate Fratturelli & Briggs will this time play up over 400 points each, facing Paul Godin (1972) & Ray Paulson (1988) respectively, thereby creating the potential for some hotly contested games if not another pair of record setting upsets.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 5th, 2018
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ritvik Pulya 0-1Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Mike Commisso
Jim Donahue1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Stephen Murray 0-1Dave Couture
Larry Gladding 0-1♔ Tom Fratturelli
Dave Thomas 0-1♔ Don Briggs
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Arthur Barlas
Gary Brassard 1-0Brian Biglow
Jim Hankard1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Raaga Pulya 0-1Michael David
Don Ostrowski 1-0Bryce McLaughlin
Mark Wheeler 1-0Emily Gawboy
Total of 12 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ray Paulson, Bruce Felton, George Mirijanian, Vince Premus, Geoff LePoer and Hugh McLaughlin.
♙ Withdrawing from the tournament was Francis Scanlon.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 5th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Cappallo, Godin, Couture, Fratturelli, Briggs
1.5Paulson, Gurge, Barlas, Donahue
1.0Felton, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Commisso, Premus, Murray, David, Ostrowski, Wheeler
0.5LePoer, Thomas, Hankard, Bastarache, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin
0.0Biglow, B. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Ra. Pulya
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for December 12th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Couture
Board 2: Fratturelli vs. Godin
Board 3: Briggs vs. Paulson
Board 4: Gurge vs. Barlas
Board 5: Mirijanian vs. Donahue
Board 6: Premus vs. Brassard
Board 7: Gladding vs. Murray
Board 8: David vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 9: Commisso vs. Ostrowski
Board 10: LePoer vs. Wheeler
Board 11: Bastarache vs. Thomas
Board 12: O'Rourke vs. Hankard
Board 13: Biglow vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 14: Gawboy vs. Ra. Pulya

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 3 is H. McLaughlin, Felton will be paired if he shows up.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on December 12th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

December 1st, 2018
My Week at the Club #44
Board 1 in Round 5 of the George Sturgis Memorial, vs. Jim Hankard

My weekly game at the Wachusett Chess Club in Fitchburg, MA. This week I was White against Jim Hankard (1606), who played a Modern Defense.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 28th, 2018
2018 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 1 of 5

George Sturgis Memorial, November 28th, 2018
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Jim Hankard
Michael David 0-1Paul Godin
Ray Paulson 1-0Don Ostrowski
♔ Tom Fratturelli 1-0Geoff LePoer
Ken Gurge 1-0Mark Wheeler
♔ Don Briggs 1-0Gary Brassard
Dave Couture 1-0Brian Biglow
John Bastarache 0-1Larry Gladding
Dave Thomas1/2-1/2♖ Larry O'Rourke
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Mike Commisso 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Jim Donahue
Stephen Murray 1-0Raaga Pulya
Total of 13 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Bruce Felton, George Mirijanian, Arthur Barlas and Vince Premus.
♖ Not playing round 1 was Francis Scanlon.

George Sturgis Memorial, November 28th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Cappallo, Godin, Paulson, Gurge, Couture, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Commisso, Donahue, Murray, Fratturelli, Briggs
0.5Felton, Mirijanian, Thomas, Barlas, Premus, O'Rourke
0.0LePoer, Brassard, Hankard, David, Ostrowski, Wheeler, Biglow, Bastarache, B. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin,
Gawboy, Ra. Pulya, Scanlon
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for December 5th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Ri. Pulya vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Godin vs. Commisso
Board 3: Donahue vs. Paulson
Board 4: Murray vs. Gurge
Board 5: Fratturelli vs. Couture
Board 6: Gladding vs. Briggs
Board 7: O'Rourke vs. Mirijanian
Board 8: Barlas vs. Thomas
Board 9: LePoer vs. Biglow
Board 10: Brassard vs. Bastarache
Board 11: Hankard vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 12: Ra. Pulya vs. David
Board 13: Ostrowski vs. Gawboy
Board 14: Wheeler vs. Scanlon

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 2 are Premus and H. McLaughlin.
♙ Felton will be paired if he shows up.

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

November 28th 2018
World Chess Championship hits mainstream media

American Could Win World Chess Championship For 1st Time Since 1972
PBS radio show "Here & Now" features Fabiano Caruana's challenge for the World Chess Championship title:
Jeremy Hobson interviews Judit Polgar.

November 26th, 2018
Ratings in effect for the George Sturgis Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the George Sturgis Memorial, which begins Wednesday, Nov. 28, 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.
Players running late who wish to be paired for Round 1 must call by 7 p.m.

♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚   Ratings in effect for the
2018 George Sturgis Memorial tournament:
1Roger Cappallo 1991
2Diego Ubiera 1985
3Paul Godin 1972
4Ray Paulson 1966
5Bruce Felton 1933
6Geoff LePoer 1918
7George Mirijanian 1902
8Ken Gurge 1829
9Ralph McNeilage 1772
10Gary Brassard 1762
11Dave Couture 1757
12Joe Bennett 1750
13Larry Gladding 1745
14Dave Thomas 1745
15Ritvik Pulya 1745
16Arthur Barlas 1739
17Mike Commisso 1733
18Jim Donahue 1723
19Ed Harris 1717
20Paul Lynch 1705
21Mariano Rivera 1651
22Vince Premus 1639
23Mike Meehan 1632
24Stephen Murray 1628
25Jackson Parker 1625
26Robert Kaminsky 1608
27Jim Hankard 1606
28Michael David 1604
29Bill Burke 1604
30Roland Booker 1600
31Don Ostrowski 1598
32George Miller 1597
33Alan Condon 1586
34Tom Fratturelli 1546
35Mark Wheeler 1534
36Angel Soto 1444
37Don Briggs 1430
38Brian Biglow 1412
39John Bastarache 1410
40Bob Mathieu 1402
41Randy McLaughlin 1394
42Larry O'Rourke 1379
43Bryce McLaughlin 1271
44Hugh McLaughlin 1200
45Emily Gawboy 1131
46Raaga Pulya 1098
47Andrew Kiser 1088
48Larry Legros 1013
49Francis Scanlon 991
50Tom Whistler 882

November 20th, 2018
ANNOUNCING THE "I'm Just Wild about Harry" Wachusett CC EF Support Program


"I'm Just Wild about Harry" Wachusett CC EF Support Program

The Wachusett Chess Club, the second oldest chess club in Massachusetts, is proud to announce an innovative new program to financially support club players and encourage them to compete in the Harry Nelson Pillsbury Memorial tournament, a Mass. Chess Association-sponsored event that will be played:
Sunday, Dec. 9, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 5 Wheeler Road, Burlington, Mass.
It is a 4-round Swiss in 4 sections: Open, U2010, U1810, U1510.
Time control: G/60 d5.
Entry fee: $45 advance, if mailed by Dec. 4 or online by Dec. 7, or $55 at site. $20 discount to players in U1510 section rated under 1300 or unrated.
Complete tournament details are available at:
www.masschess.org and
http://www.uschess.org/tlas/upcoming.php?STATE=MA,
as well as in the November 2018 issue of Chess Life.

Wachusett CC EF Support Program: $20 will be reimbursed to any Wachusett CC player who plays in the Harry Nelson Pillsbury Memorial and "completes" the tournament, i.e. plays all 4 games. Reimbursement will be paid in cash at the club, Room C159, McKay Complex, Fitchburg State University, on Wednesday, Dec. 12
George Mirijanian
Program director

November 17th, 2018
My Week at the Club #43
Board 2 in Round 5 of the Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, vs. Michael David

My weekly game at the Wachusett Chess Club in Fitchburg MA. This week I was White against Michael David (1581), who who defended against 1. e4 with a Scandinavian Defense.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 15th, 2018
2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Godin first in Fandreyer memorial tournament

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, November 15th, 2018
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 1-0Ken Gurge
Roger Cappallo 1-0Michael David
Mike Commisso 1-0Stephen Murray
Jim Donahue1/2-1/2Mike Meehan
Dave Couture 1-0Don Ostrowski
♔ Tom Fratturelli 1-0Larry Gladding
Jim Hankard 1-0Larry O'Rourke
John Bastarache 0-1Gary Brassard
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow 1-0Francis Scanlon
Total of 10 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were Ray Paulson, George Mirijanian, Ritvik Pulya, Bruce Felton, Dave Thomas, Arthur Barlas, Vince Premus,
Raaga Pulya, Don Briggs, Angel Soto, Hugh McLaughlin, Tom Whistler and Randy McLaughlin.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, November 15th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.5Godin
4.0Cappallo
3.5Gurge, Commisso
3.0Paulson, Couture, Donahue, Meehan, Hankard, Murray, David, Fratturelli
2.5Mirijanian, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
2.0Felton, Gladding, Thomas, Barlas, Biglow, O'Rourke, Gawboy
1.5Premus, Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.0Briggs, Soto, H. McLaughlin, Whistler, B. McLaughlin
0,5Scanlon
0.0R. McLaughlin

♔ 2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: Paul Godin of Bedford
2nd: Roger Cappallo of Groton
Top U1800: Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH
Top U1650: Mike Meehan of Westminster, Jim Hankard of Antrim, NH,
Stephen Murray of Ayer, Michael David of Groton,
Tom Fratturelli of Leominster
Top U1500: Brian Biglow of Fitchburg, Larry O'Rourke of Acton
Top U1350: Emily Gawboy of Leominster

A total of 0 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
No players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
A total of 6 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya 1745
Stephen Murray 1628P15
Michael David 1623
Don Ostrowski 1598
Bryce McLaughlin 1271P5
Raaga Pulya 1098

Pictures from this year's Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial tournament.

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 11/14/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1972 2020 1st Cat. 19 14 2 3 15.5 .816
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1991 2102 Can. Master 17 11 1 5 13.5 .794
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1933 1971 1st Cat. 9 6 1 2 7.0 .778
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1955 2085 Can. Master 17 12 4 1 12.5 .735
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1757 1858 1st Cat. 16 10 4 2 11.0 .688
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1772 1787 3rd Cat. 8 5 2 1 5.5 .688
KEN GURGE Leominster 1829 1856 2nd Cat. 18 11 5 2 12.0 .667
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1902 2186 1st Cat. 11 5 2 4 7.0 .636
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1745 1745 3rd Cat. 17 8 4 5 10.5 .618
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1745 1953 1st Cat. 18 10 6 2 11.0 .611
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1741 1770 2nd Cat. 18 9 5 4 11.0 .611
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1745 1837 2nd Cat. 16 9 6 1 9.5 .594
TOM FRATTURELLI Leominster 1546 1688 2nd Cat. 7 3 2 2 4.0 .571
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1628P15 1628 none 15 8 6 1 8.5 .567
EDWARD HARRIS Marlboro, NH 1712 1998 2nd Cat. 8 4 3 1 4.5 .563
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1789 1904 1st Cat. 18 8 6 4 10.0 .556
JIM DONAHUE Stow 1723 1738 3rd Cat. 9 4 3 2 5.0 .556
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1623 1623 3rd Cat. 19 9 7 3 10.5 .553
DON OSTROWSKI Fitchburg 1598 1598 none 16 6 6 4 8.0 .500
MICHAEL MEEHAN Westminster 1632 1705 3rd Cat. 12 5 5 2 6.0 .500
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club is the George Sturgis Memorial, which starts Wednesday, November 28th.
Players must be present by 7 p.m. on that date in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.
🦃 HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL !!!  🦃

November 16th, 2018
My Week at the Club #42
Board 1 in Round 4 of the Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, vs. Paul godin

My weekly game in the tournaments held at the Wachusett Chess Club, this week playing Black against Paul Godin (1942) in an English opening.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 11th, 2018
Carlsen - Caruana even at 1 each after 2

November 9th, 2018
World Chess Championship title match starts today

The much anticipated match between
US Grandmaster, Fabiano Caruana & reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway
began today in London.
For more information or to follow the games live, visit these links:
CBS News Story
Wikipedia article
FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 Press Conference
Chess.com live coverage

November 7th, 2018
2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Underdogs begin to bite in Fandreyer penultimate

Round 4 of the Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial tournament at Wachusett CC resulted in a number of unexpected outcomes. At board 1, 1st Category rated, Paul Godin toppled his strongest opponent this season by beating Candidate Master & #1 seed, Roger Cappallo in a tight positional contest punctuated by a tactical oversight on Roger's 21st move allowing Paul to achieve a winning advantage which he eventually converted to a forced checkmate.

Three other games concluded in notable upsets. At board 4, 1613 rated Mike Meehan took his 1910 rated opponent, George Mirijanian, to task with a solid advantage for most of the game but in the end George was able to salvage a draw thereby missing the "upset draw" criterion by a mere 3 rating points. At board 5, 1584 rated Stephen Murray achieved a major upset of 177 points by playing the Grand Prix Attack against 1772 rated Dave Couture's Sicilian Defence, an unusual choice for Dave. Not to be outdone, Stephen's fellow Ayer Chess at Billiards Cafe regular attendee, 1597 rated Michael David, defeated WCC reigning co-champ, 1828 rated Gary Brassard, in a 247 point upset, the largest of the night. Gary played his familiar ultra solid London System Veresov attack against Michael's Pirc/Modern Defence, but found himself in a dead lost position when Michael alertly took advantage of a tactical mistake by Gary.

Board 7 became a bit of a heartbreaker when Larry Gladding with an extra piece & pawn on the board & 17 minutes on his clock failed to convert to a full point as tenacious Jim Hankard with less than 2 minutes on his clock held on through multiple blunders & retries by Larry, who eventually could only produce a stalemate, splitting the point.

This result sets up a final round match next week, where Paul Godin will face Ken Gurge at board 1 for top honors in the Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial tournament. It also bodes well for several of the recent additions to the WCC & puts even the top players on notice that underdogs can sometimes turn into a hungry wolf pack.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, November 7th, 2018
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 1-0Roger Cappallo
Ken Gurge 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Ray Paulson 1-0Jim Donahue
Mike Meehan1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
♔ Stephen Murray 1-0Dave Couture
Gary Brassard 0-1♔ Michael David
Larry Gladding1/2-1/2Jim Hankard
John Bastarache 0-1Mike Commisso
Don Ostrowski 1-0Vince Premus
Arthur Barlas 1-0Brian Biglow
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Bryce McLaughlin
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Don Briggs
Raaga Pulya 1-0Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Francis Scanlon
Total of 14 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Dave Thomas, Angel Soto and Tom Whistler.
♖ Not playing round 4 was Bruce Felton.
♙ Randy McLaughlin had already withdrawn from the tournament.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, November 7th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5Godin, Gurge
3.0Cappallo, Paulson, Murray, David
2.5Mirijanian, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Donahue, Meehan, Ostrowski
2.0Felton, Gladding, Couture, Thomas, Barlas, Hankard, Fratturelli, O'Rourke
1.5Brassard, Premus, Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.0Briggs, Soto, Biglow, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Whistler, B. McLaughlin
0.5Scanlon
0.0(R. McLaughlin)
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for November 14th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs. Gurge
Board 2: Cappallo vs. David
Board 3: Mirijanian vs. Murray
Board 4: Commisso vs. Meehan
Board 5: Ri. Pulya vs. Ostrowski
Board 6: Donahue vs. Felton
Board 7: Fratturelli vs. Gladding
Board 8: Couture vs. Barlas
Board 9: Hankard vs. Thomas
Board 10: Brassard vs. O'Rourke
Board 11: Premus vs.Bastarache
Board 12: Briggs vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 13: Biglow vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 14: B. McLaughlin vs. Gawboy
Board 15: Scanlon vs. Whistler

♖ Not paired for Round 5 are: Paulson and Soto.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on November 14th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

November 5th, 2018
Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial 

Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for November 7th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Gurge vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 3: Paulson vs. Donahue
Board 4: Meehan vs. Felton
Board 5: Murray vs. Mirijanian
Board 6: David vs. Couture
Board 7: Brassard vs. Premus
Board 8: Gladding vs. Hankard
Board 9: Ostrowski vs. Thomas
Board 10: Bastarache vs. Commisso
Board 11: Barlas vs. O'Rourke
Board 12: Fratturelli vs. Gawboy
Board 13: Biglow vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 14: Ra. Pulya vs. Soto
Board 15: H. McLaughlin vs. Whistler

November 4th, 2018
My Week at the Club #41
Board 1 in Round 3 of the Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, vs. Ray Paulson

This week I've analyzed my game I had Wednesday night against Ray Paulson on board 1. I played the white side of a Caro-Kann Panov attack. Though far from perfect, I think it was an interesting game, and hope that some of you will also find it so.
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 3rd, 2016
Daylight Saving Time (United States) 2018 ends at 2:00 AM on Sunday, November 4.

Don't forget to set your clocks BACK & change the batteries in your     chess clock!
Also please try to make a special effort to read the manual for whichever clock(s) you own (at least the relevant paragraphs) to avoid unnecessary panic situations during USCF rated games. Manuals for many popular chess clocks are conveniently posted on this site in the "Clocks" section.

October 31st, 2018
2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 3 of 5

🎃 Halloween Wednesday scares WCC 🎃
🎃 to lowest turnout in five years 🎃         

With a total of only 11 boards, this Wednesday's meeting of the Wachusett CC saw participation drop to a level not seen since October 30th 2013! This scary dip in attendance allowed the Billerica CC to match the WCC total with 11 boards to open their November Swiss tournament this week.

Presumably this is only a temporary situation since several of the ten WCC players who recieved byes this week are expected to return for round 2 with large bags of candy.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 31st, 2018
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Ray Paulson
Dave Couture 0-1Paul Godin
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Gary Brassard
Jim Donahue 1-0Larry Gladding
Mike Commisso1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Don Briggs 0-1Stephen Murray
Michael David 1-0Bryce McLaughlin
Angel Soto 0-1Jim Hankard
Brian Biglow1/2-1/2Tom Fratturelli
Raaga Pulya 0-1John Bastarache
Emily Gawboy 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 11 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ken Gurge, Bruce Felton, George Mirijanian, Mike Meehan, Dave Thomas,
Vince Premus, Arthur Barlas, Larry O'Rourke, Francis Scanlon and Tom Whistler.
♙ Randy McLaughlin had already withdrawn from the tournament.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 31st, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0Cappallo
2.5Godin, Gurge, Ri. Pulya, Donahue
2.0Paulson, Felton, Mirijanian, Couture, Meehan, Murray, David
1.5Brassard, Gladding, Thomas, Commisso, Premus, Hankard, Ostrowski, Bastarache
1.0Barlas, Fratturelli, Briggs, Biglow, O'Rourke, Gawboy, B. McLaughlin
0.5Soto, Ra. Pulya, Scanlon, Whistler
0.0(R. McLaughlin), H. McLaughlin
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for November 7th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Gurge vs. Donahue
Board 3: Paulson vs. Couture
Board 4: Meehan vs. Felton
Board 5: Murray vs. Mirijanian
Board 6: Brassard vs. David
Board 7: Gladding vs. Premus
Board 8: Hankard vs. Thomas
Board 9: Bastarache vs. Commisso
Board 10: Ostrowski vs. Barlas
Board 11 Fratturelli vs. O'Rourke
Board 12: Biglow vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 13: Soto vs. Gawboy
Board 14: H. McLaughlin vs. Whistler

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 are Ritvik and Raaga Pulya.

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

October 24th, 2018
2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 24th, 2018
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Dave Thomas 0-1Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson 1-0Mike Commisso
Ritvik Pulya1/2-1/2Paul Godin
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Vince Premus 0-1Ken Gurge
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Dave Couture
Bruce Felton 1-0Arthur Barlas
George Mirijanian 1-0John Bastarache
Larry Gladding 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Jim Hankard1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Stephen Murray 1-0Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Michael David
Tom Whistler 0-1Don Briggs
Total of 13 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Mike Meehan, Don Ostrowski, Tom Fratturelli, Angel Soto and Raaga Pulya.
♖ Withdrawn from the tournament were Randy McLaughlin and Geoff LePoer.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 24th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Cappallo, Paulson, Gurge, Couture
1.5Godin, Felton, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Donahue, Meehan
1.0Thomas, Commisso, Premus, Murray, David, Ostrowski, Briggs, B. McLaughlin
0.5Barlas, Hankard, Fratturelli, Soto, Biglow, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya
0.0(R. McLaughlin), H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Whistler
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for October 31st:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Paulson
Board 2: Couture vs. Felton
Board 3: Godin vs. Gladding
Board 4: Ri. Pulya vs. Mirijanian
Board 5: Brassard vs. Meehan
Board 6: Donahue vs. Thomas
Board 7: Commisso vs. Ostrowski
Board 8: Briggs vs. Murray
Board 9: David Vs. B. McLaughlin
Board 10: Barlas vs. Bastarache
Board 11: O'Rourke vs. Hankard
Board 12: Biglow vs. Fratturelli
Board 13: Soto vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 14: H. McLaughlin vs. Scanlon
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Whistler

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 3 are Gurge and Premus..

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on October 31st.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

October 17th, 2018
2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 17th, 2018
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Stephen Murray
Michael David 0-1Ray Paulson
Paul Godin 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Don Briggs 0-1Gary Brassard
Ken Gurge 1-0Angel Soto
♖ John Bastarache1/2-1/2Larry Gladding
Dave Couture 1-0Brian Biglow
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Dave Thomas
Mike Commisso 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Jim Donahue 1-0Raaga Pulya
Francis Scanlon 0-1Vince Premus
Mike Meehan 1-0Tom Whisterl
♔ Bryce McLaughlin 1-0Jim Hankard
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Bruce Felton, Geoff LePoer, George Mirijanian, Arthur Barlas, Don Ostrowski and Larry O'Rourke.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 17th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Cappallo, Paulson, Godin, Brassard, Gurge, Couture, Thomas, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Donahue, Premus, Meehan, B. McLaughlin
0.5Felton, Lepoer, Mirijanian, Gladding, Barlas, Ostrowski, O'Rourke
0.0Hankard, Murray, David, Fratturelli, Briggs, Soto, Biglow, Bastarache, R. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Ra. Pulya,
Scanlon, Whistler
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for October 24th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Thomas vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Paulson vs. Commisso
Board 3: Ri. Pulya vs. Godin
Board 4: Brassard vs. Donahue
Board 5: Premus vs. Gurge
Board 6: B. McLaughlin vs. Couture
Board 7: Felton vs. Meehan
Board 8: Gladding vs. Lepoer
Board 9: Mirijanian vs. Barlas
Board10: Hankard vs. Bastarache
Board 11: Murray vs. Biglow
Board 12: H. McLaughlin vs. David
Board 13: Fratturelli vs. Gawboy
Board 14: Ra. Pulya vs. Briggs
Board 15: Soto vs. Whistler

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Bryce McLaughlin of Groton, who played his first USCF-rated game last night. In the game, Bryce beat Jim Hankard, who was at one point a queen ahead! That win netted Bryce a provisional rating of 2000. But he, of course, will be listed as Unrated. His initial provisional rating after this year's Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial tournament is rated may be greater than or less than 2000, but at least for this week, he's a provisionally rated USCF Expert.

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

October 15th, 2018
Ratings in effect for the Ernest E, Fandreyer Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the Ernest E, Fandreyer Memorial, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 17, 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.
Players running late who wish to be paired for Round 1 must call by 7 p.m.

♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚   Ratings in effect for the
2018 Ernest E, Fandreyer Memorial tournament:
1Roger Cappallo 1982
2Ray Paulson 1953
3Paul Godin 1947
4Bruce Felton 1925
5George Mirijanian 1910
6Gary Brassard 1828
7Ken Gurge 1814
8Larry Gladding 1804
9Ralph McNeilage 1772
10Dave Couture 1761
11Dave Thomas 1748
12Arthur Barlas 1743
13Mike Commisso 1738
14Ritvik Pulya 1727
15Ed Harris 1712
16Jim Donahue 1711
17Vince Premus 1670
18Mike Meehan 1613
19Roland Booker 1600
20Jim Hankard 1600
21Robert Kaminsky 1600
22Stephen Murray 1584
23Michael David 1581
24Don Ostrowski 1577
25Mark Wheeler 1534
26Tom Fratturelli 1516
27Don Briggs 1470
28Angel Soto 1464
29Bob Mathieu 1402
30Brian Biglow 1400
31John Bastarache 1400
32Randy McLaughlin 1400
33Larry O'Rourke 1367
34Hugh McLaughlin 1200
35Emily Gawboy 1091
36Raaga Pulya 1075
37Larry Legros 1064
38Francis Scanlon 1013
39Tom Whistler 885

October 14th, 2018
27 turn out for National Chess Day tournament at Fitchburg Public Library

Arjan Kokoshi, a strong unrated player from Worcester won clear first place in the National Chess Day fun tournament held this Saturday in the Garden Room at the Fitchburg Public Library. Ari's outstanding performance was made even more notable by his finishing ahead of all 14 USCF rated WCC members who competed as well as a dozen additional players both rated & non-rated from the Worcester area, mostly students from the Worcester South High School, where there is a thriving chess club, & some members of Boy Scout Troop 70, who will be awarded "chess merit badges." for their participation.

The "Italian Swiss" pairing format combined with some color conflicts resulted in Mr. Ari's having to face currect WCC co-Champ Roger Cappallo twice in the same tournament, once with each color. Winning both of these games is not considered a particularly easy task, even with the rather rapid game/20 time control. Congratulations to all those who participated & especially kudos to Arjan Kokoshi for his top notch performance. The full tournament crosstable is presented below. 


Event: 		National Chess Day Open 2018
Location: 	Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg, MA
Event Date: 	2018-10-13
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  |   Arjan Kokoshi         Unr	|  W7   |  W5	|  W3	|  W7	|  W4   |  5.0	|  1st ♔|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   2  |   Paul Godin            1947	|  W24  |  W15  |  L4	|  W18	|  W8   |  4.0	|  2nd-5th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3  |   Bruce Felton          1925	|  W17  |  W13  |  L1	|  W15	|  W9   |  4.0	|  2nd-5th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   4  |   Mike Commisso         1738	|  W19  |  W11	|  W2	|  W8	|  L1   |  4.0	|  2nd-5th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   5  |   Matthew Garcia        1736	|  W20  |  L1	|  W11	|  W12	|  W18  |  4.0	|  2nd-5th |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   6  |   Gabe Rolan             962	|  W9   |  W10  |  L8	|  W19	|  D13  |  3.5	|  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   7  |   Roger Cappallo        1982	|  L1   |  W20	|  W12  |  L1	|  W16  |  3.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   8  |   Geoff Lepoer          1918	|  W18  |  W16	|  W6	|  L4	|  L2	|  3.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   9  |   Dave Thomas           1748	|  L6   |  W21	|  W16	|  W10  |  L3	|  3.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   10  | Mike Meehan            1613	|  W21  |  L6	|  W24  |  L9	|  W19  |  3.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   11  | Harry Richardson       1447	|  W22  |  L4	|  L5	|  W24	|  W15  |  3.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   12  | Gary Brassard          1828	|  bye  |  W23  |  L7	|  L5	|  W20  |  2.5	|  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   13  | Jim Hankard            1600	|  W26  |  L3	|  L18	|  W17	|  D6	|  2.5	|  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   14  | James Wood		Unr.	|  L16  |  bye	|  L19	|  W22	|  W23  |  2.5	|  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   15  | Roland Booker          1600	|  W25  |  L2	|  W17	|  L3	|  L11  |  2.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   16  | Angel Soto             1464	|  W14  |  L8	|  L9	|  W25  |  L7	|  2.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   17  | Larry Legros           1064	|  L3   |  W26  |  L15	|  L13	|  W24  |  2.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   18  | Tommy Thach            1035	|  L8   |  W22	|  W13  |  L2	|  L5	|  2.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   19  | Tom Whistler            885	|  L4   |  W27	|  W14  |  L6	|  L10  |  2.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   20  | Declan MacNamara    	Unr.	|  L5   |  L7	|  W23	|  W21	|  L12  |  2.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   21  | Nathan Williams	Unr.	|  L10  |  L9	|  W2	|  L20	|  W25  |  2.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   22  | Sal Cruz		Unr.	|  L11  |  L18	|  bye  |  L14	|  W26  |  1.5	|  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   23  | Ana Paula Geary	Unr.	|  bye  |  L12	|  L20	|  W26  |  L14  |  1.5	|  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   24  | Joe Garcia		1208	|  L2   |  W25	|  L10  |  L11	|  L17  |  1.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   25  | J-P Delacroix-Dejesus	Unr.	|  L15  |  L24	|  W26	|  L16	|  L21  |  1.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   26  | Zander MacKenzie	Unr.	|  L13  |  L17	|  L25	|  L23  |  L22  |  0.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   27  | Travis Ferguson	Unr.	|  ---  |  L19	|  L21	|  - Withdrew -	|  0.0	|  	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October 10th, 2018
2018 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 4 of 4

Godin tops Pasquale Memorial tournament with 4-0 finish

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, October 10th, 2018
Round 4 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 1-0Ken Gurge
George Mirijanian1/2-1/2Ritvik Pulya
♔ Dave Thomas 1-0Ray Paulson
Roger Cappallo 1-0Mike Commisso
Arthur Barlas 1-0Larry Gladding
Jim Donahue 0-1Gary Brassard
Dave Couture 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Mike Meehan 0-1♔ Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy 0-1Michael David
Don Ostrowski 1-0Tom Whistler
John Bastarache 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Brian Biglow 0-1♕ Raaga Pulya
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Jim Hankard
Total of 13 boards,
3 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving a half-point bye was Francis Scanlon.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Bruce Felton, Stephen Murray, Roland Booker, Vince Premus, Robert Kaminsky and Angel Soto.

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, October 10th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Godin
3.5-----
3.0Cappallo, Mirijanian, Gurge, Thomas, Barlas, Ri. Pulya
2.5Brassard, Couture
2.0Paulson, Felton, Gladding, Commisso, Donahue, David, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Murray, Briggs, Ra. Pulya
1.5Hankard, Booker, O'Rourke
1.0Premus, Meehan, Kaminsky, Biglow, Bastarache, Gawboy, Scanlon, Whistler
0.5-----
0.0Soto, McLaughlin

♔ 2018 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: ♔ Paul Godin
2nd-7th: Roger Cappallo, George Mirijanian, Ken Gurge,
Dave Thomas, Arthur Barlas, Ritvik Pulya
Top U1850: Ken Gurge, Dave Thomas, Arthur Barlas
Top U1700: Ritvik Pulya
Top U1550: Tom Fratturelli, Stephen Murray
Top U1400: Don Briggs, Raaga Pulya

A total of 5 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Raaga Pulya + 152
Don Briggs + 95
Stephen Murray + 58
Ken Gurge + 56
Emily Gawboy + 56
A total of 3 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya 1727
Stephen Murray 1584
Raaga Pulya 1075

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

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 10/10/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
ERIC STRICKLAND Brattleboro, VT 1904 1950 2nd Cat. 7 6 1 0 6.0 .857
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1982 2102 Can. Master 12 7 0 5 9.5 .792
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1947 2020 1st Cat. 14 10 2 2 11.0 .786
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1925 1971 1st Cat. 8 5 1 2 6.0 .750
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1953 2085 Can. Master 13 9 3 1 9.5 .731
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1761 1858 1st Cat. 11 7 2 2 8.0 .727
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1804 1953 1st Cat. 13 9 4 0 9.0 .692
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1772 1787 3rd Cat. 8 5 2 1 5.5 .688
KEN GURGE Leominster 1814 1856 2nd Cat. 14 8 4 2 9.0 .643
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1727 1679 3rd Cat. 13 6 3 4 8.0 .615
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1910 2186 1st Cat. 9 4 2 3 5.5 .611
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1748 1837 2nd Cat. 14 8 5 1 8.5 .607
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1828 1904 1st Cat. 13 6 4 3 7.5 .577
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1738 1770 2nd Cat. 13 6 4 3 7.5 .577
EDWARD HARRIS Marlboro, NH 1731 1998 2nd Cat. 8 4 3 1 4.5 .563
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1584P10 1584 none 10 5 4 1 5.5 .550
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1581 1603 4th Cat. 14 6 5 3 7.5 .536
DON OSTROWSKI Fitchburg 1577 1590 none 13 5 5 3 6.5 .500
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club is the Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, starting Wednesday, October 17th,
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.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

  NATIONAL CHESS DAY OPEN AT FITCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY  
This unrated tournament at the Fitchburg Public Library is Saturday, October 13th.
The event will be a 5-round Swiss, single section, Game/20, no delay.
Registration is 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with Round 1 starting shortly after 10:30 a.m. There is no entry fee!
The event should end by 2:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to everyone! Come one, come all!

October 9th, 2018
Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial 

Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for October 10th, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Paul Godin (3.0)          Ken Gurge (3.0)
2     George Mirijanian (2.5)     Ritvik Pulya (2.5)
3     Dave Thomas (2.0)     Ray Paulson (2.0)
4     Roger Cappallo (2.0)     Michael Commisso (2.0)
5     Arthur Barlas (2.0)       Bruce Felton (2.0)
6     Jim Donahue (2.0)       Larry Gladding (2.0)
7     Dave Couture (1.5)       Gary Brassard (1.5)
8     Larry O'Rourke (1.5)     Vince Premus (1.0)
9     Mike Meehan (1.0)        Don Briggs (1.0)
10     Emily Gawboy (1.0)     Michael David (1.0)
11     Don Ostrowski (1.0)     Tom Whistler (1.0)
12     John Bastarache (1.0)     Tom Fratturelli (1.0)
13     Brian Biglow (1.0)          Raaga Pulya (1.0)
14     Francis Scanlon II (0.5)      Jim Hankard (0.5)
15     Hugh McLaughlin (0.0)      Angel Soto (0.0)

Robert Kaminsky (1.0) & Roland Booker (1.5) are to receive zero-point byes.

October 3rd, 2018
2018 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 3 of 4

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, October 3rd, 2018
Round 3 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 0-1♔ Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding 0-1Paul Godin
Gary Brassard 0-1George Mirijanian
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Dave Couture
Ray Paulson 1-0Mike Meehan
Mike Commisso 1-0Don Ostrowski
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Dave Thomas
Don Briggs 0-1Jim Donahue
Vince Premus 0-1♔ Stephen Murray
Michael David1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Jim Hankard1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Angel Soto 0-1♕ Emily Gawboy
♕ Raaga Pulya 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 13 boards,
4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Roger Cappallo, Arthur Barlas, Roland Booker, Larry O'Rourke,
Robert Kaminsky, Tom Whistler and Francis Scanlon.
♖ Withdrawn from the tournament were Ralph McNeilage, Ed Harris and Bob Mathieu.

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, October 3rd, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0Godin, Gurge
2.5Mirijanian, Ri. Pulya
2.0Paulson, Cappallo, Felton, Gladding, Commisso,Thomas, Barlas, Donahue, Murray
1.5Brassard, Couture, Booker, O'Rourke
1.0Premus, Meehan, Kaminsky, David, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Biglow, Bastarache, Briggs, Gawboy, Ra. Pulya, Whistler
0.5Hankard, Scanlon
0.0Soto, McLaughlin
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for October 10th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs. Gurge
Board 2: Mirijanian vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 3: Thomas vs. Paulson
Board 4: Cappallo vs. Commisso
Board 5: Barlas vs. Felton
Board 6: Donahue vs. Gladding
Board 7: Booker vs. Brassard
Board 8: Couture vs. O'Rourke
Board 9: Biglow vs. Premus
Board 10: Meehan vs. Briggs
Board 11: Bastarache vs. Kaminsky
Board 12: Gawboy vs. David
Board 13: Ostrowski vs. Whistler
Board 14: Fratturelli vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 15: Scanlon vs. Hankard
Board 16: McLaughlin vs. Soto

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

October 1st, 2018
Revised Projected Round 3 Pairings for Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial 

Revised Projected Round 3 Pairings for October 3rd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Bruce Felton (2.0)        Ken Gurge (2.0)
2     Larry Gladding (2.0)     Paul Godin (2.0)
3     Gary Brassard (1.5)     George Mirijanian (1.5)
4     Arthur Barlas (1.5)     Dave Couture (1.5)
5     Ritvik Pulya (1.5)         Ray Paulson (1.0)
6     Michael Commisso (1.0)     Mike Meehan (1.0)
7     Tom Fratturelli (1.0)     Dave Thomas (1.0)
8     Ed Harris (1.0)              Don Ostrowski (1.0)
9     Don Briggs (1.0)            Jim Donahue (1.0)
10     Vince Premus (1.0)     Stephen Murray (1.0)
11     Robert Kaminsky (0.5)     Larry O'Rourke (1.0)
12     Michael David (0.5)     Tom Whistler (0.5)
13     Brian Biglow (0.5)     John Bastarache (0.5)
14     Jim Hankard (0.0)     Emily Gawboy (0.0)
15     Francis Scanlon II (0.0)     Angel Soto (0.0)
16     Raaga Pulya (0.0)        Hugh McLaughlin (0.0)

Roger Cappallo (1.5) & Roland Booker (1.0) are to receive half-point byes.

September 26th, 2018
2018 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 2 of 4

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 26th, 2018
Round 2 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♔ Ken Gurge 1-0Ray Paulson
Jim Donahue 0-1Bruce Felton
Paul Godin 1-0Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2Ritvik Pulya
Mike Meehan 0-1Larry Gladding
Dave Couture 1-0Don Briggs
Tom Whistler 0-1Arthur Barlas
Larry O'Rourke1/2-1/2Tom Fratturelli
Dave Thomas 1-0Angel Soto
Robert Kaminsky1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Stephen Murray 1-0Jim Hankard
Roland Booker 1-0Emily Gawboy
John Bastarache1/2-1/2Michael David
Don Ostrowski 1-0Raaga Pulya
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Roger Cappallo, George Mirijanian, Ralph McNeilage, Ed Harris, Vince Premus and Bob Mathieu.
♖ Not playing round 2 were Hugh McLaughlin and Francis Scanlon.

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 26th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Felton, Godin, Gladding, Gurge
1.5Cappallo, Mirijanian, Brassard, Couture, Barlas, Ri. Pulya
1.0Paulson, McNeilage, Commisso, Thomas, Harris, Donahue, Premus, Meehan, Booker, Ostrowski, Fratturelli,
Murray, Mathieu, Briggs, O'Rourke
0.5Kaminsky, David, Biglow, Bastarache, Whistler
0.0Hankard, Soto, McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for October 3rd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Felton vs. Gurge
Board 2: Gladding vs. Godin
Board 3: Cappallo vs. Couture
Board 4: Ri. Pulya vs. Mirijanian
Board 5: Barlas vs. Brassard
Board 6: Paulson vs. Meehan
Board 7: McNeilage vs. Booker
Board 8: Commisso vs. Ostrowski
Board 9: Fratturelli vs. Thomas
Board 10: Harris vs. Murray
Board 11: Mathieu vs. Donahue
Board 12: Premus vs. O'Rourke
Board 13: Briggs vs. Kaminsky
Board 14: David vs. Whistler
Board 15: Biglow vs. Bastarache
Board 16: Hankard vs. Gawboy
Board 17: Scanlon vs. Soto
Board 18: Ra. Pulya vs. McLaughlin

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

September 24th, 2018
Revised Projected Round 2 Pairings for Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial 


Revised Projected Round 2 Pairings for September 26th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Ken Gurge (1.0)     Ray Paulson (1.0)
2     Michael Commisso (1.0)     Bruce Felton (1.0)
3     Paul Godin (1.0)         Ritvik Pulya (1.0)
4     Jim Donahue (1.0)     George Mirijanian (1.0)
5     Gary Brassard (1.0)     Don Briggs (1.0)
6     Mike Meehan (1.0)     Larry Gladding (1.0)
7     Ralph McNeilage (0.5)     Ed Harris (0.5)
8     Bob Mathieu (0.5)        Dave Couture (0.5)
9     Tom Whistler (0.5)        Arthur Barlas (0.5)
10     Larry O'Rourke (0.5)       Dave Thomas (0.0)
11     Robert Kaminsky (0.0)     Brian Biglow (0.0)
12     Stephen Murray (0.0)     Jim Hankard (0.0)
13     Roland Booker (0.0)        Emily Gawboy (0.0)
14     John Bastarache (0.0)     Michael David (0.0)
15     Don Ostrowski (0.0)         Raaga Pulya (0.0)
16     Francis Scanlon II (0.0)     Angel Soto (0.0)

September 21st, 2018
Tony Cesolini invades YouTube

2010 WCC Champion, Tony Cesolini has posted some videos on his YouTube channel. For now there's only a few including post game analysis of his first round win over Carissa Yip at the 2016 Continental Open & blitz games with running commentary. His plan is to include more instructional content in future videos in conjunction with his web site, "Comprehensive Chess".

Some links from Tony Cesolini's YouTube Channel (Comprehensive Chess):
Yip v Cesolini Analysis
Blitz and Website update
Chess and Gender
Crazy Openings #1
Introduction and fun blitz chess

September 19th, 2018
2018 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 1 of 4

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 19th, 2018
Round 1 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 1-0Robert Kaminsky
Jim Hankard 0-1Roger Cappallo
Bruce Felton 1-0Roland Booker
Michael David 0-1Paul Godin
George Mirijanian 1-0Don Ostrowski
Angel Soto 0-1Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding 1-0Stephen Murray
Brian Biglow 0-1Ken Gurge
Mike Commisso 1-0John Bastarache
♔ Don Briggs 1-0Dave Thomas
Arthur Barlas1/2-1/2♖ Larry O'Rourke
Emily Gawboy 0-1Jim Donahue
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Francis Scanlon
Raaga Pulya 0-1Mike Meehan
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ralph McNeilage, Dave Couture, Ed Harris, Vince Premus, Mark Wheeler,
Tom Fratturelli, Bob Mathieu and Tom Whistler.
♖ Not playing round 1 was Hugh McLaughlin.

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 19th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Round
PointsPlayers
1.0Paulson, Cappallo, Felton, Godin, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Gurge, Commisso, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Meehan, Briggs
0.5McNeilage, Couture, Barlas, Harris, Premus, Wheeler, Fratturelli, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Whistler
0.0Thomas, Kaminsky, Hankard, Booker, David, Ostrowski, Soto, Murray, Biglow, Bastarache, McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Ra.
Pulya
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for September 26th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Gurge vs. Paulson
Board 2: Commisso vs. Felton
Board 3: Godin vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 4: Donahue vs. Mirijanian
Board 5: Brassard vs. Briggs
Board 6: Meehan vs. Gladding
Board 7: McNeilage vs. Fratturelli
Board 8: Wheeler vs. Couture
Board 9: Mathieu vs. Barlas
Board 10: O'Rourke vs. Harris
Board 11: Thomas vs. Whistler
Board 12: Kaminsky vs. Biglow
Board 13: Murray vs. Hankard
Board 14: Booker vs. Gawboy
Board 15: Bastarache vs. David
Board 16: Ostrowski vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 17: Scanlon vs. Soto

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 2 are Cappallo and Premus.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Robert Kaminsky of Dunbarton, NH, who was active in chess in Dallas, TX more than 17 years ago and played at the Metrowest CC in Natick over four years ago.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on September 26th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

September 18th, 2018
WCC players compete in 3rd Mass Senior Open

A trio of WCC players competed in the 3rd Mass Senior Open this weekend.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Tuesday September 18, 2018 3rd Mass Senior Open Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
10011965: ROGER J CAPPALLO2018-09-163RD MASSACHUSETTS SENIOR OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 2002 => 1974 A
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD2018-09-163RD MASSACHUSETTS SENIOR OPEN (MA)2: U1810 1600 => 1605 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2018-09-163RD MASSACHUSETTS SENIOR OPEN (MA)2: U1810 1610 => 1600 B

September 12th, 2018
2018 John R. Stopa Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Paulson tops Stopa Memorial tournament

John R. Stopa Memorial, September 12th, 2018
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 1-0Paul Godin
Bruce Felton1/2-1/2Roger Cappallo
Gary Brassard 0-1Eric Strickland
Larry Gladding 1-0Ken Gurge
Dave Couture 1-0Don Ostrowski
George Mirijanian 1-0Mark Wheeler
Roland Booker 0-1Dave Thomas
Stephen Murray 0-1Ed Harris
Mike Commisso 1-0Brian Biglow
Angel Soto 0-1Michael David
Jim Hankard 1-0Don Briggs
John Bastarache 0-1Larry O'Rourke
Emily Gawboy 0-1Bob Mathieu
Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Tom Whistler
Total of 15 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing round 5 were Vince Premus, Ritvik Pulya, Ralph McNeilage, Mike Meehan, Larry Legros, Francis Scanlon and Raaga Pulya.

John R. Stopa Memorial, September 12th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.5Paulson
4.0Strickland, Gladding
3.5Cappallo, Felton, Godin, Couture
3.0Mirijanian, Brassard, Thomas, Harris
2.5Commisso, Gurge, Premus, Ri. Pulya, David, Ostrowski
2.0McNeilage, Booker, Hankard, Wheeler, Murray, Mathieu, O'Rourke
1.5Meehan, Soto, Biglow, Legros
1.0Bastarache, Briggs, McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon
0.5Ra. Pulya
0.0Whistler

♔ 2018 John R. Stopa Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: Ray Paulson of Lowell
2nd-: Eric Strickland of Brattleboro, VT, Larry Gladding of Leominster
Top U3rd1800: Larry Gladding
Top U3rd1650: Michael David of Groton, Don Ostrowski of Fitchburg
Top U3rd1400: Larry O'Rourke of Acton
Top U3rd1250: Larry Legros of Millbury

Only one player
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following player had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Don Ostrowski + 69
A total of 5 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Vince Premus 1695
Ritvik Pulya 1679
Don Ostrowski 1590
Stephen Murray 1486P7
Raaga Pulya 923

Pictures from this year's John R. Stopa Memorial tournament.

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 9/12/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
ERIC STRICKLAND Brattleboro, VT 1903 1950 2nd Cat. 7 6 1 0 6.0 .857
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 2016 2085 Can. Master 9 7 1 1 7.5 .833
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1934 1971 1st Cat. 5 3 0 2 4.0 .800
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1818 1953 1st Cat. 9 7 2 0 7.0 .778
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2002 2102 Can. Master 10 5 0 5 7.5 .750
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1771 1858 1st Cat. 8 5 1 2 6.0 .750
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1916 2020 1st Cat. 10 6 2 2 7.0 .700
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1772 1787 3rd Cat. 8 5 2 1 5.5 .688
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1739 1770 2nd Cat. 9 4 2 3 5.5 .611
KEN GURGE Leominster 1758 1856 2nd Cat. 10 5 3 2 6.0 .600
MICHAEL MEEHAN Westminster 1653 1705 3rd Cat. 5 3 2 0 3.0 .600
EDWARD HARRIS Marlboro, NH 1731 1998 2nd Cat. 8 4 3 1 4.5 .563
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1831 1904 1st Cat. 9 4 3 2 5.0 .556
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1679 1656 3rd Cat. 9 4 3 2 5.0 .556
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1736 1837 2nd Cat. 10 5 4 1 5.5 .550
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1593 1572 none 10 5 4 1 5.5 .550
DON OSTROWSKI Fitchburg 1590 1590 none 9 3 3 3 4.5 .500
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1486P7 1486 none 7 3 3 1 3.5 .500
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1902 2186 1st Cat. 6 2 2 2 3.0 .500
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, will start Wednesday, September 19th.
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.

September 11th, 2018
Gail Lingner's obituary to be published in Sentinel & Enterprise today

Gail's obituary can be found on the website of the funeral home - http://www.masciarellifamilyfuneralhomes.net/obituary/gail-lingner
The obit will also be published in the Tuesday, Sept. 11, edition of the Sentinel & Enterprise
I would like everyone to know about the funeral arrangements.
I will be at the club on Wednesday - probably not to play - to announce the details for the funeral.
-George M



Gail Lingner

Gail's obituary
Gail Sandra Lingner
March 31, 1942 - September 6, 2018

Fitchburg-Gail Sandra (Carlson) Lingner, 76, died peacefully at her home on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018.

She leaves a daughter, Sandra Laurentano and her husband Joe of FL; a son, John Lingner Jr. and his wife Marjorie of TN; 11 grandchildren, Brandy Daigle Budzinski, Ronald Daigle Jr., Brittany Gaudet Hose (Bradley), Kimberly Taschereau, Leslie Lupien (Justin), Vanessa Brown (Kelly), John M. Lingner Sr. (Megan), Tracie Lingner, Jeremy Lingner (Kandie), Jackson Lingner (Erika) and Jacob Lingner; 20 great-grandchildren, Jordan, Hunter, Dylan and Rory Budzinski, Jacoby, Maddox, Orrin and Beckett Hose, Stefan-Jack Taschereau and Jasper-James Parker, Alyssa Farmer, Riley Lupien, Jesse Brown, John Bennett, Brooklynn, McKenzie and Kaylee Stock, Lillian Hyde, Gabriella Lingner, Maci Lingner; her loving companion of 43 years, George Mirijanian; three sisters, Carol Dunn and her husband Allan, Cathy Gallagher and her husband James and Cynthia Lafreniere and her husband Thomas; her beloved sister-in-law, Stella Carlson and many nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her husband, John "Jack" Lingner, who died Oct. 14, 1981 and a brother, Albert "Bud" Carlson Jr. who died May 10, 2014.

Gail was born on March 31, 1942, a daughter of the late Albert R. Sr. and Charlotte E. (Wheeler) Carlson. She was a 1960 graduate of Lunenburg High School. She then graduated from Fitchburg State College with a bachelor's degree in accounting. Later she received her MBA from SNHU. Gail worked at Traffic Systems in Worcester and then many years at Leominster Die Service in Leominster as the office manager.

After her retirement, she was an antique dealer and had several booths in various antique shops, including 20 years at Jeffrey's Antique Co-op Mall in Lunenburg. She was an avid mystery reader and loved writing short stories. She loved animals, especially cats. Her passion was chess. A nationally rated chess player, she was a member of the Wachusett Chess Club since September 1975. She was a longtime member of the U.S. Chess Federation and the Mass. Chess Association, where she served as an officer on its board of directors. Gail competed in many chess tournaments from the late 1970s thru early 2018. She also enjoyed bowling in her youth and was a fabulous cook. Her family looked forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, when she made her absolutely delicious apple pies.

The most important part of her life was her family, with whom she enjoyed spending time.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. at United Parish of Lunenburg, 39 Main St., Lunenburg.
Burial will follow in Forest Hill Cemetery, 115 Mt. Elam Road, Fitchburg.
Calling Hours will be held Friday, Sept. 14, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the
Lunenburg Chapel of the Sawyer-Miller-Masciarelli Funeral Home, 763 Mass Ave., Lunenburg

September 11th, 2018
WCC players compete in outside tournaments

Several WCC players competed in tournaments outside the club this weekend including a rerating update.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Tuesday September 11, 2018 Notable Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON2018-09-0378TH NEW ENGLAND OPEN (MA)10: U2000 1957 => 1972 A
12413721: DAVE COUTURE2018-09-0911TH W.M.C.A. FREE (MA)1: OPEN 1774 => 1767 B
16062155: RALPH MCNEILAGE2018-08-302018 AMIABLE AUGUST OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1773 => 1761 B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA2018-08-08HARLOW B DALY MEMORIAL (MA)1: HARLOW B DALY MEMORIAL 1577 => 1655 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2018-09-0378TH NEW ENGLAND OPEN (MA)11: U1800 1622 => 1620 B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID2018-09-0378TH NEW ENGLAND OPEN (MA)12: U1600 1572 => 1585 C

September 6th, 2018
Longtime Wachusett CC member Gail Lingner dead at 76

It is with great sadness and grief that I report that longtime Wachusett Chess Club member Gail Lingner of Fitchburg has died at the age of 76. Gail, who had been a member of the local club since September 1975, passed away early Thursday morning, Sept. 6. She was a very active player during the 1970s, '80s. '90s and 2000s.
Funeral arrangements by the Sawyer-Miller-Masciarelli Funeral Home in Lunenburg are pending.
Details of the funeral will be made known to all.
-George Mirijanian
(Gail's "significant other" of 43 years)

September 5th, 2018
2018 John R. Stopa Memorial
Round 4 of 5

John R. Stopa Memorial, September 5th, 2018
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo1/2-1/2Gary Brassard
Vince Premus 0-1Ray Paulson
Paul Godin 1-0Ken Gurge
Eric Strickland 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Ralph McNeilage 0-1Bruce Felton
Dave Thomas 0-1Larry Gladding
Ed Harris1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
Michael David 0-1Dave Couture
♔ Don Ostrowski 1-0Mike Commisso
Mark Wheeler 1-0Don Briggs
Roland Booker 1-0John Bastarache
Brian Biglow1/2-1/2Angel Soto
Bob Mathieu 0-1Stephen Murray
Larry O'Rourke1/2-1/2Jim Hankard
Tom Whistler 0-1Emily Gawboy
Total of 15 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Larry Legros and Francis Scanlon.
♖ Not playing round 4 was Hugh McLaughlin.
♙ John Pennington withdrew from the tournament. Mike Meehan and Raaga Pulya had already withdrawn from the event.

John R. Stopa Memorial, September 5th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5Paulson, Godin
3.0Cappallo, Felton, Strickland, Brassard, Gladding
2.5Couture, Gurge, Premus, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
2.0Mirijanian, McNeilage, Thomas, Harris, Booker, Wheeler, Murray
1.5Commisso, (Meehan), David, Soto, Biglow, Legros
1.0Hankard, Bastarache, Mathieu, Briggs, O'Rourke, Gawboy, Scanlon
0.5(Ra. Pulya)
0.0H. McLaughlin, Whistler
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for September 12th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Paulson vs. Godin
Board 2: Felton vs. Cappallo
Board 3: Brassard vs. Strickland
Board 4: Gladding vs. Gurge
Board 5: Couture vs. Ostrowski
Board 6: Ri. Pulya vs.Premus
Board 7: Mirijanian vs. Wheeler
Board 8: McNeilage vs. Harris
Board 9: Murray vs. Thomas
Board 10: Commisso vs. Booker
Board 11: Soto vs. David
Board 12: Biglow vs. Legros
Board 13: Hankard vs. Briggs
Board 14: Bastarache vs. O'Rourke
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Mathieu
Board 16: McLaughlin vs. Whistler

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

September 4th, 2018
My Week at the Club #40
Board 1 in Round 3 of the John R. Stopa Memorial, vs. Paul Godin

This week's game was against Paul Godin. It ended it a draw, but had a few interesting points along the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcBeyxR8w4
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

August 29th, 2018
2018 John R. Stopa Memorial
Round 3 of 5

John R. Stopa Memorial, August 29th, 2018
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo1/2-1/2Paul Godin
Ray Paulson 1-0Ralph McNeilage
Gary Brassard 1-0Ed Harris
Vince Premus 1-0Dave Couture
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Mike Commisso
Ken Gurge 1-0Don Ostrowski
Bruce Felton 1-0Roland Booker
Angel Soto 0-1Eric Strickland
Stephen Murray 0-1Larry Gladding
John Bastarache 0-1Dave Thomas
Bob Mathieu1/2-1/2Mark Wheeler
Jim Hankard 0-1Michael David
Brian Biglow 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Don Briggs 1-0Emily Gawboy
Larry Legros 1-0Tom Whistler
Total of 15 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving a half-point bye was George Mirijanian.
♖ Not playing round 3 were John Pennington, Hugh McLaughlin and Francis Scanlon.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Mike Meehan, Tony Cesolini and Tom Fratturelli.
♟ Raaga Pulya had already withdrawn from the event.

John R. Stopa Memorial, August 29th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.5Cappallo, Paulson, Godin, Brassard, Gurge, Premus, Ri. Pulya
2.0Felton, Strickland, Gladding, McNeilage, Thomas
1.5Mirijanian, Couture, Commisso, Harris, (Meehan), David, Ostrowski
1.0Pennington, Booker, Wheeler, Soto, Murray, Bastarache, Mathieu, Biglow, Briggs, Legros
0.5Hankard, O'Rourke, Scanlon, (Ra. Pulya)
0.0McLaughlin, Gawboy, Whistler
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for September 5th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Brassard
Board 2: Premus vs. Paulson
Board 3: Godin vs. Gurge
Board 4: Strickland vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 5: McNeilage vs. Felton
Board 6: Thomas vs. Gladding
Board 7: Harris vs. Mirijanian
Board 8: David vs. Couture
Board 9: Ostrowski vs. Commisso
Board 10: Wheeler vs. Briggs
Board 11: Booker vs. Bastarache
Board 12: Biglow vs. Soto
Board 13: Mathieu vs. Murray
Board 14: Hankard vs. Legros
Board 15: O'Rourke vs. Scanlon
Board 16: Whistler vs. Gawboy

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

August 28th 2018
National Chess Day Open at Fitchburg Public Library

This tournament at the Fitchburg Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 13, will be unrated. The objective is to attract both USCF-rated players and those who have never had ratings, i.e. non-USCF members. Hence, the event will be unrated. Five rounds will be played, with a time control of Game/20, with a 3-second delay for those who know how to set their clocks to that delay, or 5-second delay for those who are unable to set a 3-second delay. Registration will be from 10 a.m. (when the library opens) until 10:30 a.m., with Round 1 starting shortly thereafter.

There is no entry fee! The event should end by 2:30 p.m., if not sooner. I will have the library do up a flyer for this tournament. The youth librarian knows that this event is to commemorate National Chess Day, but she wants to call this event the 1st annual Fitchburg Public Library Chess Tournament. I have no problem with that, as long as everyone understands that the event is being held to celebrate National Chess Day. We are probably the only chess club in New England that will be celebrating that day with an event, albeit at the local public library. We did one last year for National Chess Day at the library.
The tournament has a dual designation:
1st annual Fitchburg Public Library Chess Tournament &
National Chess Day Open at Fitchburg Public Library
-George M

August 28th, 2018
WCC players compete in 3rd Hot August Nights 75 tournament at Keene Knights CC

Five Wachusett CC players Ed Harris, John Pennington, Roland Booker, Jim Hankard, & James Elmour competed in the 3rd Hot August Nights 75 tournament which finished last Monday, August 20, 2018 & was held at the Keene Knights CC in Keene, NH.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday August 27, Hot August Nights 75 Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12465223: EDWARD ARTHUR HARRIS2018-08-203RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)1: 3RD HOT AU 1710 => 1724 B
14804517: JOHN PENNINGTON2018-08-203RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)1: 3RD HOT AU 1731 => 1713 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2018-08-203RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)1: 3RD HOT AU 1633 => 1622 B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD2018-08-203RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)1: 3RD HOT AU 1600 => 1600 B
13907728: JAMES ELMOUR2018-08-203RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)1: 3RD HOT AU 755 (P20) => 809 (P25) New

August 24th, 2018
My Week at the Club #39
Board 1 in Round 2 of the John R. Stopa Memorial, vs. Larry Gladding

Here's the next video in the series; this time it is a Benko Gambit which I played last night against Larry Gladding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpxWM8hHnAI
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

August 22nd, 2018
2018 John R. Stopa Memorial
Round 2 of 5

John R. Stopa Memorial, August 22nd, 2018
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Larry Gladding 0-1Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage 1-0George Mirijanian
Dave Thomas 0-1Paul Godin
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2Ritvik Pulya
Dave Couture 1-0Mark Wheeer
Mike Commisso 1-0Jim Hankard
Ed Harris 1-0Bob Mathieu
Francis Scanlon 0-1Vince Premus
Eric Strickland 1-0Brian Biglow
Roland Booker 1-0Don Briggs
Larry O'Rourke1/2-1/2Michael David
Angel Soto 1-0Larry Legros
Stephen Murray 1-0Tom Whistler
Emily Gawboy 0-1John Bastarache
Total of 15 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Mike Meehan, Don Ostrowski, Tony Cesolini, Bruce Felton, John Pennington and Tom Fratturelli.
♖ Not playing round 2 was Hugh McLaughlin.
♙ Withdrawing from the tournament were Randy McLaughlin and Raaga Pulya.

John R. Stopa Memorial, August 22nd, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Cappallo, Godin, McNeilage
1.5Paulson, Brassard, Couture, Commisso, Gurge, Harris, Premus, Ri. Pulya, Meehan, Ostrowski
1.0Cesolini, Mirijanian, Felton, Strickland, Gladding, Thomas, Pennington, Booker, Soto, Fratturelli, Murray, Bastarache
0.5Hankard, David, Wheeler, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Scanlon, (Ra. Pulya)
0.0Biglow, Briggs, H. McLaughlin, Legros, Gawboy, Whistler
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for August 29th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Godin
Board 2: Paulson vs. McNeilage
Board 3: Premus vs. Brassard
Board 4: Ri. Pulya vs. Couture
Board 5: Meehan vs. Commisso
Board 6: Gurge vs. Harris
Board 7: Cesolini vs. Ostrowski
Board 8: Mirijanian vs. Booker
Board 9: Felton vs. Soto
Board 10: Pennington vs. Strickland
Board 11: Fratturelli vs. Gladding
Board 12: Bastarache vs. Thomas
Board 13: Wheeler vs. Murray
Board 14: Hankard vs. David
Board 15: Mathieu vs. O'Rourke
Board 16: Biglow vs. Scanlon
Board 17: Briggs vs. Gawboy
Board 18: Legros vs. Whistler

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes back after a long absence member Vince Premus, whose last appearance was October 4, 2017.

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

August 21st, 2018
Chess: My Week at the Club #38
Board 1 in Round 1 of the John R. Stopa Memorial, vs. Roland Booker

Hello All,
After a hiatus of about a year, I've resumed creation of my weekly game videos. This time around I'm trying to keep them very short (15 min.) and thus more watchable. Hopefully the baby hasn't been pitched with the bath...
My opponent is Roland Booker and our opening is a Morra Gambit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8mbXRbvKLo
Cheers,
Roger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

August 20th, 2018
Revised Projected Round 2 Pairings for 2018 John R. Stopa Memorial 


Revised Projected Round 2 Pairings for August 22nd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Larry Gladding (1.0)     Roger Cappallo (1.0)
2     Ray Paulson (1.0)     Ken Gurge (1.0)
3     Dave Thomas (1.0)     George Mirijanian (1.0)
4     Mike Meehan (1.0)     Paul Godin (1.0)
5     Gary Brassard (1.0)     Ritvik Pulya (1.0)
6     John Pennington (0.5)     Tony Cesolini (0.5)
7     Ed Harris (0.5)                 Bruce Felton (0.5)
8     Dave Couture (0.5)     Mark Wheeler (0.5)
9     Michael Commisso (0.5)     Jim Hankard (0.5)
10     Eric Strickland (0.0)     Brian Biglow (0.0)
11     Roland Booker (0.0)     Don Briggs (0.0)
12     Larry O'Rourke (0.0)     Michael David (0.0)
13     Angel Soto (0.0)            Larry Legros (0.0)
14     Stephen Murray (0.0)     Tom Whistler (0.0)
15     Emily Gawboy (0.0)       John Bastarache (0.0)

August 15th, 2018
2018 John R. Stopa Memorial
Round 1 of 5

John R. Stopa Memorial, August 15th, 2018
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Roland Booker
Michael David 0-1Ray Paulson
George Mirijanian 1-0Angel Soto
♔ Don Ostrowski1-0Eric Strickland
Paul Godin 1-0Stephen Murray
John Bastarache 0-1Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding 1-0Brian Biglow
Don Briggs 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Ken Gurge 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Larry Legros 0-1Dave Thomas
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Emily Gawboy
Tom Whistler 0-1Mike Meehan
Mark Wheeler1/2-1/2♖ Raaga Pulya
Total of 13 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕). 1 upset draw (♖).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Tony Cesolini, Bruce Felton, Dave Couture, Mike Commisso, John Pennington,
Ed Harris, Jim Hankard, Tom Fratturelli, Bob Mathieu, Randy McLaughlin and Francis Scanlon.
♖ Not playing round 1 was Hugh McLaughlin.

John R. Stopa Memorial, August 15th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Cappallo, Paulson, Mirijanian, Godin, Brassard, Gladding, McNeilage, Gurge, Thomas, Ri. Pulya, Meehan, Ostrowski
0.5Cesolini, Felton, Couture, Commisso, Pennington, Harris, Hankard, Wheeler, Fratturelli,
Mathieu, R. McLaughlin, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya
0.0Strickland, Booker, David, Soto, Murray, Bastarache, Biglow, Briggs, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Legros, Gawboy, Whistler
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for August 22nd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Gladding vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Paulson vs. Gurge
Board 3: McNeilage vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Thomas vs. Godin
Board 5: Brassard vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 6: Meehan vs. Cesolini
Board 7: Harris vs. Felton
Board 8: Couture vs. Wheeler
Board 9: Commisso vs. Hankard
Board 10: Fratturelli vs. Pennington
Board 11: Strickland vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 12: Booker vs. Briggs
Board 13: O'Rourke vs. David
Board 14: Soto vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 15: Murray vs. Legros
Board 16: Gawboy vs. Bastarache
Board 17: Biglow vs. Whistler

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 2 are Ostrowski and Mathieu.
♝ Not playing round 2 are Scanlon and Raaga Pulya.

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

August 14th, 2018
Ratings in effect for the John R. Stopa Memorial tournament

Round 1 of the John R. Stopa Memorial will be played Wednesday evening, August 15th, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Players who wish to participate must be present by 7 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Campus in order to paired for Round 1. Players running late who wish to be paired for Round 1 must call by 7 p.m.

♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚   Ratings in effect for the
2018 John R. Stopa Memorial tournament:
Tony Cesolini 2112
Roger Cappallo 2005
Ray Paulson 1957
George Mirijanian 1922
Bruce Felton 1918
Eric Strickland 1906
Paul Godin 1905
Gary Brassard 1829
Larry Gladding 1793
Ralph McNeilage 1785
Dave Couture 1774
Mike Commisso 1770
Ken Gurge 1758
Joe Bennett 1746
Dave Thomas 1743
John Pennington 1731
Ed Harris 1710
Ritvik Pulya 1656
Mike Meehan 1652
Mariano Rivera 1651
Roland Booker 1633
Bill Burke 1604
Jim Hankard 1600
Michael David 1572
Mark Wheeler 1562
Angel Soto 1542
Don Ostrowski 1521
Tom Fratturelli 1519
Stephen Murray 1441
John Bastarache 1420
Bob Mathieu 1413
Brian Biglow 1409
Don Briggs 1408
Randy McLaughlin 1400
Larry O'Rourke 1300
Hugh McLaughlin 1200
Andrew Kiser 1088
Larry Legros 1076
Emily Gawboy 1040
Francis Scanlon 1015
Kyle Cullen 993
Tom Whistler 931
Raaga Pulya 890
James Elmour 755
James Petullo 513

August 8th, 2018
2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Cappallo & McNeilage split Daly top honors

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, August 8th, 2018
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo1/2-1/2♖ Ralph McNeilage
Ken Gurge1/2-1/2Mike Commisso
Dave Thomas 0-1Ray Paulson
Ritvik Pulya 0-1Paul Godin
Dave Couture 1-0Gary Brassard
Mark Wheeler 0-1Eric Strickland
Don Ostrowski1/2-1/2Roland Booker
Brian Biglow 0-1Michael David
Ed Harris 1-0John Bastarache
Stephen Murray 1-0Don Briggs
Mike Meehan 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Larry Legros 0-1Tom Weideman
♔ Randy McLaughlin 1-0Lee Denis
Robert Anderson 0-1Jim Hankard
♖ James Elmour1/2-1/2Emily Gawboy
Raaga Pulya 0-1Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 16 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), 2 upset draws (♖).

♖ Not playing Round 5 were Tony Cesolini, Larry Gladding, Bruce Felton, John Pennington, Angel Soto, George Mirijanian,
Mariano Rivera, Joe Bennett, Francis Scanlon and James Petullo. ♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomed as playing visitors three former club members: 1983 club co-champion and 1993 Hawaiian state champion Tom Weideman of Fair Oaks, CA, 1989 club co-champion Lee Denis of Tewksbury, MA, and 1993 Wachusett CC "B" Division Championship runner-up Robert Anderson of Northboro, MA.

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, August 8th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Cappallo, McNeilage
3.5Cesolini, Paulson, Godin, Couture, Gurge, Commisso
3.0Strickland, Gladding, David
2.5Felton, Brassard, Thomas, Harris, Murray, Meehan, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
2.0Weideman, Pennington, Hankard, Wheeler, Soto, Biglow, Bastarache, R. McLaughlin
1.5Mirijanian, Rivera, Briggs, O'Rourke, Gawboy, Legros, Elmour
1.0Denis, Anderson, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5-----
0.0Bennett, Scanlon, Petullo

♔ 2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-2nd: Roger Cappallo of Groton, Ralph McNeilage of Worcester
Top U1910: Dave Couture of Westminster, Ken Gurge of Leominster
Top U1710: Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH
Top U1510: Don Ostrowski of Fitchburg
Top U1310: Larry O'Rourke of Acton, Emily Gawboy of Leominster,
Larry Legros of Millbury, James Elmour of Swanzey, NH

A total of 5 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
James Elmour + 117
Ralph McNeilage + 108
Angel Soto + 93
Ritvik Pulya + 79
Mike Commisso + 54
A total of 7 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Ralph McNeilage 1785
Mike Commisso 1770
Ritvik Pulya 1656
Don Ostrowski 1521P22
Stephen Murray 1441P2
Raaga Pulya 890
James Elmour 755P20

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

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 8/8/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2005 2102 Can. Master 5 3 0 2 4.0 .800
TONY CESOLINI Winchendon 2112 2122 1st Cat. 4 3 0 1 3.5 .875
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1785 1785 3rd Cat. 4 3 0 1 3.5 .875
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1905 2020 1st Cat. 5 3 1 1 3.5 .700
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1770 1770 2nd Cat. 5 2 0 3 3.5 .700
KEN GURGE Leominster 1758 1856 2nd Cat. 5 3 1 1 3.5 .700
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1957 2085 Can. Master 4 3 1 0 3.0 .750
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1793 1953 1st Cat. 4 3 1 0 3.0 .750
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1774 1858 1st Cat. 4 2 0 2 3.0 .750
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1572 1572 none 5 3 2 0 3.0 .600
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1743 1837 2nd Cat. 5 2 2 1 2.5 .500
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1656 1656 4th Cat. 5 2 2 1 2.5 .500
ROLAND BOOKER Fitchburg 1633 1958 2nd Cat. 5 2 2 1 2.5 .500
DON OSTROWSKI Fitchburg 1521P22 1521 none 5 1 1 3 2.5 .500
ERIC STRICKLAND Brattleboro, VT 1906 1950 2nd Cat. 2 2 0 0 2.0 1.000
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1829 1904 1st Cat. 4 2 2 0 2.0 .500
EDWARD HARRIS Marlboro, NH 1710 1998 2nd Cat. 4 2 2 0 2.0 .500
MICHAEL MEEHAN Westminster 1652 1705 3rd Cat. 4 2 2 0 2.0 .500
ANGEL SOTO Fitchburg 1542 1570 none 4 2 2 0 2.0 .500
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1918 1971 1st Cat. 2 1 0 1 1.5 .750
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1441P2 1441 none 2 1 0 1 1.5 .750
JOHN PENNINGTON Keene, NH 1731 1736 2nd Cat. 2 1 1 0 1.0 .500
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the John R. Stopa Memorial, begins Wednesday, August 15th.
Players must be present 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 by 7 p.m.

August 1st, 2018
2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, August 1st, 2018
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Tony Cesolini 1/2-1/2Roger Cappallo
♔ Ralph McNeilage 1-0Paul Godin
Mike Commisso 1/2-1/2Bruce Felton
Michael David 0-1Larry Gladding
Dave Couture 1/2-1/2Ritvik Pulya
Roland Booker 0-1Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard 1-0Angel Soto
Ray Paulson 1-0Mike Meehan
Don Briggs 0-1Dave Thomas
♖ Don Ostrowski 1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
Jim Hankard 0-1♔ John Bastarache
James Elmour 0-1Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow 1-0Raaga Pulya
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 1-0Francis Scanlon
Total of 15 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were were John Pennington, Ed Harris, Larry Legros and Randy McLaughlin.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Eric Strickland, Stephen Murray and James Petullo.
♙ Already withdrawn from the tournament were Mariano Rivera and Joe Bennett.

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, August 1st, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5Cesolini, Cappallo, McNeilage
3,0Gladding, Gurge, Commisso
2.5Paulson, Felton, Godin, Brassard, Thomas, Couture, Ri Pulya
2.0Strickland, Pennington, Booker, David, Wheeler, Ostrowski, Soto, Biglow, Bastarache
1.5Mirijanian, Harris, Murray, (Rivera), Meehan, Briggs, O'Rourke, Legros
1.0Hankard, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Ra. Pulya, Elmour
0.5-----
0.0(Bennett), H. McLaughlin, Scanlon, Petullo
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for August 8th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. McNeilage
Board 2: Gladding vs. Cesolini
Board 3: Gurge vs. Commisso
Board 4: Thomas vs. Paulson
Board 5: Felton vs. Brassard
Board 6: Godin vs. Couture
Board 7: Ri. Pulya vs. Strickland
Board 8: Pennington vs. Ostrowski
Board 9: Soto vs. Booker
Board 10: Bastarache vs. David
Board 11: Wheeler vs. Biglow
Board 12: Meehan vs. Mirijanian
Board 13: Harris vs. Briggs
Board 14: Murray vs. O'Rourke
Board 15: Legros vs. Hankard
Board 16: Ra. Pulya vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 17: Elmour vs. Gawboy
Board 18: H. McLaughlin vs. Petullo

♖ Not playing Round 5 is Scanlon.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on August 8th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

August 1st 2018
Carissa Yip ties for 2nd place in Denker Tournament of HS Champions

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014 and the Boylston Chess Club in 2016, tied for 2nd place in the 2018 Denker Tournament of High School Champions, held July 28-31 at the Madison Marriott West Hotel in Middleton, Wisconsin. The 14-year-old Woman International Master from Andover, Mass. scored 5-1 (five wins, one loss) to share runner-up honors with IM Joshua Sheng (rated 2550) of California. Carissa's only loss was to IM Praveen Balakrishnan of Virginia (rated 2522), who scored 5.5-0.5 to win the Denker Tournament for the second year in a row. Carissa earned the Ursula Foster Award for being the top-scoring player under the age of 16. And, as she said after the tournament. "And I'm over 2400 again!" Carissa's USCF rating is now 2407. A total of 48 players competed in the event.
-George M

July 28th 2018
Fabiano Caruana in Wall Street Journal Magazine

The August 2018 edition of the Wall Street Journal Magazine has a two page article about Fabiano Caruana, the first American in 46 years to challenge for the title of World Chess Champion. Included is a brief outline of a few of the high points of his rise to chess royalty & 8 pictures of Fabi on his recent visit to the St. Loius Chess Club for the US Championship tournament.
-PG

July 25th, 2018
2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Five major upsets in round 3 of Daly Memorial

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 25th, 2018
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Tony Cesolini 1-0Roland Booker
Roger Cappallo 1-0Ritvik Pulya
♔ Ralph McNeilage 1-0Ray Paulson
Paul Godin 1-0John Pennington
George Mirijanian 0-1♔ Mike Commisso
Bruce Felton 1-0Jim Hankard
Larry Gladding 1-0Mark Wheeler
Dave Thomas 1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Ken Gurge 1-0Brian Biglow
♔ Angel Soto 1-0Ed Harris
Michael David 1-0Larry Legros
Mike Meehan 1-0Randy McLaughlin
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Don Briggs
John Bastarache 1-0Francis Scanlon
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1♔ James Elmour
♕ Raaga Pulya 1-0Emily Gawboy
Total of 16 boards, 5 major upsets (♔ ♕).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Eric Strickland, Dave Couture, Gary Brassard and Stephen Murray.
♖ Not playing round 3 was James Petullo.
♙ Withdrawing from the tournament were Mariano Rivera, Tom Fratturelli and Bob Mathieu.
♟ Joe Bennett had already withdrawn from the event.

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 25th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0Cesolini, Cappallo
2.5Godin, Commisso, McNeilage
2.0Felton, Strickland, Gladding, Couture, Gurge, Booker, David, Ri. Pulya, Soto
1.5Paulson, Brassard, Thomas, Pennington, Murray, (Rivera), Meehan, Ostrowski, Briggs
1.0Mirijanian, Harris, Hankard, Wheeler, Biglow, Bastarache, Legros, Ra. Pulya, Elmour
0.5R. McLaughlin, O'Rourke
0.0(Bennett), H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Petullo
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for August 1st:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cesolini vs. Cappallo
Board 2: McNeilage vs. Godin
Board 3: Commisso vs. Felton
Board 4: Booker vs. Strickland
Board 5: David vs. Gladding
Board 6: Couture vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 7: Soto vs. Gurge
Board 8: Paulson vs. Pennington
Board 9: Brassard vs. Meehan
Board 10: Briggs vs. Thomas
Board 11: Ostrowski vs. Mirijanian
Board 12: Harris vs. Bastarache
Board 13: Hankard vs. Legros
Board 14: Elmour vs. Wheeler
Board 15: Biglow vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 16: O'Rourke vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 17: Gawboy vs. Scanlon

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 is R. McLaughlin.
♙ Not playing Round 4 is Murray.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on August 1st.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

July 23rd, 2018
Updated Projected Round 3 pairings for the Harlow B. Daly Memorial


Updated Projected Round 3 Pairings for the Harlow B. Daly Memorial July 25th

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cesolini vs. Booker
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 3: Couture vs. Paulson
Board 4: Godin vs. Pennington
Board 5: Strickland vs. Commisso
Board 6: McNeilage vs. Mirijanian
Board 7: David vs. Brassard
Board 8: Gladding vs. Wheeler
Board 9: Thomas vs. Ostrowski
Board 10: Gurge vs. Biglow
Board 11: Soto vs. Harris
Board 12: Fratturelli vs. Hankard
Board 13: Meehan vs. Legros
Board 14: Briggs vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 15: Bastarache vs. O'Rourke
Board 16: H. McLaughlin vs. Elmour
Board 17: Ra. Pulya vs. Gawboy
Board 18: Petullo vs. Scanlon

July 23rd, 2018
WCC players compete in 68th New Hampshire Open Championships

Wachusett CC players Ed Harris, Mike Commisso, Jim Hankard, Ritvik Pulya, Michael David & James Elmour competed this past weekend in the 68th New Hampshire Open Championship tournament.

James Elmour obtained the biggest rating gain of the group, raising his rating 138 points.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday July 23, 2018 87th Mass Open Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated TournamentSection: NamePre => PostClass
12465223: EDWARD A. HARRIS2018-07-2268TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)1: OPEN 1735 => 1728 B
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO2018-07-2268TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)2: UNDER 1950 1689 => 1716 B
12222200: JAMES A. HANKARD2018-07-2268TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)3: UNDER 1650 1601 => 1600 B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA2018-07-2268TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)2: UNDER 1950 1550 => 1577 C
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID2018-07-2268TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)3: UNDER 1650 1581 => 1569 C
13907728: JAMES ELMOUR2018-07-2268TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)4: UNDER 1350 500 (P11) => 638 (P15) New

July 22nd, 2018
WIM Carissa Yip wins coveted 2018 U.S. Junior Girls' Championship

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett CC in 2014 and the Boylston CC in 2016, scored 7-2 (6 wins, 2 draws, one loss) to capture first place in the 2018 U.S. Girls Junior Championship that ended on Saturday, July 21, at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The 14-year-old Woman International Master from Andover, Mass. finished a full point ahead of her closest rivals, 16-year-old Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Jennifer Yu of Ashburn, Virginia, with whom she drew in the final round, and 15-year-old WIM Emily Nguyen of Austin, Texas, with whom she drew in an earlier round. Yu and Nguyen tied for 2nd-3rd place. Carissa had a performance rating of 2481 and raised her USCF rating to 2394.
-George M

Replay &/or download all games from this event:
https://www.uschesschamps.com/2018-us-junior-championships-replay

July 21st, 2018
FM Carissa Yip leads by a full point with one round to go in the
US Junior Girls' Championship

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014, currently leads the field by a full point after 8 rounds in the 2018 US Junior Girls' Championship.
For the 9th & final round Carissa (2364) with 6.5/8 is paired with her closest rival, WGM Jannifer Yu (2358), who stands at 5.5/8. A win or draw with the white pieces will assure Carissa clear first place & the full $3000 prize, while the worst she can do from here is to split the top 2 prizes & end up with the $2500 shared 1st-2nd prize.
Congratulations on a fine performance regardless of the outcome of the round nine game!

July 18th, 2018
2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 18th, 2018
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ed Harris 0-1Tony Cesolini
Roger Cappallo 1-0Ken Gurge
Mike Commisso 1/2-1/2Paul Godin
♔ Roland Booker 1-0Larry Gladding
♔ Ritvik Pulya 1-0Dave Thomas
Ray Paulson 1-0Angel Soto
Eric Strickland 1-0Mike Meehan
Dave Couture 1-0Larry O'Rourke
John Pennington 1-0Don Briggs
♖ Larry Legros 1/2-1/2Stephen Murray
Gary Brassard 1-0John Bastarache
Jim Hankard 1-0Emily Gawboy
Francis Scanlon 0-1Michael David
Mark Wheeler 1-0Raaga Pulya
Don Ostrowski 1-0James Petullo
Brian Biglow 1-0James Elmour
Total of 16 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ralph McNeilage, Mariano Rivera, George Mirijanian, Tom Fratturelli,
Bob Mathieu, and Randy McLaughlin.
♖ Not playing round 2 was Hugh McLaughlin.
♙ Withdrawing from the tournament were Joe Bennett and Kyle Cullen.

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 18th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Cesolini, Cappallo, Booker, Ri. Pulya
1.5Paulson, Godin, Strickland, Couture, Pennington, Commisso, McNeilage, Rivera
1.0Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Thomas, Gurge, Harris, Murray, Hankard, David, Wheeler, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Soto,
Biglow, Mathieu, Legros
0.5Meehan, Briggs, R. McLaughlin, O'Rourke
0.0(Bennett), Bastarache, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya, Petullo, Elmour
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for July 25th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cesolini vs. Booker
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 3: Pennington vs. Paulson
Board 4: Godin vs. Rivera
Board 5: Strickland vs. Commisso
Board 6: McNeilage vs. Couture
Board 7: David vs. Mirijanian
Board 8: Fratturelli vs. Brassard
Board 9: Gladding vs. Wheeler
Board 10: Thomas vs. Ostrowski
Board 11: Gurge vs. Biglow
Board 12: Soto vs. Harris
Board 13: Mathieu vs. Hankard
Board 14: Meehan vs. Legros
Board 15: Briggs vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 16: Bastarache vs. O'Rourke
Board 17: H. McLaughlin vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 18: Gawboy vs. Petullo
Board 19: Elmour vs. Scanlon

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 3 is Stephen Murray.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new players John Pennington of Keene, NH and Stephen Murray of Ayer.
It also welcomes back former club member Eric Strickland of Brattleboro, VT.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on July 25th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

July 15th, 2018
Carissa Yip approved as WIM by FIDE

Carissa Yip was among the new American title holders approved by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) at its Presidential Board Meeting recently in Bucharest, Romania. The 14-year-old from Andover, Mass., who was champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014, was approved as a Woman International Master (WIM) [The other USA applicant receiving this title was Maggie Feng]. She already held the titles of Woman FIDE Master (WFM) and FIDE Master (FM). Carissa is currently the highest-rated 14-year-old girl in the world and is ranked 9th in the world with a FIDE rating of 2364 for all girls under the age of 21. She is currently playing in the U.S. Girls Junior Championship in Saint Louis, [where she is currently tied for the lead with 2.5/3 with WIM Emily Nguyen].
-George M

July 13th, 2018
FIDE Master Carissa Yip tied for lead after two rounds in the
US Junior Girls' Championship

After two rounds of play, Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014, has scored 2 wins to share the lead with WIM Emily Nguyen in the 2018 US Junior Girls' Championship.
The two will face each other in round three of the 10 player round robin event on Saturday, July 14, 2018 in St. Louis, MO. The field consisting of nine titled players (1 WGM, 3 WIM's, 4 WFM's & 1 WCM) & a single untitled player rated 2155, are competing for this year's prize fund of $10,300.

July 11th, 2018
2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 11th, 2018
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Tony Cesolini 1-0Jim Hankard
Michael David 0-1Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Mark Wheeler
♔ Ritvik Pulya 1-0Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding 1-0Don Ostrowski
♔ Angel Soto 1-0Joe Bennett
Dave Thomas 1-0Brian Biglow
♖ Don Briggs 1/2-1/2Dave Couture
Ken Gurge 1-0John Bastarache
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Ed Harris
Mike Commisso 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Mariano Rivera 1-0Francis Scanlon
James Elmour 0-1Roland Booker
Total of 14 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ray Paulson, George Mirijanian, Mike Meehan, Tom Fratturelli, Bob Mathieu,
Larry O'Rourke and Larry Legros.
♖ Not playing round 1 were Kyle Cullen and Raaga Pulya.

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 11th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Cesolini, Cappallo, Godin, Gladding, Thomas, Gurge, Harris, Commisso, McNeilage, Rivera, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Soto
0.5Paulson, Mirijanian, Couture, Meehan, Fratturelli, Mathieu, Briggs, O'Rourke, Legros
0.0Brassard, Bennett, Hankard, David, Wheeler, Ostrowski, Biglow, Bastarache, R.McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon,
Cullen, Ra. Pulya, Elmour
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for July 18th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Harris vs. Cesolini
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Commisso
Board 3: Rivera vs. Godin
Board 4: Booker vs. Gladding
Board 5: Ri. Pulya vs. Thomas
Board 6: Soto vs. Gurge
Board 7: Paulson vs. Fratturelli
Board 8: Mirijanian vs. Briggs
Board 9: Couture vs. Mathieu
Board 10: O'Rourke vs. Meehan
Board 11: Brassard vs. Legros
Board 12: Bennett vs. Bastarache
Board 13: Hankard vs. Gawboy
Board 14: Scanlon vs. David
Board 15: Wheeler vs. Cullen
Board 16: Ostrowski vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 17: Biglow vs. Elmour

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 2 are McNeilage and R. McLaughlin.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes newcomer James Elmour of Swanzey, NH. & the club welcomes back 2010 club champion Tony Cesolini of Winchendon.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on July 18th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

July 10th, 2018
Ratings in effect for the Harlow B. Daly Memorial tournament

Round 1 of the Harlow B. Daly Memorial will be played Wednesday evening, July 11th, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Players who wish to participate must be present by 7 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Campus in order to paired for Round 1. Players running late who wish to be paired for Round 1 must call by 7 p.m.
Those arriving at the club by 6:40 p.m. will be able to view the start of the most recent Chess Chat video,
"Wachusett Chess Club mourns passing of longtime member Wayne Steadman", complete with a photo slide show.

♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚   Ratings in effect for the
2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial tournament:
1Roger Cappallo 1998
2Ray Paulson 1976
3George Mirijanian 1955
4Bruce Felton 1920
5Paul Godin 1913
6Gary Brassard 1862
7Larry Gladding 1796
8Dave Couture 1771
9Ken Gurge 1744
10Ed Harris 1742
11Arthur Barlas 1736
12Jim Donahue 1723
13Mike Commisso 1689
14Ralph McNeilage 1677
15Mariano Rivera 1658
16Mike Meehan 1653
17Roland Booker 1633
18Bill Burke 1604
19Jim Hankard 1600
20Michael David 1581
21Mark Wheeler 1579
22Ritvik Pulya 1550
23Tom Fratturelli 1519
24Gail Lingner 1500
25Don Ostrowski 1492
26Angel Soto 1449
27Harry Richardson 1447
28Brian Biglow 1428
29Bob Mathieu 1413
30Don Briggs 1408
31John Bastarache 1400
32Randy McLaughlin 1373
33Larry O'Rourke 1300
34Melissa Long 1300
35Hugh McLaughlin 1200
36Andrew Kiser 1088
37Emily Gawboy 1074
38Larry Legros 1058
39Francis Scanlon 1050
40Kyle Cullen 993
41Tom Whistler 931
42Raaga Pulya 863
43James Petullo 513
44Charlotte Long 507
45Teagan Long 234

July 5th, 2018
FIDE Master Carissa Yip ties for 1st in World Open Women's Championship



Austin Fuller photo

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014, scored 5-1 to tie for 1st place in the World Open Women's Championship that ended July 3 at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel in downtown Philadelphia. The 14-year-old FIDE master from Andover, Mass. shared top honors with 23-year-old California expert Badamkhand Norovsambuu, a native of Mongolia, whom she drew in round 4. Going into the sixth and final round, Carissa was leading the tournament with 4.5 points but elected to take a half-point bye in the final round, allowing Norovsambuu, who won, to tie her. The championship had 19 players.
-George M

See games from the event & read article on USChess website here:
https://new.uschess.org/news/world-open-yip-norovsambuu-win-womens-open-kovalyov-action-champion/

July 2nd, 2018
Wachusett CC's Paul Godin wins Billerica Midsummer Blitz

Paul Godin scored 12.5-2.5 to finish first in the Billerica Midsummer Blitz (Game 5, no delay), held Friday, June 29, at the Billerica Chess Club in the Billerica Council on Aging Building, aka Billerica Senior Center. The 1967 Wachusett CC champion ended up 1.5 points ahead of his closest rivals in a 16-player single round robin that saw Ray Paulson, the 2017 Wachusett CC champion, lose to Godin in Round 12 and tie for 9th-10th place with a score of 7.5-7.5. Godin's tournament victory gained him 44 blitz rating points and boosted his USCF blitz rating to 1990.
-George M

July 2nd, 2018
Wachusett CC's Roland Booker wins prize in Legends of Chess event at Boylston CC

Wachusett Chess Club's Roland Booker was among the prize winners in the Legends of Chess: Leonid Shamkovich tournament, held Saturday, June 30, at the Boylston Chess Club in North Cambridge. Booker scored 3-1 to tie for first place in the Under 2000 section with Ruohan Yin, Andrew The and Joshua Weiss.
The event honored the memory of Russian-born GM Leonid Shamkovich (1923-2005), who appeared in Leominster in 1976 when he played in the 16th Central New England Open held on June 19-20 at the Holiday Inn. In that event, he tied for 1st place with New England legend John Curdo and 16-year-old Girome Bono. Following that tournament, Shamkovich traveled in August to George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where he tied for 1st place in the U.S. Open with fellow GM Anatoly Lein (1931-2018). Shamkovich repeated as U.S. Open co-champion at Columbus,Ohio in August 1977, when he shared top honors with GM Andy Soltis and IM Tim Taylor, the latter of whom played in the 11th Central New England Open in 1971 and was defeated by George Mirijanian in the final round. But that was when Taylor was an expert. Shamkovich came back to Leomiinster in November 1977 and played in the Central New England Fall Open. And that was his last appearance in North Central Massachusetts.
-George M

June 27th, 2018
2018 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 7 of 7

Cappallo & Brassard share 2018 WCC Championship


2018 WCC Co-champions, Gary Brassard & Roger Cappallo

WCC 'A' Championship, June 27th, 2018
Round 7 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0George Mirijanian
Paul Godin 0-1♔ Gary Brassard
Dave Couture 0-1Larry Gladding
Arthur Barlas 1-0Ken Gurge
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

WCC 'A' Championship, June 27th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 7 Rounds
PointsPlayers
5.5Cappallo, Brassard
5.0-----
4.5Mirijanian
4.0-----
3.5-----
3.0Godin, Gladding
2.5Gurge
2.0Couture, Barlas

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.
♔ 2018 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 4 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating Roger Cappallo George Mirijanian Paul Godin Larry Gladding Dave Couture Gary Brassard Arthur Barlas Ken Gurge Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 1982 1 1 1 0 1 1 1/2 5.5
George Mirijanian 1959 0 1/2 1 1 0 1 1 4.5
Paul Godin 1949 0 1/2 1 1 0 0 1/2 3
Larry Gladding 1795 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 3
Dave Couture 1778 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Gary Brassard 1757 0 1 1 1 1 1 1/2 5.5
Arthur Barlas 1750 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2
Ken Gurge 1741 1/2 0 1/2 0 1 1/2 0 2.5

Final 2018 WCC Championship Standings
  W L D TOTAL PCT.
ROGER CAPPALLO 5 1 1 5.5 0.786
GARY BRASSARD 5 1 1 5.5 0.786
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN 4 2 1 4.5 0.643
PAUL GODIN 2 3 2 3.0 0.429
LARRY GLADDING 3 4 0 3.0 0.429
KEN GURGE 1 3 3 2.5 0.357
DAVE COUTURE 2 5 0 2.0 0.286
ARTHUR BARLAS 2 5 0 2.0 0.286
  RC GM PG LG DC GB AB KG TOTAL PCT.
ROGER CAPPALLO   1 1 1 0 1 1 0.5 5.5 0.786
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN 0   0.5 1 1 0 1 1 4.5 0.643
PAUL GODIN 0 0.5   1 1 0 0 0.5 3 0.429
LARRY GLADDING 0 0 0   1 0 1 1 3 0.429
DAVE COUTURE 1 0 0 0   0 1 0 2 0.286
GARY BRASSARD 0 1 1 1 1   1 0.5 5.5 0.786
ARTHUR BARLAS 0 0 1 0 0 0   1 2 0.286
KEN GURGE 0.5 0 0.5 0 1 0.5 0   2.5 0.357


♔ ♚ 2018 WCC 'A' Championship PRIZE WINNERS ♚ ♔
1st-2nd: 2018 Co-champions:
Roger Cappallo of Groton, Gary Brassard of Leominster

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

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

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 1 on July 11th.
There will be NO MEETING of the WCC on July 4th. Happy Independence Day!!!
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

June 27th, 2018
2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 7 of 7

Michael David is 2018 WCC "B" Division Champ


2018 WCC 'B' Champion, Michael David

WCC 'B' Championship, June 27th, 2018
Round 7 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ralph McNeilage 0-1♔ Michael David
Mike Commisso 1-0Mark Wheeler
Ed Harris 1-0Roland Booker
♔ Don Briggs 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Brian Biglow
Larry Legros 0-1Jim Hankard
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Don Ostrowski
Hugh McLaughln 0-1John Bastarache
Emily Gawboy 1-0Francis Scanlon
Tom Whistler 0-1Angel Soto
Total of 10 boards, 2 major upsets (♔).

♖ Not playing round 7 were Ray Paulson, Mike Meehan, Mariano Rivera, Jim Donahue, Ritvik Pulya, Bob Mathieu,
Larry Gladding (filler), Gary Brasard (filler), Kyle Cullen, Raaga Pulya, Bill Burke, Melissa Long, James Petullo,
Teagan Long, and Charlotte Long.

WCC 'B' Championship, June 27th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 7 Rounds
PointsPlayers
5.5David
5.0Commisso, McNeilage
4.5Paulson, Harris
4.0Meehan, Rivera, Briggs
3.5Hankard, Biglow
3.0Donahue, Wheeler, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Mathieu, Bastarache, R. McLaughlin
2.5Legros
2.0Gladding, Soto, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Cullen
1.5Brassard, Ra. Pulya
1.0Burke, M. Long
0.5Whistler,
0.0Petullo, T. Long, C. Long

♔ 2018 WCC 'B' Championship PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: Michael David of Groton
Top U1800: Commisso of Brookline, NH, Ralph McNeilage of Worcester
Top U1600: Brian Biglow of Fitchburg
Top U1400: on Briggs of Lunenburg

A total of 2 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
rating increases of
50 or more points:
Gary Brassard + 136
Michael David + 124
A total of 6 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Mariano Rivera 1658
Michael David 1572
Don Ostrowski 1492
Melissa Long 1300
Charlotte Long 507
Teagan Long 234

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

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club is the Harlow B. Daly Memorial, which starts Wednesday, July 11th.
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.

June 26th, 2018
WCC Championship "A" Section standings after postponed game

Current 2018 Championship Standings
  W L D TOTAL PCT.
GARY BRASSARD 4 1 1 4.5 0.750
ROGER CAPPALLO 4 1 1 4.5 0.750
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN 4 1 1 4.5 0.750
PAUL GODIN 2 2 2 3.0 0.500
KEN GURGE 1 2 3 2.5 0.417
DAVE COUTURE 2 4 0 2.0 0.333
LARRY GLADDING 2 4 0 2.0 0.333
ARTHUR BARLAS 1 5 0 1.0 0.167
  RC GM PG LG DC GB AB KG TOTAL PCT.
ROGER CAPPALLO     1 1 0 1 1 0.5 4.5 0.750
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN     0.5 1 1 0 1 1 4.5 0.750
PAUL GODIN 0 0.5   1 1   0 0.5 3 0.500
LARRY GLADDING 0 0 0     0 1 1 2 0.333
DAVE COUTURE 1 0 0     0 1 0 2 0.333
GARY BRASSARD 0 1   1 1   1 0.5 4.5 0.750
ARTHUR BARLAS 0 0 1 0 0 0     1 0.167
KEN GURGE 0.5 0 0.5 0 1 0.5     2.5 0.417

June 25th, 2018
Rob "The Rooster" King wins "Chicken Prize" at Kesajuhla

National master Rob King of Framingham showed how he "ruled the roost" by sweeping the non-rated quick Swiss tournament at the 2018 Summer Festival, known as "Kesajuhla," at the Finnish Center at Saima Park in Fitchburg on June 24th. The 2011 Wachusett CC champion posted 4-0 to finish first in a field of 16 players in an event played with a time control of G/15 d3. King's prize was a succulent chicken barbecue dinner, compliments of Dana and Lorna Sulin of the Finnish Center at Saima Park. Tying as runners-up with 3-1 tallies were last year's winner, 1967 club champion Paul Godin of Bedford, and two-time club champion Bruce Felton of Fitchburg.
-George M 


Event: 		Summer Festival (Kesajuhla) SWISS 2018
Location: 	Saima Park, Fitchburg, MA
Event Date: 	2018-06-24
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  | Rob King		2202    |  W6   |  W4	|  W2	|  W3	|  4.0	| 🐔
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   2  | Paul Godin		1973    |  W14  |  W12  |  L1   |  W7	|  3.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3  | Bruce Felton		1920    |  W9   |  W7   |  W5   |  L1	|  3.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   4  | Dave Couture		1796    |  W15  |  L1	|  W14	|  D6	|  2.5	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   5  | Roland Booker		1634    |  W16  |  D10  |  L3	|  W12	|  2.5	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   6  | Jim Hankard		1600    |  L1   |  W15	|  W8   |  D4	|  2.5	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   7  | Arthur Barlas		1750    |  W8   |  L3	|  W9   |  L2	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   8  | Angel Soto		1447    |  L7   |  W13	|  L6	|  W15	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   9  | Don Briggs		1386    |  L3   |  W16	|  L7	|  W10	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10  | Brian Biglow		1411    |  bye  |  D5	|  W12  |  L9	|  2.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11  | Francis Scanlon		1061    |  L12  |  L14	|  D15  |  W16	|  1.5	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12  | Dave Thomas		1773    |  W11  |  L2	|  L10	|  L5	|  1.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  13  | Gail Lingner		1500    | ----  |  L8   |  W16  | ----  |  1.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  14  | Hamed Zarei		Unr     |  L2   |  W11  |  L4 	| ----  |  1.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  15  | Hugh McLaughlin		1200    |  L4   |  L6	|  D11	|  L8	|  0.5	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  16  | Robert Marshall		Unr     |  L5   |  L9	|  L13	|  L11	|  0.0	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dave Couture captured some photos of the event which can be seen here:
Pictures from 2018 KesaJuhla

June 22nd, 2018
Finnish Center at Saima Park to Host Fun Chess Tournament

SUNDAY, JUNE 24

The Finnish Center at Saima Park, 61 Scott Road in Fitchburg, off Ashby State Road (Route 31), will host on Sunday, June 24th, 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. Free admission and parking. Food for sale. Donations welcome.

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

June 20th, 2018
2018 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 6 of 7

WCC 'A' Championship, June 20th, 2018
Round 6 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Gary Brassard 0-1Roger Cappallo
George Mirijanian 1-0Dave Couture
♔ Arthur Barlas 1-0Paul Godin
Gary Brassard 1-0Larry Gladding [Round 4 make-up game (June 19)]
Total of 5 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

♖ Not playing round 6 were Ken Gurge & Larry Gladding, (game postponed)

WCC 'A' Championship, June 20th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 6 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.5Cappallo, Brassard, Mirijanian
4.0-----
3.5-----
3.0Godin
2.5Gurge
2.0Couture
1.5-----
1.0Gladding, Barlas
 


Projected Round 7 Pairings for June 27th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Miirjanian
Board 2: Godin vs. Brassard
Board 3: Couture vs. Gladding
Board 4: Barlas vs. Gurge

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

June 20th, 2018
2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 6 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, June 20th, 2018
Round 6 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
359D*Mike Meehan 1/2-1/2Ray Paulson
Michael David 1-0Mark Wheeler
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Mike Commisso
Roland Booker 0-1Mariano Rivera
Jim Hankard 0-1Ed Harris
Ritvik Pulya 1/2-1/2Don Briggs
Bob Mathieu 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Brian Biglow 1/2-1/2375D*Larry Legros
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Randy McLaughlin
♖ Francis Scanlon 1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Raaga Pulya 0-1Larry Gladding
Don Ostrowski 1-0Emily Gawboy
Kyle Cullen 1-0Tom Whistler
Total of 13 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving a half-point bye was Ralph McNeilage.
♖ Not playing round 6 were Jim Donahue, Gary Brassard (filler), Bill Burke (withdrawal), Melissa Long (withdrawal), Petullo (withdrawal),
Teagan Long (withdrawal), and Charlotte Long (withdrawal).

WCC 'B' Championship, June 20th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 6 Rounds
PointsPlayers
5.0McNeilage
4.5Paulson, David
4.0Commisso, Meehan, Rivera,
3.5Harris
3.0Donahue, Wheeler, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Mathieu, Briggs, R. McLaughlin
2.5Hankard, Biglow, Legros
2.0(Gladding), Ostrowski, Bastarache, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Scanlon, Cullen
1.5(Brassard), Ra. Pulya
1.0(Burke), Gawboy, M. Long
0.5Whistler
0.0Petullo, T. Long, C.Long
 


Projected Round 7 Pairings for June 27th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 5: McNeilage vs. David
Board 6: Commisso vs. Meehan
Board 7: Harris vs. Rivera
Board 8: Briggs vs. Donahue
Board 9: R. McLaughlin vs. Booker
Board 10: Ri. Pulya vs. Fratturelli
Board 11: Hankard vs. Biglow
Board 12: Legros vs. Ostrowski
Board 13: H. McLaughlin vs. Bastarache
Board 14: O'Rourke vs. Scanlon
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Cullen
Board 16: Whistler vs. Ra. Pulya

♖ Not paired for Round 7 is: Paulson.

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

June 20th, 2018
WCC Championship "A" Section standings after postponed game

Current 2018 Championship Standings
  W L D TOTAL PCT. GB
GARY BRASSARD 4 0 1 4.5 0.900  
ROGER CAPPALLO 3 1 1 3.5 0.700 1.0
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN 3 1 1 3.5 0.700 1.0
PAUL GODIN 2 1 2 3.0 0.600 1.5
KEN GURGE 1 1 3 2.5 0.500 2.0
DAVE COUTURE 2 3 0 2.0 0.400 2.5
LARRY GLADDING 1 4 0 1.0 0.200 3.5
ARTHUR BARLAS 0 5 0 0.0 0.000 4.5
  RC GM PG LG DC GB AB KG TOTAL PCT.
ROGER CAPPALLO     1 1 0   1 0.5 3.5 0.700
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN     0.5 1   0 1 1 3.5 0.700
PAUL GODIN 0 0.5   1 1     0.5 3 0.600
LARRY GLADDING 0 0 0     0 1   1 0.200
DAVE COUTURE 1   0     0 1 0 2 0.400
GARY BRASSARD   1   1 1   1 0.5 4.5 0.900
ARTHUR BARLAS 0 0   0 0 0     0 0.000
KEN GURGE 0.5 0 0.5   1 0.5     2.5 0.500

June 16th, 2018
USCF Ratings of Wachusett CC Players 10 & 25 Years Ago

USCF Ratings of WCC Players 10 Years Ago (June 2008):
1Ray Paulson 2000
2Brett Kildahl 1988
3Roger Cappallo 1968
4Paul Godin 1939
5George Mirijanian 1908
6Larry Gladding 1823
7Bruce Felton 1822
8Diego Ubiera 1816
9Joe Bennett 1800
10Gary Brassard 1766
11Ed Harris 1761
12Geoff LePoer 1742
13Ken Gurge 1717
14Arthur Barlas 1703
15Dave Couture 1682
16Jim Hankard 1665
17Roland Booker 1630
18Gail Lingner 1616
19Dave Thomas 1606
20Tom Fratturelli 1610
21Mike Commisso 1586
22Alan Condon 1524
23Bill Burke 1508
24Mike Meehan 1501
25Paul Lynch 1444
26Brian Biglow 1383
27Mariano Rivera 1315P2
28Wayne Steadman 1269
29Jim Donahue 1251
30Larry O'Rourke 1249P7
31Robert King 1030P15
32Nik Lavoie 980P19
33Francis Scanlon 950
34Andrew Kiser 906
USCF Ratings of WCC Players 25 Years Ago (June 1993):
1Ray Paulson 2069
2George Mirijanian 2000
3Paul Godin 1987
4Roger Cappallo 1949
5Gary Brassard 1895
6Larry Gladding 1800
7Arthur Barlas 1771
8Jim Hankard 1706
9Bruce Felton 1681
10Gail Lingner 1600
11Paul Lynch 1468
12Dave Couture 1631
13Dave Thomas 1579
14Wayne Steadman 1424
15Tom Fratturelli 1289P14
16Francis Scanlon 999


-George M

June 13th, 2018
2018 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 5 of 7

WCC 'A' Championship, June 13th, 2018
Round 5 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Dave Couture 0-1Gary Brassard
Roger Cappallo 1-0Arthur Barlas
Larry Gladding 0-1George Mirijanian
Paul Godin 1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Total of 4 boards, no major upsets.

WCC 'A' Championship, June 13th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5Brassard, Cappallo, Mirijanian
3.0Godin
2.5Gurge
2.0Couture
1.5-----
1.0Gladding
0.5-----
0.0Barlas
 


Projected Round 6 Pairings for June 20th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Brassard vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Mirijanian vs. Couture
Board 3: Barlas vs. Godin
Board X: Gurge vs. Gladding, (postponed)

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 6 on June 20th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

June 13th, 2018
2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 5 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, June 13th, 2018
Round 5 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Mariano Rivera 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Ray Paulson 1-0Mike Commisso
Mike Meehan 1-0Jim Hankard
Don Briggs 0-1Michael David
Jim Donahue 1-0Brian Biglow
Mark Wheeler 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Larry Legros 0-1Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache 0-1Ed Harris
Randy McLaughlin 1-0Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Tom Whistler
Total of 10 boards, no major upsets.

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Roland Booker, Ritvik Pulya, Bob Mathieu, Francis Scanlon and Raaga Pulya.
♖ Not playing round 5 were Gary Brassard (filler), Bill Burke (withdrawal), Don Ostrowski, Kyle Cullen, Melissa Long,
James Petullo, Teagan Long and Charlotte Long.

WCC 'B' Championship, June 13th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.5McNeilage
4.0Paulson
3.5Meehan, David
3.0Donahue, Commisso, Wheeler, Booker, Rivera, Fratturelli
2.5Harris, Hankard, Ri. Pulya, Briggs
2.0Mathieu, Biglow, R. McLaughlin, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Legros
1.5(Brassard), Bastarache, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya
1.0(Burke), Ostrowski, Gawboy, Cullen, M. Long
0.5Whistler
0.0Petullo, T. Long, C. Long
 


Projected Round 6 Pairings for June 20th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 4: Meehan vs, Paulson
Board 5: David vs. Donahue
Board 6: Fratturelli vs. Commisso
Board 7: Booker vs. Wheeler
Board 8: Harris vs. Rivera
Board 9: Ri. Pulya vs. Briggs
Board 10: Hankard vs. Mathieu
Board 11: Biglow vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 12: O'Rourke vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 13: Scanlon vs. Legros
Board 14: Ra. Pulya vs. Bastarache
Board 15: Ostrowski vs. Gawboy
Board 16: Cullen vs. M. Long
Board 17: Whistler vs. T. Long

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 6 is McNeilage.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 6 on June 20th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

June 11th, 2018
Carissa Yip scores first IM norm at GM/IM Norm Invitational event

Carissa Yip scored her first IM norm in the Charlotte Chess Center's GM/IM Norm Invitational Tournament, held June 6-10 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 14-year-old former Wachusett Chess Club champion tallied an undefeated 7-2 (5 wins,4 draws) to finish first in one of two IM Norm sections and gained 31 rating points, raising her USCF rating to 2408. Carissa also gained a WGM norm as well as her final WIM norm and is slated to receive the Women's International Master title from the World Chess Federation (FIDE) at one of its next sessions.
-George M 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Below is a list of all players from the state of MA competing in the
CCCSA Summer 2018 GM/IM Norm Invit., Event #201806096562:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rank, State, USCF ID, Player, Old rating, New rating, Title Norm, Opponents

Section 1 - GM A
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List

Section 2 - GM B
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
4:	MA 13433622 DENYS SHMELOV R: 2542   -> 2548          Opponents
8:	MA 13052087 MIKA BRATTAIN R: 2514   -> 2506          Opponents

Section 3 - IM C
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List

Section 4 - IM D
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
1:	MA 14514636 CARISSA SHIWEN YIP R: 2377   -> 2408          Opponents

June 11th, 2018
Wachusett CC's Dave Couture wins prize in 2018 Rhode Island State Championship

Dave Couture of Westminster, who is currently a contestant in the 2018 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Division Championship, came away a winner on Saturday, June 9, when he tied for first place in the Under 1900 section of the Rhode Island State Championship in Warwick. After taking a half-point bye in round 1, Couture won games in rounds 2 and 3 before drawing fellow Massachusetts player Brandon Ni in the fourth and final round. Ni and fellow Bay State player Matthew Garcia joined Couture for top honors in the 10-player section with scores of 3-1. A total of 32 players competed in the four-section event.
-George M

Here's the position with black (me) to move:

I missed a win in the endgame in the final round.
I counted 9 moves for me to queen and 8 moves for him, so I just thought "he queens first and wins".
What I SHOULD have realized was that he queens and then I queen immediately after AND I'm 2 pawns up!
So it was another learning experience. -Dave C. 


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Below is a list of all players from the state of MA
competing in the 2018 RI State Championship, Event #201806096562:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rank, State, USCF ID, Player, Old rating, New rating, Title Norm, Opponents

Section 1 - OPEN
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
3:	MA 15072460 DUSTIN LIANG R: 2145   -> 2150          Opponents

Section 2 - U1900
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
1:	MA 12413721 DAVE COUTURE R: 1783   -> 1796          Opponents
2:	MA 15801498 BRANDON NI R: 1574   -> 1633          Opponents
3:	MA 16295852 MATTHEW GARCIA R: 1552   -> 1628          Opponents
8:	MA 10014832 ERIC LEVIN R: 1595   -> 1577          Opponents
10:	MA 12534279 JOE GARCIA R: 1352   -> 1321          Opponents

Section 3 - U1500
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
2:	MA 16442640 PRACHI DAYAL R: 1437   -> 1434          Opponents
7:	MA 16614244 TOMMY THACH R: 1030   -> 1035          Opponents
9:	MA 16282415 SIDDHARTH AJAY KURUP R:  917   ->  892          Opponents

Section 4 - U1200
#:	State USCF-ID  Player-Name  Rtng-In -> Rtng-Out Title-Norm   Opp-List
1:	MA 16614223 NGLAN GLA R:  549P11->  776P14       Opponents
3:	MA 16260353 JOSHUA LEE R:  905   ->  833          Opponents
5:	MA 16699951 TAMANNA GURUNG R: Unrated->  511P4        Opponents
6:	MA 16680618 ALINA TAMANG R:  170P3 ->  212P6        Opponents
7:	MA 16724082 KAMALA SUBBA R:  227P3 ->  102P6        Opponents

June 6th, 2018
Longtime Wachusett CC member Wayne L. Steadman dies at 75




Wayne Steadman at
Ernest Fandreyer Memorial tournament, October 18, 2017

Arthur Barlas (L) with the black pieces vs. Wayne Steadman (R) with white.
John Bastarache, Roger Cappallo, & George Mirijanian are seen in the background.

Wayne L. Steadman of Lunenburg, whose membership in the Wachusett Chess Club went back more than 35 years, passed away on Monday, June 4th, in the Life Care Center of Leominster. He was 75. He was a longtime member of the U.S. Chess Federation and a former longtime member of the Massachusetts Chess Association. From November 1991 until his last game at the club, round 4 of the Ernest Fandreyer Memorial on Nov. 8, 2017, Wayne had played in 215 events and over a hundred more prior to 1991,for which the USCF has no online data. Wayne was your "quintessential" club player. The overwhelming majority of his tournaments were played at the Wachusett CC.
His funeral will be held Friday, June 8th, at 10 a.m. at the Silas F. Richardson & Son Funeral Home, 106 West St., Leominster, followed by burial in Bellevue Cemetery in Harvard, Mass.
Calling hours at the funeral home are Thursday, June 7th, from 5 to 7 p.m. The Wachusett Chess Club extends its deepest condolences to the Steadman family. Complete obit is available at www.richardsonfuneralhome.net
-George M

June 6th, 2018
2018 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 4 of 7

4 share lead after 4 in 'A' Division

It was a bad night to have the white pieces for those competing tonight in the 'A' Division because all three games were won by the players with black. This creates a situation where Gary Brassard, Roger Cappallo, George Mirijanian & Paul Godin each stand at 2.5. However Brassard's round 4 game was postponed, so Gary could take sole possession of the lead if he wins or draws that game. With only three rounds remaining, there is still significant uncertainty in the final outcome of the 2018 WCC Championship.

WCC 'A' Championship, June 6th, 2018
Round 4 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 0-1Roger Cappallo
Ken Gurge 0-1George Mirjanian
Arthur Barlas 0-1Dave Couture
Gary Brassard (postponed) Larry Gladding
Total of 3 boards, no major upsets.

WCC 'A' Championship, June 6th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.5Brassard, Cappallo, Miirjanian, Godin
2.0Gurge, Couture
1.5-----
1.0Gladding
0.5-----
0.0Barlas

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.
♔ 2018 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 4 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating Roger Cappallo George Mirijanian Paul Godin Larry Gladding Dave Couture Gary Brassard Arthur Barlas Ken Gurge Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 1982 1 1 0 1/2 2.5
George Mirijanian 1959 1/2 0 1 1 2.5
Paul Godin 1949 0 1/2 1 1 2.5
Larry Gladding 1795 0 0 (postponed) 1 (postponed) 1
Dave Couture 1778 1 0 1 0 2
Gary Brassard 1757 1 (postponed) 1 1/2 2.5
Arthur Barlas 1750 0 0 0 0 0
Ken Gurge 1741 1/2 0 (postponed) 1 1/2 2

Current 2018 Championship Standings
  W L D TOTAL PCT. GB
GARY BRASSARD 2 0 1 2.5 0.833 0.0
ROGER CAPPALLO 2 1 1 2.5 0.625 0.5
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN 2 1 1 2.5 0.625 0.5
PAUL GODIN 2 1 1 2.5 0.625 0.5
DAVE COUTURE 2 2 0 2.0 0.500 1.0
KEN GURGE 1 1 2 2.0 0.500 1.0
LARRY GLADDING 1 2 0 1.0 0.333 1.5
ARTHUR BARLAS 0 4 0 0.0 0.000 3.0 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 13th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Couture vs. Brassard
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Barlas
Board 3: Gladding vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Godin vs. Gurge

June 6th, 2018
2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 4 of 7

McNeilage tops 'B' Division after 4

WCC 'B' Championship, June 6th, 2018
Round 4 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Jim Hankard
Mike Commisso 1-0Roland Booker
Mariano Rivera 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Mike Meehan
Michael David 1-0John Bastarache
Bob Mathieu 0-1Don Briggs
Ed Harris 1/2-1/2Gary Brassard
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Jim Donahue
Francis Scanlon 0-1Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Tom Whistler 0-1Larry Legros
Emily Gawboy 1/2-1/2Raaga Pulya
Total of 12 boards, no major upsets.

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ray Paulson and Larry O'Rourke.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Don Ostrowski, Kyle Cullen, Melissa Long, James Petullo, Teagan Long and Charlotte Long.
♙ Bill Burke had already withdrawn from the tournament.
♟ Gary Brassard and Ed Harris played as "fillers" for the round.

WCC 'B' Championship, June 6th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5McNeilage
3.0Paulson, Commisso, Rivera
2.5Booker, Hankard, Meehan, David, Briggs
2.0Donahue, Wheeler, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Biglow, O'Rourke, Legros
1.5(Brassard), (Harris), Mathieu, Bastarache
1.0(Burke), Ostrowski, Ra. McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Cullen, Ra. Pulya, M. Long
0.5Whistler
0.0Petullo, T. Long, C. Long
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 13th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 5: Paulson vs. McNeilage
Board 6: Hankard vs. Commisso
Board 7: Booker vs. Rivera
Board 8: Meehan vs. David
Board 9: Donahue vs. Briggs
Board 10: Wheeler vs. O'Rourke
Board 11: Ri. Pulya vs. Fratturelli
Board 12: Legros vs. Biglow
Board 13: Mathieu vs. Harris
Board 14: Bastarache vs. R. McLaughlin
Board 15: H. McLaughlin vs. Gawboy
Board 16: Cullen vs. Scanlon
Board 17: M. Long vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 18: T. Long vs. Whistler
Board 19: C. Long vs. Petullo

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on June 13th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

June 5th, 2018
Updated Projected Round 4 pairings for Wachusett CC Championship "B" Division


Updated (SwissSys) Projected Round 4 Pairings for WCC Ch "B" Div. June 6th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

5   Ralph McNeilage (2.5)  Jim Hankard (2.5)
6     Michael Commisso (2.0)   Roland Booker (2.5)
7     Mariano Rivera (2.0)   Ritvik Pulya (2.0)
8     Tom Fratturelli (2.0)  Mike Meehan (1.5)
9     Michael David (1.5)  John Bastarache (1.5)
10    Bob Mathieu (1.5)     Don Briggs (1.5)
11    Larry O'Rourke (1.5) Jim Donahue (1.0)
12    Francis Scanlon II (1.0)   Mark Wheeler (1.0)
13    Brian Biglow (1.0)      Hugh McLaughlin (1.0)
14    Randy McLaughlin (1.0)  Melissa Long (1.0)
15    Emily Gawboy (0.5)   Larry Legros (1.0)
16    Tom Whistler (0.5)    Raaga Pulya (0.5)
17    Teagan Long (0.0)     James Petullo (0.0)

June 3rd, 2018
Former WCC member Percy Yip top vote-getter in MACA election

Percy Yip, aka Puichiu Yip, of Andover, formerly of Chelmsford, Mass. was the top vote-getter in the 2018 Massachusetts Chess Association election. Percy, along with his daughter Carissa, 2014 Wachusett CC champion, was a club member from early December 2010 until early January 2015. He received 97 votes out of a total number of 116 ballots received from a total number of 146 registered MACA voters. Percy became one of 8 directors elected to serve on the MACA executive board.

Other directors elected were:
Steven Winer (88 votes),
Steven Frymer (76),
Jiayun Liu (75),
Nicholas Sterling (68),
Jeffrey Caruso (66),
Oleg Poliannikov (63), and
Paul Arond (59),
the last of whom withdrew his nomination after ballots were sent out and whose director's position will be filled by the MACA board at its next meeting. Re-elected as MACA president was Nathan Smolensky, who garnered 89 votes. John Sadoff was re-elected as vice president with 62 votes. Re-elected as treasurer was Bob Messenger with 96 votes. And Andrew Hoy was re-elected as clerk with 94. Interestingly enough, Carissa Yip received 33 write-in votes for director, which was a greater number than was received by two candidates on the MACA ballot!
-George M

May 30th, 2018
2018 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 3 of 7

WCC 'A' Championship, May 30th, 2018
Round 3 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
George Mirijanian 0-1♔ Gary Brassard
Dave Couture 0-1Paul Godin
Roger Cappallo 1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding 1-0Arthur Barlas
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.
♔ 2018 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 3 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating Roger Cappallo George Mirijanian Paul Godin Larry Gladding Dave Couture Gary Brassard Arthur Barlas Ken Gurge Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 1982 1 0 1/2 1.5
George Mirijanian 1959 1/2 0 1 1.5
Paul Godin 1949 1/2 1 1 2.5
Larry Gladding 1795 0 0 1 1
Dave Couture 1778 1 0 0 1
Gary Brassard 1757 1 1 1/2 2.5
Arthur Barlas 1750 0 0 0 0
Ken Gurge 1741 1/2 1 1/2 2

WCC 'A' Championship, May 30th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.5Godin, Brassard
2.0Gurge
1.5Cappallo, Mirijanian
1.0Gladding, Couture
0.5-----
0.0Barlas
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for June 6th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Brassard vs. Gladding
Board 3: Gurge vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Barlas vs. Couture

May 30th, 2018
2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 3 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, May 30th, 2018
Round 3 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roland Booker 1/2-1/2Ralph McNeilage
Ray Paulson 1-0Mariano Rivera
Jim Hankard 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Mike Commisso 1-0Michael David
Mark Wheeler 0-1Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache 1/2-1/2Mike Meehan
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Brian Biglow
Tom Whistler 0-1Bob Mathieu
Don Briggs 1-0Emily Gawboy
Raaga Pulya 0-1Randy McLaughlin
Teagan Long 0-1Hugh McLaughlin
Charlotte Long 0-1Larry Legros
James Petullo 0-1Melissa Long
Total of 13 boards, no major upsets.

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Don Ostrowski, Francis Scanlon and Kyle Cullen.
♖ Not playing round 3 was Jim Donahue.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Dave Thomas, Nik Lavoie and Ed Harris. Bill Burke had already withdrawn from the event.

WCC 'B' Championship, May 30th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.5Paulson, McNeilage, Booker, Hankard
2.0Commisso, Rivera, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli
1.5Meehan, David, Mathieu, Bastarache, Briggs, O'Rourke
1.0Donahue, Wheeler, (Burke), Ostrowski, Biglow, R.McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Scanlon, Legros, Cullen, M. Long
0.5Gawboy, Whistler, Ra. Pulya
0.0Petullo,T. Long, C.Long
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for June 6th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 5: McNeilage vs. Hankard
Board 6: Rivera vs. Booker
Board 7: Ri. Pulya vs. Commisso
Board 8: Fratturelli vs. Meehan
Board 9: David vs. Bastarache
Board 10: Mathieu vs. Briggs
Board 11: O'Rourke vs. Donahue
Board 12: Biglow vs. H. McLaughlin
Board 13: Scanlon vs. Wheeler
Board 14: R.McLaughlin vs. Legros
Board 15: M. Long vs. Gawboy
Board 16: Whistler vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 17: T. Long vs. Petullo

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 is Paulson.
♘ Not playing Round 4 are Ostrowski and Cullen.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Melissa Long and her daughters, Teagan Long and Charlotte Long, all of whom are new USCF members and residents of Princeton. Welcome Melissa, Teagan and Charlotte!

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on June 6th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

May 29th, 2018
WCC players compete in 87th Mass Open Championships

Wachusett CC players Gary Brassard, Mariano Rivera, Roland Booker III, Michael David, Ritvik Pulya & Jim Hankard competed this past weekend in the 87th Mass Open Championship tournament. Former WCC Member Andrew Su, also competed, as well as Raaga Pulya, in the Mass Open Scholastics & Paul Godin in the Mass Open Blitz.

Mariano Rivera finished in a tie for second place in the Under 1500 Section, while Paul Godin won the Under 2000 prize in the Mass Open Blitz by finishing in a 3-way tie for 5th place overall.
Rating changes for these players are listed below.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Tuesday May 29, 2018 87th Mass Open Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated TournamentSection: NamePre => PostClass
12459389: PAUL L GODIN2018-05-2787TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)7: BLITZ 1907 => 1946 A
15518741: ANDREW SU2018-05-2887TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)2: UNDER 2100 1685 => 1740 B
11156665: GARY BRASSARD2018-05-2887TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)2: UNDER 2100 1757 => 1732 B
12933153: MARIANO RIVERA2018-05-2887TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)4: UNDER 1500 1612 => 1628 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2018-05-2887TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)3: UNDER 1800 1644 => 1625 B
12222200: JAMES A. HANKARD2018-05-2887TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)3: UNDER 1800 1621 => 1600 B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA2018-05-2887TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)3: UNDER 1800 1587 => 1571 C
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID2018-05-2887TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)4: UNDER 1500 1495 P14 => 1461 P20 New
15648362: RAAGA PULYA2018-05-26MASSACHUSETTS OPEN SCHOLASTICS (MA)1: K-12 U1500 865 => 818 F

May 23rd, 2018
2018 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 2 of 7

No perfect scores after 2 rounds of WCC Championship

WCC 'A' Championship, May 23rd, 2018
Round 2 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 0-1♔ Dave Couture
Ken Gurge 1/2-1/2Gary Brassard
Arthur Barlas 0-1George Mirijanian
Paul Godin 1-0Larry Gladding
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

WCC 'A' Championship, May 23rd, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.5Mirijanian, Godin, Brassard, Gurge
1.0Couture, Cappallo
0.0Gladding, Barlas
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 30th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Mirijanian vs, Brassard
Board 2: Couture vs. Godin
Board 3: Cappallo vs. Gurge
Board 4:: Gladding vs. Barlas

May 23rd, 2018
2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 2 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, May 23rd, 2018
Round 2 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Mariano Rivera 1-0Mike Commisso
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Roland Booker 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Michael David 1/2-1/2Jim Hankard
Brian Biglow 0-1Ray Paulson
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Tom Whistler
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Mark Wheeler
♖ Emily Gawboy 1/2-1/2Bob Mathieu
Larry Legros 0-1John Bastarache
Don Briggs 1/2-1/2♖ Raaga Pulya
Total of 10 boards, no major upsets (♔ ♕)
2 upset draws (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Dave Thomas, Nik Lavoie, Jim Donahue, Ed Harris, Mike Meehan, Don Ostrowski,
Francis Scanlon and Kyle Cullen.
♙ Bill Burke withdrew from the tournament.

WCC 'B' Championship, May 23rd, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0McNeilage, Booker, Rivera
1.5Paulson, Hankard, David, O'Rourke
1.0Thomas, Lavoie, Donahue, Harris, Commisso, Wheeler, Meehan, (Burke), Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Biglow, Bastarache
0.5Ostrowski, Mathieu, Briggs, Gawboy, Scanlon, Whistler, Cullen. Ra. Pulya
0.0McLaughlin, Legros
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 30th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 5: Booker vs. McNeilage
Board 6: Paulson vs. Rivera
Board 7: Hankard vs. O'Rourke
Board 8: Thomas vs. David
Board 9: Bastarache vs. Lavoie
Board 10: Ri. Pulya vs. Donahue
Board 11: Fratturelli vs. Harris
Board 12: Commisso vs. Biglow
Board 13: Wheeler vs. Meehan
Board 14: Scanlon vs. Mathieu
Board 15: Whistler vs. Briggs
Board 16: Ra. Pulya vs. Gawboy
Board 17: McLaughlin vs. Legros

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 3 are Ostrowski and Cullen.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on May 30th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

May 23rd, 2018
Wachusett CC players to compete in 87th Massachusetts Open

Wachusett Chess Club players are among the early advance entries registered to compete in the 87th Massachusetts Open, scheduled for May 26-28 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough. Roland Booker and Mariano Rivera, both of whom are currently on hot streaks based on their most recent tournament performances, will join scores of other players in vying for top prizes during the Memorial Day weekend. Booker is signed up for the 2-day schedule in the Under 1800 section, while Rivera is registered for the 3-day schedule in the Under 1500 section along with fellow WCC player, Michael David. Booker just finished first in the Under 1800 section of the BCF $15 Open on May 19th at the Boylston Chess Club in North Cambridge and tied for the top Under 1650 prize in the Martin Laine Memorial that finished 10 days earlier at the Wachusett CC. Rivera tied for 2nd place in the Martin Laine Memorial and also tied for first place in the Class D section of the 27th Eastern Class Championships that ended on April 29th in Sturbridge.

Joining Booker and Rivera in the upcoming Mass. Open is a former Wachusett CC co-champion, Erik Zoltan, who is signed up to play in the 3-day schedule of the Under 2100 section. Zoltan, who was known years ago as Erik von Rosenvinge, tied for first place with Lee Denis in the 1989 Wachusett CC championship, when the club was meeting at the St. Joseph Club in the Cleghorn section of Fitchburg. Directing the 87th Mass. Open will be Bob Messenger of Nashua,NH, who was chief TD of the 2011 Wachusett Chess Club championship.
-George M

May 21st, 2018
Wachusett CC's Roland Booker sweeps Under 1800 section of BCF $15 Open

Roland Booker, a Wachusett CC member from Fitchburg, finished first in the U1800 section of the BCF $15 Open, held Saturday, May 19, at the Boylston Chess Club in North Cambridge. Booker, who returned to the WCC on April 5, 2017 - after an absence from the club of more than 13 years - chalked up a perfect score of 4-0 to win the 18-player section and take home first-place prize money. A total of 42 players competed in the two-section, one-day tournament.
-George M

May 16th, 2018
2018 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 1 of 7

2018 Wachusett CC Championship tournaments begin

WCC 'A' Championship, May 16th, 2018
Round 1 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Larry Gladding 0-1Roger Cappallo
George Mirijanian 1/2-1/2Paul Godin
Gary Brassard 1-0Arthur Barlas
Dave Couture 0-1Ken Gurge
Total of 4 boards, no major upsets.

WCC 'A' Championship, May 16th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Cappallo, Brassard, Gurge
0.5Mirijanian, Godin
0.0Gladding, Couture, Barlas
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for May 23rd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Couture
Board 2: Gurge vs. Brassard
Board 3: Barlas vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Godin vs. Gladding

May 16th, 2018
2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 1 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, May 16th, 2018
Round 1 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Mike Commisso 1-0Don Ostrowski
Bob Mathieu 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Mark Wheeler 0-1♔ Brian Biglow
John Bstarache 0-1Roland Booker
Jim Hankard 1-0Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy 0-1Mariano Rivera
Bill Burke 1-0Francis Scanlon
Larry Legros 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Kyle Cullen
Raaga Pulya 0-1Michael David
Total of 10 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Dave Thomas, Nik Lavoie, Jim Donahue, Ed Harris, Mike Meehan,
Larry O'Rourke and Tom Whistler.
♖ Not playing round 1 and declining a half-point bye was Hugh McLaughlin.

WCC 'B' Championship, May 16th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Round
PointsPlayers
1.0Commisso, McNeilage, Booker, Hankard, Rivera, Burke, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, David, Biglow
0.5Thomas, Lavoie, Donahue, Harris, Meehan, O'Rourke, Whistler
0.0Wheeler, Ostrowski, Mathieu, Bastarache, Briggs, McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Legros, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for May 23rd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 5: Ri. Pulya vs. Commisso
Board 6: McNeilage vs. Burke
Board 7: Booker vs. Fratturelli
Board 8: David vs. Hankard
Board 9: Rivera vs. Biglow
Board 10: Harris vs. Thomas
Board 11: Lavoie vs. Meehan
Board 12: O'Rourke vs. Donahue
Board 13: Whistler vs. Wheeler
Board 14: Gawboy vs. Mathieu
Board 15: Cullen vs. Bastarache
Board 16: Briggs vs. Legros
Board 17: McLaughlin vs. Ra. Pulya

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes back Mark Wheeler of Leominster, who has been absent from rated play for more than 25 years.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on May 23rd.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

May 16th, 2018
Bruce Felton opts out of 2018 WCC "A" Championship; Gary Brassard to play


Last minute update to the lineup for the Wachusett CC "A" Championship
due to start Wednesday, May 16.
The following players are now expected to compete for the 2018 "A" Championship club crown:
Roger Cappallo (1982), George Mirijanian* (1959), Paul Godin (1949), Larry Gladding (1795),
Dave Couture (1778), Gary Brassard (1757), Arthur Barlas (1750), and Ken Gurge (1741).

♔ 2018 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship Contestants: ♔
PlayerRatingWCC HistoryPairing #
Roger Cappallo1982Champ: 20163
George Mirijanian1959Champ: 1977-1984 1990-1991 1997-1998 2005-2007 2013 2015
Quick: 2005 2008		6
Paul Godin1949Champ: 1967
Quick: 2015 2016(Current)		2
Larry Gladding1795Champ: 1992 1998 20095
Dave Couture1778Martin Laine Mem: 20184
Gary Brassard1757Quick: 20157
Arthur Barlas1750Quick: 2012
Reggie Boone Mem: 2013		1
Ken Gurge1741George Sturgis Mem: 20128

♔ 2018 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship: ♔
Revised Schedule of Rounds

Current WCC Champ

2017 WCC Champ, Ray Paulson 

Round 1 - May 16, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 4: (4) Couture vs. (8) Gurge
Board 1: (5) Gladding vs. (3) Cappallo
Board 2: (6) Mirijanian vs. (2) Godin
Board 3: (7) Brassard vs. (1) Barlas

8 Previous WCC Champs

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

Round 2 - May 23, 2015:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (8) Gurge vs. (7) Brassard
Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (6) Mirijanian
Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (5) Gladding
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (4) Couture


Round 3 - May 30, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (8) Gurge
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (2) Godin
Board ?: (5) Gladding vs. (1) Barlas
Board ?: (6) Mirijanian vs. (7) Brassard


Round 4 - June 6, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (8) Gurge vs. (6) Mirijanian
Board ?: (7) Brassard vs. (5) Gladding
Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (4) Couture
Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (3) Cappallo


Round 5 - June 13, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (8) Gurge
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (1) Barlas
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (7) Brassard
Board ?: (5) Gladding vs. (6) Mirijanian


Round 6 - June 20, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (8) Gurge vs. (5) Gladding - POSTPONED
Board ?: (6) Mirijanian vs. (4) Couture
Board ?: (7) Brassard vs. (3) Cappallo
Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (2) Godin


Round 7 (final) - June 27, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (8) Gurge
Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (7) Brassard
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (6) Mirijanian
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (5) Gladding

May 16th, 2018
Ratings in effect for the Wachusett CC Championship "B" Division

Round 1 of the Wachusett CC Championship "B" Division will be played Wednesday evening, May 16, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Players who wish to participate must be present by 7 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Campus in order to paired for Round 1. Players running late who wish to be paired for Round 1 must call by 7 p.m.

  ♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚     Ratings in effect for the
Wachusett CC Championship
("B" Division) tournament:
1Joe Bennett 1774
2Dave Thomas 1773
3Nik Lavoie 1749
4Mike Commisso 1741
5Jim Donahue 1718
6Ed Harris 1700
7Vince Premus 1676
8Ralph McNeilage 1649
9Roland Booker 1645
10Jim Hankard 1636
11Jackson Parker 1625
12Mike Meehan 1619
13Mariano Rivera 1612
14Bill Burke 1603
15Ritvik Pulya 1587
16Alan Condon 1586
17Tom Fratturelli 1558
18Michael David 1514
19Don Ostrowski 1488
20Bob Mathieu 1450
21Harry Richardson 1447
22Brian Biglow 1411
23John Bastarache 1400
24Don Briggs 1386
25Larry O'Rourke 1311
26Hugh McLaughlin 1200
27Andrew Kiser 1088
28Emily Gawboy 1065
29Francis Scanlon 1061
30Larry Legros 1036
31Tom Whistler 999
32Kyle Cullen 969
33Raaga Pulya 865
34James Petullo 514

May 12th, 2018
Evgeni Vasiukov (March 5, 1933 - May 10, 2018)


Evgeni Vasiukov, Russian Chess Grandmaster, Is Dead at 85

GM Evgeni A. Vasiukov at
USSR Championship in 1974
GM Evgeni A. Vasiukov at Gerhard Hund
World Senior Championship 1995

"Evgeni Andreyevich Vasiukov was a Russian chess grandmaster, one of the strongest players in the world during his peak.[1] During his career, he won the Moscow Championship on six occasions (1955, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1972, and 1978) and scored numerous victories in international tournaments, such as Belgrade Open 1961, Moscow International 1961, East Berlin 1962, Reykjavik Open 1968, and Manila 1974. He was rarely at his best in Soviet Championship Finals, which were among the very toughest events in the world, and never made the Soviet team for an Olympiad or a European Team Championship. Vasiukov won the World Senior Chess Championship in 1995. He continued to play Master events, well into his 70s, and was active in February 2007 at the European Seniors event at Dresden."
-Wikipedia

Vasiukov was directly involved in - Bobby Fischer's visit to Moscow in 1958 as a 15-year-old.
"[Bronstein], who had already played a World Championship match, said: sorry, but why should I play a kid? Tigran Vartanovich [Petrosian] and I arrived. We played in the grandmasters' room, and Petrosian won by a small margin, while I literally crushed Fischer. From that point on whenever we met he always treated me with great respect."
-Evgeni Vasiukov

Vasiukov on Korchnoi from Russian Chess News

May 12th, 2018
2018 WCC "A" Championship contestants & pairings announced


Wednesday, May 16 will be the start of the Wachusett CC "A" Championship, an 8-player round robin,
with the following players who qualified* to compete for the 2018 "A" Championship club crown:
Roger Cappallo (1982), George Mirijanian* (1959), Paul Godin (1949), Bruce Felton (1920),
Larry Gladding (1795), Dave Couture (1778), Arthur Barlas (1750), and Ken Gurge (1741).
The "B" Championship will consist of a 7 round open Swiss tournament to be conducted at the same time.

♔ 2018 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship Contestants: ♔
PlayerRatingWCC HistoryPairing #
Roger Cappallo1982Champ: 20163
George Mirijanian1959Champ: 1977-1984 1990-1991 1997-1998 2005-2007 2013 2015
Quick: 2005 2008		6
Paul Godin1949Champ: 1967
Quick: 2015 2016(Current)		2
Bruce Felton1920Champ: 2004-2005
Quick: 2012
Blitz: 2013		7
Larry Gladding1795Champ: 1992 1998 20095
Dave Couture1778Martin Laine Mem: 20184
Arthur Barlas1750Quick: 2012
Reggie Boone Mem: 2013		1
Ken Gurge1741George Sturgis Mem: 20128

♔ 2018 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship: ♔
Schedule of Rounds

Current WCC Champ

2017 WCC Champ, Ray Paulson 

Round 1 - May 16, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (8) Gurge
Board ?: (5) Gladding vs. (3) Cappallo
Board ?: (6) Mirijanian vs. (2) Godin
Board ?: (7) Felton vs. (1) Barlas

8 Previous WCC Champs

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

Round 2 - May 23, 2015:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (8) Gurge vs. (7) Felton
Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (6) Mirijanian
Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (5) Gladding
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (4) Couture


Round 3 - May 30, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (8) Gurge
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (2) Godin
Board ?: (5) Gladding vs. (1) Barlas
Board ?: (6) Mirijanian vs. (7) Felton


Round 4 - June 6, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (8) Gurge vs. (6) Mirijanian
Board ?: (7) Felton vs. (5) Gladding
Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (4) Couture
Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (3) Cappallo


Round 5 - June 13, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (8) Gurge
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (1) Barlas
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (7) Felton
Board ?: (5) Gladding vs. (6) Mirijanian


Round 6 - June 20, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (8) Gurge vs. (5) Gladding - POSTPONED
Board ?: (6) Mirijanian vs. (4) Couture
Board ?: (7) Felton vs. (3) Cappallo
Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (2) Godin


Round 7 (final) - June 27, 2018:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board ?: (1) Barlas vs. (8) Gurge
Board ?: (2) Godin vs. (7) Felton
Board ?: (3) Cappallo vs. (6) Mirijanian
Board ?: (4) Couture vs. (5) Gladding

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.

May 11th, 2018
2018 WCC Championship qualifiers still undetermined

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 5/9/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1982 2102 Can. Master 39 25 5 9 29.5 .756
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1949 2020 1st Cat. 40 23 6 11 28.5 .713
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1795 1953 1st Cat. 41 25 13 3 26.5 .646
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1778 1858 1st Cat. 38 21 12 5 23.5 .618
                     
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1959 2186 1st Cat. 20 15 2 3 16.5 .825
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1920 1971 1st Cat. 30 19 6 5 21.5 .717
ARTHUR BARLAS Chelmsford 1750 1833 2nd Cat. 24 14 6 4 16.0 .667
KEN GURGE Leominster 1741 1856 2nd Cat. 37 19 10 8 23.0 .622
                     
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1757 1904 1st Cat. 37 20 12 5 22.5 .608
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1649 1773 3rd Cat. 35 15 12 8 19.0 .543
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1741 1753 2nd Cat. 38 17 14 7 20.5 .539
WCC: Biographies
Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot Qualified by Grand Prix Points Qualified by win percentage Eligible but not yet qualified Ineligible but voted in
Championship Grand Prix Archive

May 9th, 2018
2018 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 4 of 4

Couture tops Laine Memorial with perfect score

Martin Laine Memorial, May 9th, 2018
Round 4 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♔ Dave Couture 1-0Geoff LePoer
Paul Godin 0-1George Mirijanian
♔ Mariano Rivera 1-0Arthur Barlas
Roger Cappallo 1-0Roland Booker
Gary Brassard 1-0Jim Donahue
Ed Harris 1/2-1/2♖ Michael David
Ray Paulson 1-0Ralph McNeilage
Jim Hankard 0-1Dave Thomas
Ken Gurge 1-0Bill Burke
Don Ostrowski 0-1Mike Commisso
John Bastarache 0-1Larry Gladding
Francis Scanlon 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Don Briggs 1-0Larry Legros
Tom Whistler 0-1Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy 1-0Kyle Cullen
Total of 15 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♖ Not playing round 4 were Nik Lavoie, Mike Meehan, Ritvik Pulya, Alan Condon, Jackson Parker,
Larry O'Rourke, Raaga Pulya and Hugh McLaughlin.

Martin Laine Memorial, May 9th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Couture
3.5Mirijanian, Rivera
3.0Cappallo, LePoer, Brassard
2.5Godin, Paulson, Thomas, Gurge, Commisso, Lavoie, Harris, David
2.0Gladding, Barlas, Booker, Donahue, Fratturelli, Briggs
1.5McNeilage, Hankard, Meehan, Burke, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Biglow
1.0Condon, Bastarache, Gawboy, Scanlon, Legros
0.5Parker, O'Rourke, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0McLaughlin

♔ 2018 Martin Laine Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: ♔ Dave Couture of Westminster
2nd-3rd: George Mirijanian of Fitchburg, Mariano Rivera of Leominster
Top U1850: Gary Brassard of Leominster
Top U1650: Roland Booker of Fitchburg, Jim Donahue of Stow,
Tom Fratturelli of Leominster
Top U1450: Michael David of Groton
Top U1250: Emily Gawboy of Leominster, Francis Scanlon of Fitchburg,
Larry Legros of Millbury

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
rating increases of
50 or more points:
Mariano Rivera + 229
Michael David + 181
Dave Couture + 88
A total of 4 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
new all-time high ratings:
Nik Lavoie 1749
Mariano Rivera 1612
Michael David 1514P11
Don Ostrowski 1488P14

Congratulations to all!

Pictures from this year's Martin Laine Memorial tournament.

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 5/2/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1997 2102 Can. Master 38 24 5 9 28.5 .750
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1960 2020 1st Cat. 39 23 5 11 28.5 .731
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1824 1953 1st Cat. 40 24 13 3 25.5 .638
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1939 2085 1st Cat. 32 20 7 5 22.5 .703
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1690 1858 1st Cat. 37 20 12 5 22.5 .608
KEN GURGE Leominster 1754 1856 2nd Cat. 36 18 10 8 22.0 .611
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1920 1971 1st Cat. 30 19 6 5 21.5 .717
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1753 1904 1st Cat. 36 19 12 5 21.5 .597
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1717 1773 3rd Cat. 34 15 11 8 19.0 .559
WILLIAM BURKE Leominster 1611 1665 3rd Cat. 33 14 13 6 17.0 .515
ARTHUR BARLAS Chelmsford 1783 1833 2nd Cat. 23 14 5 4 16.0 .696
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1937 2186 1st Cat. 19 14 2 3 15.5 .816
GEOFF LEPOER Westford 1924 1964 1st Cat. 19 14 3 2 15.0 .789
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1783 1837 2nd Cat. 19 10 5 4 12.0 .632
ROLAND BOOKER Fitchburg 1618 1958 2nd Cat. 18 9 6 3 10.5 .583
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournaments at the club are the 2018 Wachusett CC Championships, both "A" and "B" Divisions,
which start Wednesday, May 16th.
Players must be present by 7:00 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1.
"A" Division entrants will draw numbers to determine pairings for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

May 5th, 2018
Rob King, 2011 Wachusett CC champion, father of twins - with different birthdays!

Rob King, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2011, has become the proud father of twins. Robert and his wife, Stephanie (Bovaird) King, are now parents of Weston Ryder King, 6 lbs., 12 oz., born on May 4th at 9:55 p.m., and Tatum Collins King, 6 lbs., 6 oz., born on May 5th at 12:22 a.m. Members of the Wachusett Chess Club congratulate Rob and Stephanie on the birth of the two new members of the King family. May the infants take to chess just as fish take to water. They will definitely have a good teacher.
-George M

May 4th, 2018
2018 WCC Championship qualifiers nearly all determined

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 5/2/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1997 2102 Can. Master 38 24 5 9 28.5 .750
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1960 2020 1st Cat. 39 23 5 11 28.5 .731
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1824 1953 1st Cat. 40 24 13 3 25.5 .638
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1939 2085 1st Cat. 32 20 7 5 22.5 .703
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1690 1858 1st Cat. 37 20 12 5 22.5 .608
KEN GURGE Leominster 1754 1856 2nd Cat. 36 18 10 8 22.0 .611
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1920 1971 1st Cat. 30 19 6 5 21.5 .717
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1753 1904 1st Cat. 36 19 12 5 21.5 .597
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1717 1773 3rd Cat. 34 15 11 8 19.0 .559
WILLIAM BURKE Leominster 1611 1665 3rd Cat. 33 14 13 6 17.0 .515
ARTHUR BARLAS Chelmsford 1783 1833 2nd Cat. 23 14 5 4 16.0 .696
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1937 2186 1st Cat. 19 14 2 3 15.5 .816
GEOFF LEPOER Westford 1924 1964 1st Cat. 19 14 3 2 15.0 .789
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1783 1837 2nd Cat. 19 10 5 4 12.0 .632
ROLAND BOOKER Fitchburg 1618 1958 2nd Cat. 18 9 6 3 10.5 .583
WCC: Biographies
Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot Qualified by Grand Prix Points Qualified by win percentage Eligible but not yet qualified Ineligible but voted in
Championship Grand Prix Archive

May 2nd, 2018
2018 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 3 of 4

Martin Laine Memorial, May 2nd, 2018
Round 3 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Geoff LePoer 1-0Ed Harris
Dave Couture 1-0Michael David
705D*Mariano Rivera 1/2-1/2Roger Cappallo
Dave Thomas 0-1Paul Godin
♔ Nik Lavoie 1-0Ray Paulson
George Mirijanian 1-0Jim Hankard
Larry Gladding 0-1♔ Jim Donahue
Arthur Barlas 1-0John Bastarache
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Gary Brassard
Francis Scanlon 0-1Roland Booker
Brian Biglow 0-1Mike Commisso
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Mike Meehan
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Tom Whistler
Kyle Cullen 0-1Don Ostrowski
Raaga Pulya 0-1Don Briggs
Larry Legros 1-0Emily Gawboy
Total of 16 boards, 2 major upsets (♔).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ken Gurge, Ralph McNeilage, Bill Burke and Alan Condon.
♖ Not playing round 3 was Jackson Parker.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Bruce Felton, Vince Premus and Andrew Kiser.
Hugh McLaughlin had previously withdrawn from the event.

Martin Laine Memorial, May 2nd, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0LePoer, Couture
2.5Godin, Mirijanian, Lavoie, Rivera
2.0Cappallo, Barlas, Brassard, Harris, Booker, Donahue, David
1.5Paulson, Thomas, Gurge, Commisso, McNeilage, Hankard, Meehan, Burke, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
1.0Gladding, Condon, Fratturelli, Bastarache, Briggs, Scanlon, Legros
0.5Parker, Biglow, O'Rourke, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0Gawboy
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for May 9th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Couture vs. LePoer
Board 2: Godin vs. Lavoie
Board 3: Rivera vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Cappallo vs. Harris
Board 5: Booker vs. Barlas
Board 6: Brassard vs. Donahue
Board 7: David vs. Paulson
Board 8: Hankard vs. Thomas
Board 9: Meehan vs. Gurge
Board 10: Commisso vs. Burke
Board 11: McNeilage vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 12: Ostrowski vs. Gladding
Board 13: Condon vs. Briggs
Board 14: Legros vs. Fratturelli
Board 15: Bastarache vs. Scanlon
Board 16: Parker vs. Biglow
Board 17: Whistler vs. Cullen
Board 18: Gawboy vs. Ra. Pulya

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on May 9th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

April 30th, 2018
Six clinch spots in 2018 WCC Championship tournament

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings

Club Members

Hometown

Current Rating As Of 4/25/18

All-Time High

TITLE

Total Games

W

L

D

Grand Prix Points

Pct.

ROGER CAPPALLO

Groton

1997

2102

Can. Master

37

24

5

8

28.0

.757

RAYMOND PAULSON

Lowell

1939

2085

1st Cat.

31

20

6

5

22.5

.726

PAUL GODIN

Bedford

1960

2020

1st Cat.

38

22

5

11

27.5

.724

BRUCE FELTON

Fitchburg

1920

1971

1st Cat.

30

19

6

5

21.5

.717

ARTHUR BARLAS

Chelmsford

1783

1833

2nd Cat.

22

13

5

4

15.0

.682

LARRY GLADDING

Leominster

1824

1953

1st Cat.

39

24

12

3

25.5

.654

KEN GURGE

Leominster

1754

1856

2nd Cat.

36

18

10

8

22.0

.611

DAVE COUTURE

Westminster

1690

1858

1st Cat.

36

19

12

5

21.5

.597

GARY BRASSARD

Leominster

1753

1904

1st Cat.

35

18

12

5

20.5

.586
WCC: Biographies
Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot Qualified by Grand Prix Points Qualified by win percentage Eligible but not yet qualified Ineligible but voted in
Championship Grand Prix Archive

April 30th, 2018
Shankland & Paikidze 2018 US Champs

Final Results:
2081 US Championship
Sam Shankland winner: Crosstable
Ken Ballou of Metrowest CC directed the event.

2081 US Women's Championship
Nazi Paikidze winner: Crosstable
Ken Ballou of Metrowest CC directed the event assisted by Alex Relyea of RelyeaChess.

April 29th, 2018
Commisso, Rivera win prizes in Eastern Class Championships

Wachusett CC players Mike Commisso and Mariano Rivera finished as prize winners in the 27th annual Eastern Class Championships that ended Sunday evening, April 29th, at the Host Hotel at Cedar Lake in Sturbridge. Commisso scored 4-1 to tie for 2nd-6th and share the 2nd-thru-4th-place prizes with four other players in the Class C section. His only loss was in the penultimate round, when he was defeated by the eventual section winner, Sai Sneha Yerra of New Hampshire, [a frequent player at the Billerica CC] who ended up with a score of 4.5-0.5. Rivera did very well in the Class D section, tallying 4-1 to tie for 1st-5th and sharing the 1st-thru-4th-place prizes with four other players..
-George M [GM Sam Sevian won clear first place in the Open Section with a 4.5/5 score. Eight active WCC players competed for various section prizes.]

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday May 1, 2018 Rating Updates from the Eastern Class Championship  ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated TournamentSection: NamePre => Post
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO2018-04-2927TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)5: CLASS C 1753 => 1759 B
12465223: EDWARD A HARRIS2018-04-2927TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)4: CLASS B 1712 => 1719 B
12840591: NIKOLAS LAVOIE2018-04-2927TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)4: CLASS B 1724 => 1718 B
13250463: JOSEPH BENNETT2018-04-29EASTERN CLASS BLITZ (MA)1: BLITZ 1701 => 1704 B
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE2018-04-2927TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)4: CLASS B 1685 => 1700 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2018-04-2927TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)4: CLASS B 1608 => 1618 B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD2018-04-2927TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)4: CLASS B 1634 => 1616 B
12933153: MARIANO RIVERA2018-04-2927TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)6: CLASS D 1292 (P) => 1383 (P) New

April 29th, 2018
Commisso, Rivera among sectional leaders in 27th annual Eastern Class Championships

Wachusett CC players Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH and Mariano Rivera of Leominster are currently among the sectional leaders in the 27th annual Eastern Class Championships, being held April 27-29 at the Host Hotel at Cedar Lake in Sturbridge. Commisso, playing in the 38-player Class C section, is tied for the lead with fellow Granite Stater Sai Sneha Yerra and Ybelka Grangee of Connectcut. All three have perfect scores of 3-0. Rivera, competing in the 26-player Class D section, is tied for the lead at 3-0 with Adam Credit of Connecticut. The 4th and 5th rounds will be played on Sunday, with fellow Wachusett CC players rooting for Commisso and Rivera to finish as winners.
-George M

April 27th, 2018
Wachusett CC players to compete in Eastern Class Championships

One of the biggest and strongest tournaments held in Massachusetts each year will see the participation of at least 9 Wachusett CC players in the 27th annual Eastern Class Championships, scheduled for the weekend of April 27-29 at the Host Hotel at Cedar Lake in Sturbridge. Among the advance entries in the Continental Chess Association-sponsored event are some of the club's most active players. Six club players will take part in the Class B section, which has Joe Bennett (1791), Ed Harris (1731), Jim Donahue (1658), Jim Hankard (1615), Roland Booker (1600) and Nik Lavoie (1493) vying for prize money. Bennett is currently the highest-rated advance entrant in that section. Taking part in the Class C section is Mike Commisso (1578), while Mariano Rivera (1109) and Larry Legros (1014) are participating in the Class D section. Most of the Wachusett CC entrants are playing the 3-day schedule. The tournament will see the appearance of the highest-rated player in Worcester County and currently the highest-rated player in the Master section, 17-year-old GM Sam Sevian of Holden, rated 2619.
-George M

April 25th, 2018
2018 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 2 of 4

Martin Laine Memorial, April 25th, 2018
Round 2 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roland Booker 0-1Geoff LePoer
Larry Gladding 0-1Dave Couture
♔ Michael David 1-0Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard 0-1♔ Mariano Rivera
Ed Harris 1-0Francis Scanlon
Don Ostrowski 0-1Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Tom Whistler 0-1Dave Thomas
Jim Hankard 1-0Brian Biglow
Raaga Pulya 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Don Briggs 0-1Bill Burke
Alan Condon 1/2-1/2Larry O'Rourke
Emily Gawboy 0-1Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache 1-0Larry Legros
Total of 14 boards, 2 major upsets (♔).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ray Paulson, George Mirijanian, Nik Lavoie, Arthur Barlas,
Jim Donahue, Mike Commisso and Jackson Parker.
♖ Not playing round 2 were Bruce Felton, Vince Premus, Mike Meehan, Kyle Cullen and Andrew Kiser.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Diego Ubiera and Hugh McLaughlin.

Martin Laine Memorial, April 25th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0LePoer, Harris, Couture, David, Rivera
1.5Cappallo, Godin, Paulson, Mirijanian, Thomas, Lavoie, Hankard
1.0Gladding, Barlas, Gurge, Brassard, McNeilage, Booker, Donahue, Burke, Fratturelli, Bastarache, Scanlon
0.5Felton, Commisso, Premus, Parker, Meehan, Condon, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Biglow, O'Rourke, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0Briggs, (McLaughlin), Kiser, Gawboy, Legros
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 2nd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: LePoer vs. Harris
Board 2: Couture vs. David
Board 3: Rivera vs. Cappallo
Board 4: Thomas vs. Godin
Board 5: Lavoie vs. Paulson
Board 6: Mirijanian vs. Hankard
Board 7: Burke vs. Gladding
Board 8: Barlas vs. Donahue
Board 9: Fratturelli vs. Brassard
Board 10: McNeilage vs. Bastarache
Board 11: Scanlon vs. Booker
Board 12: Felton vs. Ostrowski
Board 13: Biglow vs. Commisso
Board 14: Parker vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 15: O'Rourke vs. Meehan
Board 16: Cullen vs. Condon
Board 17: Ri. Pulya vs. Whistler
Board 18: Kiser vs. Briggs
Board 19: Legros vs. Gawboy

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

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on May 2nd.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

April 19th, 2018
Five clinch spots in 2018 WCC Championship tournament

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 4/18/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1997 2102 Can. Master 36 23 5 8 27.0 .750
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1960 2020 1st Cat. 37 21 5 11 26.5 .716
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1823 1953 1st Cat. 38 24 11 3 25.5 .671
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1939 2085 1st Cat. 31 20 6 5 22.5 .726
KEN GURGE Leominster 1754 1856 2nd Cat. 35 18 9 8 22.0 .629
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1920 1971 1st Cat. 30 19 6 5 21.5 .717
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1753 1904 1st Cat. 34 18 11 5 20.5 .603
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1689 1858 1st Cat. 35 18 12 5 20.5 .586
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1713 1773 3rd Cat. 33 14 11 8 18.0 .545
ARTHUR BARLAS Chelmsford 1783 1833 2nd Cat. 22 13 5 4 15.0 .682
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1937 2186 1st Cat. 18 13 2 3 14.5 .806
WCC: Biographies
Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot Qualified by Grand Prix Points Qualified by win percentage Eligible but not yet qualified Ineligible but voted in
Championship Grand Prix Archive

April 18th, 2018
2018 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 1 of 4

Martin Laine Memorial, April 18th, 2018
Round 1 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1/2-1/2♖ Jim Hankard
♖ Jim Donahue 1/2-1/2Paul Godin
Ray Paulson 1-0Jackson Parker
Bill Burke 0-1George Mirijanian
Geoff LePoer 1-0Alan Condon
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Larry Gladding
Dave Thomas 1/2-1/2♖ Don Ostrowski
♖ Brian Biglow 1/2-1/2Arthur Barlas
Ken Gurge 1-0John Bastarache
Don Briggs 0-1Gary Brassard
Mike Commisso 0-1♔ Michael David
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Nik Lavoie
Ralph McNeilage 0-1♔ Mariano Rivera
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Ed Harris
Dave Couture 1-0Emily Gawboy
Larry Legros 0-1Roland Booker
Total of 16 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕)
4 upset draws (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Diego Ubiera, Bruce Felton, Vince Premus, Mike Meehan, Ritvik Pulya,
Tom Whistler, Kyle Cullen and Raaga Pulya.
♜ Receiving a full-point bye was Francis Scanlon.
♖ Not playing round 1 was Andrew Kiser.

Martin Laine Memorial, April 18th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Paulson, Mirijanian, LePoer, Gladding, Gurge, Brassard, Lavoie, Harris, Couture, Booker, David, Rivera, Scanlon
0.5Cappallo, Ubiera, Godin, Felton, Thomas, Barlas, Premus, Hankard, Donahue, Meehan, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski,
Biglow, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0Commisso, McNeilage, Parker, Burke, Condon, Fratturelli, Bastarache, Briggs, O'Rourke, McLaughlin, Kiser, Gawboy, Legros
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for April 25th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Mirijanian vs. Couture
Board 2: Harris vs. LePoer
Board 3: Gladding vs. Booker
Board 4: David vs. Gurge
Board 5: Brassard vs. Rivera
Board 6: Lavoie vs. Scanlon
Board 7: Meehan vs. Cappallo
Board 8: Ubiera vs. Donahue
Board 9: Godin vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 10: Ostrowski vs. Felton
Board 11: Whistler vs. Thomas
Board 12: Barlas vs. Cullen
Board 13: Premus vs. Biglow
Board 14: Hankard vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 15: Briggs vs. McNeilage
Board 16: Parker vs. O'Rourke
Board 17: Kiser vs. Burke
Board 18: Condon vs. McLaughlin
Board 19: Gawboy vs. Fratturelli
Board 20: Bastarache vs. Legros

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 2 are Paulson and Commisso.
♙ The Wachusett Chess welcomes new member Larry Legros of Millbury. Welcome, Larry!

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on April 25th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

April 17th, 2018
Ratings in effect for 2018 Martin Laine Memorial (April 18)

Round 1 of the Martin Laine Memorial will be played Wednesday evening, April 18, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Players who wish to participate must be present by 7 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Campus in order to paired for Round 1. Players running late who wish to be paired for Round 1 must call by 7 p.m.

  ♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚     Ratings in effect for
the 2018 Martin Laine Memorial tournament:
1Rob King 2202
2Brett Kildahl 2129
3Roger Cappallo 1997
4Diego Ubiera 1985
5Paul Godin 1960
6Ray Paulson 1939
7George Mirijanian 1937
8Geoff LePoer 1924
9Bruce Felton 1920
10Larry Gladding 1823
11Joe Bennett 1790
12Dave Thomas 1783
13Arthur Barlas 1783
14Ken Gurge 1754
15Gary Brassard 1753
16Mike Commisso 1753
17Nik Lavoie 1724
18Ralph McNeilage 1713
19Ed Harris 1712
20Paul Lynch 1705
21Dave Couture 1689
22Vince Premus 1676
23Jim Hankard 1634
24Jim Donahue 1633
25Roland Booker 1614
26Mike Meehan 1613
27Bill Burke 1611
28Alan Condon 1605
29Ritvik Pulya 1590
30Tom Fratturelli 1573
31Gail Lingner 1500
32Scott Taylor 1488
33Don Ostrowski 1479
34Bob Mathieu 1450
35Harry Richardson 1447
36Brian Biglow 1405
37John Bastarache 1400
38Don Briggs 1393
39Michael David 1333
40Wayne Steadman 1326
41Larry O'Rourke 1306
42Mariano Rivera 1292
43Hugh McLaughlin 1200
44Andrew Kiser 1088
45Emily Gawboy 1080
46Francis Scanlon 1067
47Tom Whistler 1007
48Kyle Cullen 992
49Raaga Pulya 869
50James Petullo 514

April 16th, 2018
Wachusett CC players win prizes in 28th Mass. G/60 Championship Mass Game/60 Chsmpionship

Players from the Wachusett Chess Club were among the prize winners in the 2018 Mass Game/60 Chsmpionship, held Sunday, April 15, at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough. Ralph McNeilage of Worcester tied for 2nd place in the Under 1800 section, scoring 3-1 (2 wins, 2 draws), while Mariano Rivera of Leominster tied for 2nd place in the Under 1200 section, tallying 3.5-0.5. Former Wachusett CC champion Carissa Yip of Andover finished with a score of 3-1 to tie for the Top U2400 prize in the Open section.
-George M
[FM Nathan Solon won clear first place in the Open Section with a perfect 4.0/4 score. Five active WCC players competed for various section prizes. Mariano Rivra's Round 3 game with comments & analysis, is posted on this site in the "Games" section.]

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday April 16, 2018 Rating Updates from the Mass Game/60 Championship  ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated TournamentSection: NamePre => Post
16062155: RALPH MCNEILAGE2018-04-1528TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)3: U1800 1700 => 1713 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2018-04-1528TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)3: U1800 1629 => 1614 B
12458787: WILLIAM T BURKE II2018-04-1528TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)3: U1800 1589 => 1611 B
12933153: MARIANO RIVERA2018-04-1528TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)6: U1200 1289 (P15) => 1292 (P19) D
16122465: KYLE CULLEN2018-04-1528TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)6: U1200 1002 (P24) => 992 F

April 11th, 2018
2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Five split first in Siiskonen Memorial at WCC

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, April 11th, 2018
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson 0-1♔ Dave Thomas
Paul Godin 1-0Ken Gurge
Joe Bennett 0-1♔ Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard 0-1Larry Gladding
Geoff LePoer 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Ed Harris 0-1Jim Hankard
Roland Booker 0-1Dave Couture
Don Briggs 1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Bill Burke 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Raaga Pulya 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Mike Meehan 1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Kyle Cullen 0-1Brian Biglow
Arthur Barlas 0-1♔ Mariano Rivera
Larry O'Rourke 1/2-1/2Emily Gawboy
Andrew Kiser 0-1Michael David
Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Tom Whistler
Total of 17 boards, 3 major upsets (♔).

♖ Not playing round 5 were George Mirijanian, Nik Lavoie, Don Ostrowski and Francis Scanlon.
♙ Gail Lingner withdrew from the tournament.

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, April 11th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Cappallo, Godin, Felton,Thomas, Commisso
3.5Gladding
3.0Paulson, LePoer, Bennett, Gurge, Couture, Hankard, Fratturelli
2.5Mirijanian, Brassard, McNeilage, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Biglow, Briggs, Rivera
2.0Harris, Burke, Meehan, Booker, Lavoie, Ostrowski, Bastarache, David, Ra. Pulya
1.5O'Rourke, Gawboy, Cullen
1.0Barlas, McLaughlin, Kiser, Whistler
0.5Scanlon

♔ 2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-5th: Roger Cappallo of Groton, Paul Godin of Bedford,
Bruce Felton of Fitchburg, Dave Thomas of Fitchburg,
Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH
Top U1900: Dave Thomas
Top U1700: Mike Commisso
Top U1500: Brian Biglow of Fitchburg, Don Briggs of Lunenburg
Top U1300: Mariano Rivera of Leominster

A total of 6 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Michael David +259
Mariano Rivera +180
Mike Commisso +175
Raaga Pulya +124
Dave Thomas +83
Kyle Cullen +61
A total of 8 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Mike Commisso 1753
Nik Lavoie 1724
Ritvik Pulya 1590
Don Ostrowski 1479P10
Michael David 1333P7
Mariano Rivera 1289P15
Kyle Cullen 1002P24
Raaga Pulya 859

Congratulations to all!

Pictures from this year's Evert Siiskonen Memorial tournament.

2018 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of April 11th, 2018
After 37 of 41 games completed in the 2017-2018 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2018 WCC 'A' Club Championship Tournament.
  The Top Four Highest GPP Finishers Qualify.  
The remaining four to qualify will be the four with highest percentage as calculated in the last column.
The tiebreaker, if necessary, is the higher USCF rating
after the final regular season tournament is rated!  
A minimum of 21 games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with more than 16.5 GPP are listed.)
Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 4/11/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1987 2102 Can. Master 35 23 5 7 26.5 .757
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1960 2020 1st Cat. 36 21 5 10 26.0 .722
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1837 1953 1st Cat. 37 23 11 3 24.5 .662
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1971 2085 1st Cat. 30 19 6 5 21.5 .717
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1913 1971 1st Cat. 30 19 6 5 21.5 .717
KEN GURGE Leominster 1747 1856 2nd Cat. 34 17 9 8 21.0 .618
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1768 1904 1st Cat. 33 17 11 5 19.5 .591
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1665 1858 1st Cat. 34 17 12 5 19.5 .574
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1578 1719 3rd Cat. 35 15 13 7 18.5 .529
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1741 1773 3rd Cat. 32 14 10 8 18.0 .563
JAMES HANKARD Antrim, NH 1629 1816 2nd Cat. 37 15 16 6 18.0 .486
WILLIAM BURKE Leominster 1633 1665 3rd Cat. 31 13 12 6 16.0 .516
ARTHUR BARLAS Chelmsford 1815 1833 2nd Cat. 21 13 5 3 14.5 .690
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1933 2186 1st Cat. 17 12 2 3 13.5 .794
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Martin Laine Memorial, starts Wednesday, April 18th.
Players must be present by 7 p.m. in Room C159 of the McKay Complex in order to be paired for Round 1 on April 18th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

April 9th, 2018
Wachusett CC's Nik Lavoie ties for first at Chess Fool's Day Open in Western Mass

Nik Lavoie, a Wachusett Chess Club member from Worcester, tied for 1st place in the Chess Fool's Day Open, held Saturday, April 7, in the Alumni House at Amherst College in Amherst, Mass. Lavoie scored 3.5-0.5, as did expert Alan Lasser and Class A entrant Douglas Reed. After drawing a "B" player in round 1, Lavoie then beat 3 "A" players in a row to end up gaining 208 rating points and moving his rating from 1493 to 1701 in the 23-player event. Lavoie, who was away from playing in rated chess for more than 13 years, started playing at the Wachusett CC in early January 2016.
-George M

A quartet of active WCC Class B players took part in the tournament. Nik's outstanding performance earned him 208 rating points, which moves him from mid Class C to mid Class B in the USCF ranks.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday April 9, 2018 Rating Updates from the Chess Fool's Day Open; ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated TournamentSection: NamePre => Post
12465223: EDWARD ARTHUR HARRIS2018-04-07CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1731 => 1744 B
12840591: NIKOLAS LAVOIE2018-04-07CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1493 => 1701 B
12413721: DAVE J COUTURE2018-04-07CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1686 => 1665 B
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD2018-04-07CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1615 => 1629 B

April 4th, 2018
2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, April 4th, 2018
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Joe Bennett
Gary Brassard 0-1Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson 1-0Bill Burke
Dave Couture 0-1Paul Godin
Jim Hankard 0-1Ken Gurge
♔ Mike Commisso 1-0Ed Harris
Dave Thomas 1-0Nik Lavoie
George Mirijanian 1-0Mike Meehan
Larry Gladding 1-0Kyle Cullen
Ralph McNeilage 1/2-1/2Roland Booker
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Michael David
♖ Mariano Rivera 1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy 0-1Don Briggs
Francis Scanlon 0-1John Bastarache
Tom Whistler 1/2-1/2Andrew Kiser
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Larry O'Rourle
Total of 16 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ritvik Pulya, Geoff LePoer, Jim Donahue, Don Ostrowski, Raaga Pulya and Gail Lingner.
♖ Not playing round 4 was Arthur Barlas.

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, April 4th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5Cappallo, Felton
3.0Paulson, Godin, Bennett, Gurge, Thomas, Commisso
2.5Mirijanian, Gladding, Brassard, Ri. Pulya
2.0LePoer, Harris, Couture, Donahue, Burke, Hankard, Booker, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Ostrowski. Briggs, Ra. Pulya
1.5McNeilage, Meehan, Biglow, Bastarache, Rivera, Cullen
1.0Barlas, Lingner, O'Rourke, Kiser, Gawboy, David, Whistler
0.5Scanlon
0.0McLaughlin
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for April 11th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Felton vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Paulson vs. Thomas
Board 3: Godin vs. Gurge
Board 4: Bennett vs. Commisso
Board 5: Brassard vs. Mirijanian
Board 6: Gladding vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 7: Booker vs. LePoer
Board 8: Harris vs. Lavoie
Board 9: Ostrowski vs. Couture
Board 10: Ra. Pulya vs. Donahue
Board 11: Burke vs. Fratturelli
Board 12: Briggs vs. Hankard
Board 13: Basttarache vs. McNeilage
Board 14: Meehan vs. Rivera
Board 15: Cullen vs. Biglow
Board 16: Kiser vs. Barlas
Board 17: David vs. Lingner
Board 18: O'Rourke vs. Gawboy
Board 19: McLaughlin vs. Whistler

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on April 11th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

April 3rd, 2018
Former Wachusett CC champion Carissa Yip ties for 2nd in 12th annual Philadelphia Open

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014, made another impressive performance by tying for 2nd place in the 12th annual Philadelphia Open, held March 28 through April 1st at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. The 14-year-old FIDE master from Andover, Mass. tallied 5 wins,3 draws and only one loss, for a score of 6.5-2.5, to tie for the runner-up position with three 3 GMs and 2 IMs. She finished ahead of 4 GMs, including GM Sam Sevian and GM Alexander Stripunsky, the latter of whom she defeated in the final round. Two of her three draws were against IMs. Her score also netted her prize money for tying for 1st-2nd U2400.
-George M

Carissa's round 7 win over IM Andrew Tang is posted in the Games Section.

March 28th, 2018
2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, March 28th, 2018
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Joe Bennett 1-0Dave Couture
Nik Lavoie 0-1Bruce Felton
Paul Godin 1/2-1/2♖ Mike Commisso
Jim Donahue 0-1Gary Brassard
Ken Gurge 1/2-1/2Dave Thomas
Mike Meehan 0-1Ray Paulson
Roland Booker 1/2-1/2Larry Gladding
♔ Ritvik Pulya 1-0Ralph McNeilage
Ed Harris 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Brian Biglow 0-1Bill Burke
Michael David 0-1Jim Hankard
Tom Whistler 0-1Don Ostrowski
John Bastarache 0-1♔ Kyle Cullen
Andrew Kiser 0-1♔ Raaga Pulya
Don Briggs 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
♔ Mariano Rivera 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Total of 16 boards, 4 major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Roger Cappallo, Geoff LePoer and George Mirijanian.
♜ Receiving a full-point bye was Emily Gawboy.
♖ Not playing round 3 was Gail Lingner.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Rob King, Diego Ubiera, Vince Premus, Bob Mathieu and Harry Richardson.

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, March 28th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0Bennett
2.5Cappallo, Felton, Brassard
2.0Paulson, Godin, Gurge, Harris, Thomas, Couture, Burke, Hankard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Lavoie
1.5LePoer, Mirijanian, Gladding, Donahue, Meehan, Booker, Ostrowski, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
1.0McNeilage, Fratturelli, Biglow, Briggs, David, Rivera, Gawboy
0.5Lingner, Bastarache, Kiser, Whistler
0.0O'Rourke, McLaughlin
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for April 4th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Bennett
Board 2: Brassard vs. Felton
Board 3: Paulson vs. Burke
Board 4: Couture vs. Godin
Board 5: Hankard vs. Gurge
Board 6: Commisso vs. Harris
Board 7: Thomas vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 8: Mirijanian vs. Lavoie
Board 9: Gladding vs. Meehan
Board 10: Cullen vs. Donahue
Board 11: Ostrowski vs. Booker
Board 12: Ra. Pulya vs. McNeilage
Board 13: Fratturelli vs. David
Board 14: Rivera vs. Biglow
Board 15: Gawboy vs. Briggs
Board 16: Lingner vs. Kiser
Board 17: Whistler vs. Bastarache
Board 18: McLaughlin vs. O'Rourke

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 is LePoer.

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

March 26th, 2018
Wachusett CC Players' Rating Gains and Losses at the 2018 NH Quick Chsmpionship

Five active & inactive WCC members took part in the 2018 New Hampshire Quick Chsmpionship in Portsmouth, NH, held this past weekend. The tournament finished in a three way tie between GM Alexander Ivanov, IM Dave Vigorito & NH resident, John P. Elmore. Reigning WCC Champ, Ray Paulson finished in 11th place with a respectsble score of 5.0/8. Four other WCC players competed.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday March 26, 2018 Quick Rating Updates from the NH Quick Championship  ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated TournamentSection: NamePre => Post
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON2018-03-24NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH)1: CHAMP 1865 => 1854 A
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO2018-03-24NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH)1: CHAMP 1500 => 1532 C
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD2018-03-24NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH)1: CHAMP 1500 => 1510 C
12758321: MICHAEL MEEHAN2018-03-24NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH)1: CHAMP 1525 => 1492 C
15470877: JEREMY TILTON2018-03-24NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH)1: CHAMP 919 => 948 F

March 21st, 2018
2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, March 21st, 2018
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Ed Harris
Dave Thomas 1/2-1/2Paul Godin
Larry Gladding 0-1♔ Dave Couture
Jim Hankard 0-1Joe Bennett
Gary Brassard 1/2-1/2Mike Meehan
Mike Commisso 1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage 0-1♔ Nik Lavoie
Bruce Felton 1-0Michael David
Don Ostrowski 0-1Jim Donahue
Kyle Cullen 0-1Ray Paulson
Geoff LePoer 1-0Don Briggs
Bill Burke 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Mariano Rivera
Emily Gawboy 0-1Brian Biglow
John Bastarache 1/2-1/2♖ Raaga Pulya
Total of 16 boards, 2 major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Rob King, Diego Ubiera, George Mirijanian, Vince Premus, Bob Mathieu,
Harry Richardson, Gail Lingner, Andrew Kiser and Tom Whistler.
♙ Arthur Barlas withdrew from the tournament.

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, March 21st, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Cappallo, Bennett, Couture, Lavoie
1.5Godin, Felton, Brassard, Gurge, Thomas, Donahue, Meehan, Commisso
1.0King, Paulson, Ubiera, LePoer, Mirijanian, Gladding, McNeilage, Harris, Premus, Burke, Hankard, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli,
Mathieu, Richardson, Biglow, David
0.5Lingner, Ostrowski, Bastarache, Kiser, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0Briggs, McLaughlin, O'Rourke, Rivera, Gawboy
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for March 28th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Joe Bennett (2.0)     Dave Couture (2.0)
2     Nik Lavoie (2.0)         Paul Godin (1.5)
3     Mike Meehan (1.5)     Bruce Felton (1.5)
4     Jim Donahue (1.5)     Gary Brassard (1.5)
5     Ken Gurge (1.5)         Dave Thomas (1.5)
6     George Mirijanian (1.0)     Michael Commisso (1.5)
7     Ray Paulson (1.0)        Jim Hankard (1.0)
8     Ritvik Pulya (1.0)        Larry Gladding (1.0)
9     Brian Biglow (1.0)     Ralph McNeilage (1.0)
10     Ed Harris (1.0)         Michael David (1.0)
11     Tom Fratturelli (1.0)     William Burke (1.0)
12     Gail Lingner (0.5)       Kyle Culllen (0.5)
13     Andrew Kiser (0.5)     Don Ostrowski (0.5)
14     Tom Whistler (0.5)     John Bastarache (0.5)
15     Raaga Pulya (0.5)         Don Briggs (0.0)
16     Mariano Rivera (0.0)      Larry O'Rourke (0.0)
17     Hugh McLaughlin (0.0)     Emily Gawboy (0.0)

♗ Requesting half-point byes for Round 3 are Cappallo and LePoer.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on March 28th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

March 20th, 2018
Former Wachusett CC champion Carissa Yip wins 2018 Spiegel Cup

Former Wachusett Chess Club champion Carissa Yip of Andover was the winner in the 20-player High School section of the 2018 Barry S. Spiegel Cup on Sunday, March 18, at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough. The tournament, which is the annual Massachusetts Singles Scholastic Championship in four sections, saw the 14-year-old FIDE master accomplish this by winning a playoff against national master Michael Isakov , after both scored 3.5-0.5, including a draw with one another in the final round of regular play. The victory qualifies Carissa to represent Massachusetts in the GM Denker Tournament of High School Champions, which will be played July 28-31, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. Carissa won the 2014 Wachusett CC Championship with a perfect score of 7-0 when she was 10 years old. She finished a full 2 points ahead of her closest rival. Since leaving the Wachusett CC in January 2015, Carissa has become a stronger player - evidenced by her participation in the 2016 and 2017 U.S. Women's Championship in Saint Louis.
-George M

March 15th, 2018
Simultaneous Chess exhibition by Marc Esserman -- Saturday, March 24, 2018

Simultaneous Chess exhibition by Marc Esserman (International Master; FIDE rating 2446)


Marc faces Vishy Anand at Gibraltar 2016; result, DRAW!
Sophie Triay photo
Marc Esserman on Chessdb.com
Marc Esserman on Wikipedia.org
Marc Esserman on USChessLeague.com
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Quinsigamond Community College, Administration Building cafeteria
Registration opens at 9:00am. Entry fee is $10 per person. The simul begins at 9:30.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own set of chess pieces and board.
All ages are welcome.
Question/Answer Session after the simul.
For more info: contact Jerry Williams, 508-335-0692.
--
The Chess Club at Worcester State University
Email: chesswsu@gmail.com

March 14th, 2018
2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Siiskonen Memorial opens with a quartet of upsets

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, March 14th, 2018
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 0-1♔Mike Commisso
Ritvik Pulya 0-1Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Tom Fratturelli
♔ Nik Lavoie 1-0Geoff LePoer
Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2♖ Don Ostrowski
Brian Biglow 0-1Larry Gladding
Joe Bennett 1-0John Bastarache
Don Briggs 0-1Gary Brassard
Ken Gurge 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Ed Harris 1-0Andrew Kiser
Mariano Rivera 0-1Dave Thomas
Dave Couture 1-0Emily Gawboy
♔ Michael David 1-0Bill Burke
Mike Meehan 1-0Tom Whistler
Raaga Pulya 0-1Jim Hankard
Total of 16 boards, 3 major upsets (♔ ♕)
1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Rob King, Diego Ubiera, George Mirijanian, Arthur Barlas, Vince Premus,
Jim Donahue, Bob Mathieu, Harry Richardson and Kyle Cullen.
♖ Not playing round 1 was Gail Lingner.

Evert Siiskonen Memorial, March 14th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Cappallo, Godin, Gladding, Bennett, Brassard, Gurge, McNeilage, Harris, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Hankard, Commisso,
Lavoie, David
0.5King, Ubiera, Mirijanian, Felton, Barlas, Premus, Donahue, Ostrowski, Mathieu, Richardson, Cullen
0.0Paulson, LePoer, Burke, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Lingner, Biglow, Bastarache, Briggs, O'Rourke, McLaughlin, Kiser,
Rivera, Gawboy, Whistler, Ra. Pulya
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for March 21st:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Cappallo vs. Harris
Board 2: Thomas vs. Godin
Board 3: Gladding vs. Couture
Board 4: Hankard vs. Bennett
Board 5: Brassard vs. Meehan
Board 6: Commisso vs. Gurge
Board 7: McNeilage vs. Lavoie
Board 8: King vs. David
Board 9: Ubiera vs. Donahue
Board 10: Ostrowski vs. Mirijanian
Board 11: Mathieu vs. Felton
Board 12: Barlas vs. Richardson
Board 13: Premus vs. Cullen
Board 14: O'Rourke vs. Paulson
Board 15: LePoer vs. Briggs
Board 16: Burke vs. McLaughlin
Board 17: Kiser vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 18: Fratturelli vs. Rivera
Board 19: Gawboy vs. Lingner
Board 20: Whistler vs. Biglow
Board 21: Bastarache vs. Ra. Pulya

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 2 on March 21st.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

March 14th, 2018
Ratings in effect for 2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial

Round 1 of the Evert Siiskonen Memorial will be played Wednesday evening, March 14, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Players who wish to participate should make every attempt to arrive on time - by 7:10 p.m., at the latest, so that the round can get under way by 7:15 p.m.

  ♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚     Ratings in effect for
the 2018 Evert Siiskonen Memorial tournament:
1Rob King 2202
2Brett Kildahl 2129
3Ray Paulson 1988
4Roger Cappallo 1987
5Diego Ubiera 1985
6Paul Godin 1960
7Geoff LePoer 1941
8George Mirijanian 1933
9Bruce Felton 1913
10Larry Gladding 1837
11Arthur Barlas 1815
12Gary Brassard 1768
13Ken Gurge 1747
14Ralph McNeilage 1741
15Ed Harris 1731
16Paul Lynch 1705
17Dave Thomas 1700
18Dave Couture 1686
19Vince Premus 1676
20Jim Donahue 1658
21Bill Burke 1633
22Mike Meehan 1627
23Jim Hankard 1615
24Alan Condon 1605
25Mike Commisso 1578
26Ritvik Pulya 1566
27Tom Fratturelli 1551
28Gail Lingner 1500
29Nik Lavoie 1493
30Scott Taylor 1488
31Don Ostrowski 1458
32Bob Mathieu 1450
33Harry Richardson 1447
34Brian Biglow 1418
35John Bastarache 1400
36Don Briggs 1369
37:Larry O'Rourke 1342
38Wayne Steadman 1326
39Hugh McLaughlin 1200
40Andrew Kiser 1150
41Mariano Rivera 1109
42Emily Gawboy 1081
43Michael David 1074
44Tom Whistler 1023
45Kyle Cullen 941
46Raaga Pulya 745
47James Petullo 514

March 7th, 2018
2018 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Cappallo & Felton repeat at top

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, March 7th, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Cappallo, Felton
3.5King, LePoer
3.0Paulson, Ubiera, Godin, Mirijanian, Gladding, McNeilage, Ostrowski
2.5Gurge, Brassard, Thomas, Meehan, Donahue, Hankard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Mathieu, Rivera
2.0Burke, Biglow, Bastarache, Briggs, Kiser
1.5Richardson, Gawboy, Cullen, Ra. Pulya, David
1.0O'Rourke, Whistler

♔ 2018 George E. O'Rourke Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-2nd: Roger Cappallo of Groton, Bruce Felton of Fitchburg
Top U1850: Larry Gladding of Leominster, Ralph McNeilage of Worcester
Top U1700: Mike Meehan of Westminster, Jim Donahue of Stow,
Jim Hankard of Antrim, NH, Mike Commisso of Brookline, NH,
Ritvik Pulya of Acton
Top U1550: Tom Fratturelli and Manuel Rivera, both of Leominster,
Nik Lavoie of Worcester, Bob Mathieu of Ashburnham
Top U1400: Don Ostrowski of Fitchburg

A total of 1 player
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following player had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Don Ostrowski + 203
A total of 3 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Don Ostrowski 1455P7
Mariano Rivera 1109P10
Michael David 1074P2

Pictures from Dave Couture's visit to the Saint Louis Chess Center.

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 3/7/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1987 2102 Can. Master 31 20 5 6 23.0 .742
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1960 2020 1st Cat. 31 18 5 8 22.0 .710
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1837 1953 1st Cat. 32 20 10 2 21.0 .656
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1988 2085 1st Cat. 25 16 4 5 18.5 .740
KEN GURGE Leominster 1747 1856 2nd Cat. 29 15 8 6 18.0 .621
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1913 1971 1st Cat. 25 16 6 3 17.5 .700
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1768 1904 1st Cat. 28 15 9 4 17.0 .607
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1686 1858 1st Cat. 29 14 10 5 16.5 .569
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1726 1773 3rd Cat. 27 12 8 7 15.5 .574
JAMES HANKARD Antrim, NH 1615 1816 2nd Cat. 32 12 14 6 15.0 .469
ARTHUR BARLAS Chelmsford 1815 1833 2nd Cat. 20 13 4 3 14.5 .725
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1578 1719 3rd Cat. 30 12 13 5 14.5 .483
WILLIAM BURKE Leominster 1633 1665 3rd Cat. 26 11 9 6 14.0 .538
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1933 2186 1st Cat. 16 11 2 3 12.5 .781
BRIAN BIGLOW Fitchburg 1418 1693 3rd Cat. 31 11 17 3 12.5 .403
BRETT KILDAHL Worcester 2129 2214 Natl. Master 15 12 3 0 12.0 .800
DIEGO UBIERA Worcester 1985 2008 1st Cat. 13 11 1 1 11.5 .885
JIM DONAHUE Stow 1658 1738 3rd Cat. 24 8 10 6 11.0 .458
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 1 on March 14th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

March 6th, 2018
Wachusett CC closed this week!

"This is a Fitchburg State University Alert. Due to inclement weather, the University is closed Wednesday, March 7, 2018,
both day and evening classes are cancelled."
Because Fitchburg State University will be closed Wednesday, here's what we are going to do:
WE WILL NOT MEET WEDNESDAY, MARCH. 7.
Everyone playing in the George E. O'Rourke Memorial tournament will receive a half-point bye for Round 5.
This tournament, the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, will remain a 5-round Swiss, despite our inability to meet for Round 5. -GM

March 5th, 2018
NM Rob King tops Worcester & WCC rating lists

With a USCF rating of 2201, NM Rob King now heads the rating list not only of the Wachusett CC, where he was club champion in 2011, but also the Greater Worcester CC, where he now holds a lead of one rating point over FM John Curdo, currently at his rating floor of 2200.
♔ Wachusett CC Rating List (March 4th 2018)
♚ Worcester CC Rating List (March 4th 2018)

February 28th, 2018
2018 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 4 of 5

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 28th, 2018
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Larry Gladding
Bruce Felton 1-0Paul Godin
Gary Brassard 0-1Rob King
Ray Paulson 1-0Nik Lavoie
George Mirijanian 1-0Brian Biglow
Jim Hankard 1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Don Briggs
Jim Donahue 1/2-1/2Dave Thomas
Tom Fratturelli 1/2-1/2Mike Meehan
♔ Don Ostrowski 1-0Bill Burke
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Emily Gawboy
Kyle Cullen 0-1Bob Mathieu
Raaga Pulya 0-1John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke 0-1♔ Andrew Kiser
Michael David 1-0Tom Whistler
Total of 15 boards, 2 major upsets (♔).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Geoff LePoer, Diego Ubiera, Mike Commisso, Mariano Rivera and Harry Richardson.
♖ Not playing round 4 was Dave Couture, who BTW had the opportunity of visiting the U.S. Chess Center in Saint Louis on Wednesday morning and by chance met Rex Sinquefield and his wife and chatted with him for a few minutes. Dave took photos, which will be posted on the club website (www.wachusettchess.org) soon.

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 28th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5Cappallo, Felton
3.0King, LePoer
2.5Paulson, Ubiera, Godin, Mirijanian, Gladding, McNeilage, Ostrowski
2.0Gurge, Brassard, Thomas, Meehan, Donahue, Hankard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Mathieu, Rivera
1.5Couture, Burke, Biglow, Bastarache, Briggs, Kiser
1.0Richardson, Gawboy, Cullen, Ra. Pulya, David
0.5O'Rourke, Whistler
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for March 7th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Felton vs. Cappallo
Board 2: King vs. LePoer
Board 3: Paulson vs. Mirijanian
Board 4: Gladding vs. Ubiera
Board 5: Godin vs. Ostrowski
Board 6: Gurge vs. McNeilage
Board 7: Commisso vs. Brassard
Board 8: Thomas vs. Fratturelli
Board 9: Meehan vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 10: Lavoie vs. Donahue
Board 11: Mathieu vs. Hankard
Board 12: Biglow vs. Rivera
Board 13: Briggs vs. Burke
Board 14: Kiser vs. Bastarache
Board 15: Richardson vs. Cullen
Board 16: Gawboy vs. David
Board 17: O'Rourke vs. Ra. Pulya

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

February 24th, 2018
Informal chess club meets Sundays, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at The Billiards Cafe, Ayer

Starting June 4th last year (2017), newest WCC member, Mike David
has been running an informal chess club
Sundays, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.,
at The Billiards Cafe, 39 Main St., Ayer, MA
Play Is "quick chess," i.e. Game/15, usually a round robin.
No entry fees, no prizes - just fun.

February 21st, 2018
2018 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 3 of 5

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 21st, 2018
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♔ Larry Gladding 1-0Ray Paulson
Dave Thomas 0-1Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Ralph McNeilage
Mike Meehan 0-1Geoff LePoer
Bill Burke 0-1Bruce Felton
Don Briggs 0-1Diego Ubiera
Bob Mathieu 0-1Gary Brassard
Nik Lavoie 1-0Kyle Cullen
Ken Gurge 1-0Raaga Pulya
John Bastarache 0-1Jim Hankard
Mike Commisso 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Don Ostrowski 1-0Harry Richardson
Brian Biglow 1-0Tom Whistler
Mariano Rivera 1-0Michael David
Total of 14 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Rob King, George Mirijanian, Dave Couture, Jim Donahue, Tom Fratturelli,
Ritvik Pulya and Emily Gawboy.
♖ Not playing round 3 was Andrew Kiser.
♟ Withdrawn from the tournament were Scott Taylor and James Petullo.

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 21st, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.5Cappallo, Godin, LePoer, Felton, Gladding
2.0King, Ubiera, Brassard, Lavoie
1.5Paulson, Mirijanian, Gurge, McNeilage, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Burke, Donahue, Hankard, Commisso, Fratturelli, Biglow,
Briggs, Ostrowski, Rivera
1.0Ri. Pulya, Mathieu, Gawboy, Cullen, Ra, Pulya
0.5Richardson, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Kiser, Whistler
0.0David
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for February 28th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Roger Cappallo (2.5)     Larry Gladding (2.5)
2     Bruce Felton (2.5)         Paul Godin (2.5)
3     Gary Brassard (2.0)     Robert King (2.0)
4     Diego Ubiera (2.0)       Nik Lavoie (2.0)
5     Ray Paulson (1.5)        Brian Biglow (1.5)
6     Jim Donahue (1.5)     George Mirijanian (1.5)
7     Jim Hankard (1.5)         Ken Gurge (1.5)
8     Ralph McNeilage (1.5)     Michael Commisso (1.5)
9     Tom Fratturelli (1.5)     Dave Thomas (1.5)
10     Don Briggs (1.5)         Mike Meehan (1.5)
11     Don Ostrowski (1.5)     William Burke (1.5)
12     Ritvik Pulya (1.0)         Mariano Rivera (1.5)
13     Kyle Culllen (1.0)         Bob Mathieu (1.0)
14     Raaga Pulya (1.0)        Emily Gawboy (1.0)
15     Harry Richardson (0.5)     Andrew Kiser (0.5)
16     Larry O'Rourke (0.5)      John Bastarache (0.5)
17     Michael David (0.0)        Tom Whistler (0.5)

♗ Requesting a half-point bye for Round 4 is LePoer.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new player and USCF member Michael David of Groton.
Mike runs an informal chess club Sundays, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at The Billiards Cafe, 39 Main St., Ayer, Mass.
Play Is "quick chess," i.e. Game/15, usually a round robin. No entry fees, no prizes - just fun. Welcome, Mike, to the club!

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

February 14th, 2018
2018 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 2 of 5

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 14th, 2018
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Jim Hankard 0-1Rob King
Ray Paulson 1-0Mike Commisso
Roger Cappallo 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Harry Richardson 0-1Paul Godin
Geoff LePoer 1-0Brian Biglow
Bruce Felton 1-0John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Larry Gladding
Ken Gurge 0-1♔ Don Briggs
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Don Ostrowski
Emily Gawboy 0-1Dave Thomas
Tom Whistler 0-1Mike Meehan
Bill Burke 1-0Mariano Rivera
♖ Raaga Pulya 1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Total of 13 boards, 1 major upset (♔ ♕) 1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Diego Ubiera, George Mirjanian, Gary Brassard, Dave Couture, Tom Fratturelli,
Nik Lavoie, Scott Taylor, Bob Mathieu, Kyle Cullen and James Petullo.
♖ Not playing round 2 was Andrew Kiser.

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 14th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.5King, Paulson, Cappallo, Godin, LePoer, Felton, Gladding, McNeilage, Thomas, Burke, Meehan, Briggs
1.0Ubiera, Mirijanian, Brassard, Couture, Donahue, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Taylor, Mathieu, Cullen, Ra. Pulya, Petullo
0.5Gurge, Hankard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Richardson, Biglow, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Ostrowski,
Kiser, Gawboy, Whistler, Rivera
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for February 21st:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: King vs. McNeilage
Board 2: Gladding vs. Paulson
Board 3: Thomas vs. Cappallo
Board 4: Godin vs. Burke
Board 5: Meehan v. LePoer
Board 6: Briggs vs. Felton
Board 7: Fratturelli vs. Ubiera
Board 8: Lavoie vs. Mirijanian
Board 9: Mathieu vs. Brassard
Board 10: Couture vs. Cullen
Board 11: Donahue vs. Petullo
Board 12: Gurge vs. Ra. Pulya
Board 13: Ostrowski vs. Hankard
Board 14: Commisso vs. O'Rourke
Board 15: Ri. Pulya vs. Kiser
Board 16: Rivera vs. Richardson
Board 17: Biglow vs. Gawboy
Board 18: Bastarache vs. Whistler

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new member Mariano Rivera of Leominster, formerly of San Antonio, Texas. Welcome, Mariano!

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

February 14th, 2018
Ratings in effect for George O.Rourke Memorial (Feb. 7, 2018)

Round 2 of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial will be played Wednesday evening, Feb. 14, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Players who wish to participate should make every attempt to arrive on time - by 7:10 p.m., at the latest, so that the round can get under way by 7:15 p.m. All participants will receive retroactively a half-point bye for round 1, which was not played because of a snowstorm and Fitchburg State University being closed on Feb. 7.

  ♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚     Ratings in effect for
the 2018 George E. O.Rourke Memorial tournament:
1Rob King 2203
2Brett Kildahl 2129
3Ray Paulson 1995
4Diego Ubiera 1984
5Roger Cappallo 1972
6Paul Godin 1969
7Geoff LePoer 1935
8George Mirijanian 1931
9Bruce Felton 1889
10Larry Gladding 1821
11Arthur Barlas 1815
12Ken Gurge 1783
13Gary Brassard 1766
14Ralph McNeilage 1722
15Dave Thomas 1707
16Paul Lynch 1705
17Ed Harris 1700
18Dave Couture 1686
19Vince Premus 1676
20Mike Meehan 1665
21Bill Burke 1665
22Jim Donahue 1650
23Alan Condon 1605
24Jim Hankard 1604
25Mike Commisso 1577
26Ritvik Pulya 1567
27Tom Fratturelli 1546
28Gail Lingner 1500
29Nik Lavoie 1494
30Scott Taylor 1488
31Harry Richardson 1472
32Bob Mathieu 1454
33Brian Biglow 1418
34John Bastarache 1405
35Larry O'Rourke 1391
36Wayne Steadman 1326
37Don Briggs 1322
38Don Ostrowski 1252
39Hugh McLaughlin 1200
40Andrew Kiser 1102
41Emily Gawboy 1086
42Tom Whistler 1057
43Raaga Pulya 714
44James Petullo 514

February 11th, 2018
George E, O'Rourke Memorial gets under way Wednesday, Feb. 14

Despite being snowed out for the first round of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial on Feb. 7th, that tournament finally gets under way this Wednesday, Feb. 14, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University. Those who wish to participate should show up by 7 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 2. Participants will receive retroactively half-point byes for Round 1. The 5-round event honors the memory of Wachusett CC member George Edmund O'Rourke of Concord, who passed away at age 77 on Feb. 26, 2007.

Who will win the 2018 edition of the O'Rourke Memorial?
Here is a historical review of the winners in the past 10 years:
2017 - Brett Kildahl, 4.5-0.5
2016 - Edward Harris, 4.5-0.5
2015 - Walter Niemi, 4.5-0.5
2014 - Carissa Yip, 4.5-0.5
2013 - Ray Paulson, Paul Godin, George Mirijanian, Bruce Felton, 4-1
2012 - Bruce Felton, 4.5-0.5
2011 - Paul Godin, 4.5-0.5
2010 - Paul Giovino, 4.5-0.5
2009 - Ken Gurge, 4.5-0.5
2008 - Ken Gurge, 4-1
[Interestingly, none of the tournament's winners in the past ten years did so with a perfect score.]
-George M

February 7th, 2018
Wachusett CC closed this week!

Because Fitchburg State University will be closed Wednesday, here's what we are going to do:
WE WILL NOT MEET WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7.
Everyone who shows up for Round 2 next Wednesday, Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day),
will receive retroactively a half-point bye for Round 1 tonight.
If you know that you are playing and want a half-point bye for Round 2, please let us know.
This tournament, the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, will remain a 5-round Swiss, despite our inability to meet tonight for Round 1. -GM

January 31st, 2018
2018 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 5 of 5

Cappallo & Felton tie for top honors at 2018 opener

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 31st, 2018
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 1/2-1/2Roger Cappallo
Gary Brassard 0-1Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson 1-0Jim Hankard
Arthur Barlas 1/2-1/2Ralph McNeilage
Larry Gladding 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Mike Meehan 0-1Ken Gurge
Geoff LePoer 1-0Jim Donahue
George Mirijanian 1-0Harry Richardson
Nik Lavoie 1/2-1/2Dave Couture
Raaga Pulya 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Rob King
Mike Commisso 1-0Don Ostrowski
Brian Biglow 1-0Bob Mathieu
John Bastarache 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Andrew Kiser 0-1Emily Gawboy
Total of 15 boards, no major upsets.

♖ Not playing Round 5 were Dave Thomas, Paul Lynch, Bill Burke, Diego Ubiera, Ed Harris, Gail Lingner,
Don Briggs, James Petullo and Scott Taylor.

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 31st, 2018
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Cappallo, Felton
3.5Paulson, Godin, Gladding, Gurge
3.0LePoer, Mirijanian, Barlas, Brassard, McNeilage, Fratturelli
2.5King, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Hankard, Commisso, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Lavoie, Biglow, Bastarache
2.0Lynch, Burke, Richardson, Ra. Pulya
1.5Ubiera, Harris, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Gawboy, Ostrowski
1.0Lingner, Briggs, Petullo, Taylor
0.5McLaughlin, Kiser

♔ 2018 Reggie Boone Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-2nd: Roger Cappallo of Groton, Bruce Felton of Fitchburg
Top U1900: Larry Gladding and Ken Gurge, both of Leominster
Top U1700: Tom Fratturelli of Leominster
Top U1500: Nik Lavoie of Worcester, Brian Biglow and John Bastarache,
both of Fitchburg
Top U1300: Raaga Pulya of Acton

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Raaga Pulya + 100
Ritvik Pulya + 62
Jim Donahue + 51
A total of 6 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
William Burke 1665
Ritvik Pulya 1567
Nik Lavoie 1494
Scott Taylor 1488/P1
Don Ostrowski 1252/P4
Raaga Pulya 714

Congratulations to all!

Pictures from this year's Reggie Boone Memorial tournament.

Current 2018 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 1/31/18 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1961 2020 1st Cat. 28 16 4 8 20.0 .714
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1956 2102 Can. Master 28 17 5 6 20.0 .714
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1813 1953 1st Cat. 29 18 9 2 19.0 .655
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1997 2085 1st Cat. 22 14 3 5 16.5 .750
KEN GURGE Leominster 1769 1856 2nd Cat. 26 14 7 5 16.5 .635
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1703 1858 1st Cat. 29 14 10 5 16.5 .569
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1769 1904 1st Cat. 26 14 8 4 16.0 .615
ARTHUR BARLAS Chelmsford 1826 1833 2nd Cat. 20 13 4 3 14.5 .725
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1864 1971 1st Cat. 22 13 6 3 14.5 .659
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1757 1773 3rd Cat. 24 10 7 7 13.5 .563
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1582 1719 3rd Cat. 28 11 12 5 13.5 .482
JAMES HANKARD Antrim, NH 1600 1816 2nd Cat. 29 11 13 5 13.5 .466
WILLIAM BURKE Leominster 1663 1663 3rd Cat. 23 10 7 6 13.0 .565
BRETT KILDAHL Worcester 2129 2214 Natl. Master 15 12 3 0 12.0 .800
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1929 2186 1st Cat. 15 10 2 3 11.5 .767
DIEGO UBIERA Worcester 2008 2008 1st Cat. 12 10 1 1 10.5 .875
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next club tournament, the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, will start Wednesday, Feb. 7.
Players must be present in Room C159 of the McKay Complex 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.

January 31st, 2018
Updated Projected Round 5 pairings for Reggie Boone Memorial


Updated (SwissSys) Projected Round 5 Pairings for January 31st:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Paul Godin (3.0)          Roger Cappallo (3.5)
2     Gary Brassard (3.0)     Bruce Felton (3.0)
3     Dave Thomas (2.5)     Ray Paulson (2.5)
4     Arthur Barlas (2.5)     Jim Hankard (2.5)
5     Larry Gladding (2.5)     Jim Donahue (2.5)
6     Mike Meehan (2.5)     Ken Gurge (2.5)
7     Ritvik Pulya (2.5)         Ralph McNeilage (2.5)
8     Nik Lavoie (2.0)            Geoff Lepoer (2.0)
9     George Mirijanian (2.0)     Tom Fratturelli (2.0)
10     Raaga Pulya (2.0)            Paul Lynch (2.0)
11     Harry Richardson (2.0)     Dave Couture (2.0)
12     Larry O'Rourke (1.5)       Diego Ubiera (1.5)
13     Brian Biglow (1.5)           Ed Harris (1.5)
14     Michael Commisso (1.5)     Don Ostrowski (1.5)
15     John Bastarache (1.5)     Bob Mathieu (1.5)
16     Scott Taylor (1.0)            Gail Lingner (1.0)
17     James Petullo (1.0)           Andrew Kiser (0.5)
18     Hugh McLaughlin (0.5)     Emily Gawboy (0.5)

January 30th, 2018
Wachusett CC players Paulson & Donahue runners-up in 2018 Billerica January Swiss

Current Wachusett Chess Club champion Ray Paulson of Lowell and fellow Wachusett CC member Jim Donahue of Stow were among the runners-up in the Billerica January Swiss, played Friday nights, Jan. 12-26 at the Billerica Chess Club in the town's senior center. Both shared those honors with the top-rated player, expert Tim Bromley of Billerica. All three tallied 2-1 in a 12-player field. Winning the tournament with a score of 2.5-0.5 was expert Arthur Nugent of Beverly. Nugent is the longtime contact person for the Billerica Chess Club.
-George M

January 24th, 2018
2018 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 24th, 2018
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2Paul Godin
Roger Cappallo 1-0Larry Gladding
Ralph McNeilage 1/2-1/2Ray Paulson
Jim Donahue 1/2-1/2Arthur Barlas
Dave Couture 0-1Gary Brassard
Harry Richardson 0-1Dave Thomas
Ken Gurge 1-0Mike Commisso
Bob Mathieu 0-1Mike Meehan
Jim Hankard 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Tom Fratturelli 1-0John Bastarache
Don Briggs 0-1Nik Lavoie
Andrew Kiser 0-1Brian Biglow
Don Ostrowski 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Scott Taylor
Total of 14 boards, no major upsets.

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ritvik Pulya, Geoff LePoer, George Mirijanian, Paul Lynch, Bill Burke,
Raaga Pulya, Diego Ubiera, Ed Harris, Gail Lingner and James Petullo.
♙ Vince Premus withdrew from the tournament.

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 24th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.5Cappallo
3.0Godin, Felton, Brassard
2.5Paulson, Barlas, Gladding, Gurge, McNeilage, Thomas, Meehan, Hankard, Donahue, Ri. Pulya
2.0LePoer, Mirijanian, Lynch, Couture, Burke, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Richardson, Ra. Paulya
1.5Ubiera, Harris, Commisso, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Biglow, Bastarache, Ostrowski
1.0Lingner, Briggs, Petullo, Taylor
0.5McLaughlin, Kiser, Gawboy
 


Projected Round 5 Pairings for January 31st:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs. Cappallo
Board 2: Brassard vs. Felton
Board 3:Thomas vs. Paulson
Board 4: Barlas vs. Meehan
Board 5: Gladding vs. Hankard
Board 6: Donahue vs. Gurge
Board 7: Ri. Pulya vs. McNeilage
Board 8: Fratturelli vs. LePoer
Board 9: Lavoie vs. Mirijanian
Board 10: Ra. Pulya vs. Lynch
Board 11: Richardson vs. Couture
Board 12: O'Rourke vs. Ubiera
Board 13: Biglow vs. Harris
Board 14: Commisso vs. Ostrowski
Board 15: Bastarache vs. Mathieu
Board 16: Lingner vs. Petullo
Board 17: Taylor vs. Kiser
Board 18: McLaughlin vs. Gawboy

♖ Not paired for Round 5 are: Burke and Briggs.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Scott Taylor of Londonderry, NH. This is his first USCF-rated tournament.

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

January 17th, 2018
2018 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Players receive half-point byes for round 3 due to snow

♝ Receiving half-point byes were: Paul Godin, Roger Cappallo, Bruce Felton, Larry Gladding, Ray Paulson, Arthur Barlas,
Gary Brassard, Ralph McNeilage, Dave Couture, Jim Donahue, Ritvik Pulya, Harry Richardson, Geoff LePoer, George Mirijanian,
Ken Gurge, Paul Lynch, Dave Thomas, Mike Meehan, Vince Premus, Bill Burke, Jim Hankard, Mike Commisso, Bob Mathieu,
Larry O'Rourke, John Bastarache, Raaga Pulya, Diego Ubiera, Ed Harris, Tom Fratturelli, Nik Lavoie, Don Briggs, Gail Lingner,
Brian Biglow, Hugh McLaughlin, Andrew Kiser, Emily Gawboy, James Petullo, & Don Ostrowski.
♙ Rob King, Alan Condon, Wayne Steadman and Francis Scanlon were withdrawn from the tournament.

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 17th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.5Godin, Cappallo, Felton, Gladding
2.0Paulson, Barlas, Brassard, McNeilage, Couture, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Richardson
1.5LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge, Lynch, Thomas, Meehan, Premus, Burke, Hankard, Commisso, Mathieu,
O'Rourke, Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.0Ubiera, Harris, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Briggs
0.5Lingner, Biglow, McLaughlin, Kiser, Gawboy, Petullo, Ostrowski
 


Projected Round 4 Pairings for January 24th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

1     Bruce Felton (2.5)          Paul Godin (2.5)
2     Roger Cappallo (2.5)     Larry Gladding (2.5)
3     Ralph McNeilage (2.0)     Ray Paulson (2.0)
4     Jim Donahue (2.0)          Arthur Barlas (2.0)
5     Dave Couture (2.0)         Gary Brassard (2.0)
6     Harry Richardson (2.0)     George Mirijanian (1.5)
7     Ken Gurge (1.5)               Michael Commisso (1.5)
8     Jim Hankard (1.5)            Paul Lynch (1.5)
9     Bob Mathieu (1.5)          Dave Thomas (1.5)
10     Larry O'Rourke (1.5)     Mike Meehan (1.5)
11     John Bastarache (1.5)     Diego Ubiera (1.0)
12     Tom Fratturelli (1.0)      Ed Harris (1.0)
13     Don Briggs (1.0)            Vince Premus (1.0)
14     Gail Lingner (0.5)         Nik Lavoie (1.0)
15     Brian Biglow (0.5)        Emily Gawboy (0.5)
16     James Petullo (0.5)     Hugh McLaughlin (0.5)
17     Andrew Kiser (0.5)       Don Ostrowski (0.5)

♗ Requesting a half-point byes for Round 4 are Geoff Lepoer, William Burke, Ritvik Pulya, & Raaga Pulya.

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

January 16th, 2018
Wachusett CC closed this week!

Because Fitchburg State University will be closed Wednesday, here's what we are going to do:
WE WILL NOT MEET WEDNESDAY, JAN. 17.
But instead of eliminating the round, we will give half-point byes to everyone for Round 3
except the following players (whom I am withdrawing from the tournament):
Rob King, Alan Condon, Wayne Steadman and Francis Scanlon. -GM

January 15th, 2018
Former Wachusett CC member Richard D. Chromiak dies at 22


Former Wachusett CC member Richard D. Chromiak dies at 22

Richard D. Chromiak

Richard "Richie" Dmytro Chromiak of Leominster, a former member of the Wachusett Chess Club and the U.S. Chess Federation, died on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2017. He was only 22. He was the son of Stephan and Marylee Chromiak. His father had also been a member of the Wachusett CC. Richard and his father were members of the Wachusett CC between May 2009 and April 2010. Richard played in nine club tournaments during that time. They included the 2009 Wachusett Chess Club Championship ("B" Division), Harlow Daly Memorial, Tigran Petrosian Memorial, Hervey R. Brisson Memorial, Arthur Bisguier Octogenarian Tournament, George Sturgis Memorial, Reggie Boone Memorial, George O'Rourke Memorial, and the Wachusett Chess Club Championship Prelims. Among current club members he faced were Ken Gurge, Lenny Arsenault, Tom Fratturelli, Wayne Steadman, Brian Biglow and Francis Scanlon. He had a win and a draw against Scanlon, and a win against Biglow.

A memorial service for Richard D. Chromiak will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018 at 10 a.m. in Grace Baptist Church, 42 River Road, Pepperell, MA 01463, on Saturday, January 27, 2018, at 10:00 am. Reception immediately following the service.

Richard's obituary is published at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fitchburg/obituary.aspx?n=richard-dmytro-chromiak&pid=187845527

-George M

January 13th, 2018
Instructional video #3 from Rob King

NM Rob King has posted another instructional video on YouTube as part of the
Metrowest Chess Club Video Series:
♖ Fischer - Benko, 1963
Check it out / share if you would like.
Thanks!
Rob

January 10th, 2018
2018 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 10th, 2018
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 1-0Ken Gurge
Paul Lynch 0-1Roger Cappallo
Dave Thomas 0-1Bruce Felton
Arthur Barlas 1/2-1/2Dave Couture
Mike Meehan 0-1Larry Gladding
Gary Brassard 1/2-1/2Ritvik Pulya
Diego Ubiera 0-1♔ Jim Donahue
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Ed Harris 0-1♔ Harry Richardson
Geoff LePoer 1-0Don Briggs
Bill Burke 1-0Brian Biglow
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Jim Hankard
Mike Commisso 1-0Andrew Kiser
♔ Raaga Pulya 1-0Gail Lingner
Bob Mathieu 1-0Emily Gawboy
Larry O'Rourke 1-0James Petullo
John Bastarache 1-0Don Ostrowski
Total of 17 boards, 3 major upsets (♔).

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Ray Paulson, Rob King, George Mirijanian, Vince Premus, Alan Condon,
Wayne Steadman, Francis Scanlon and Nik Lavoie.
♙ Tom Whistler withdrew from the tournament.

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 10th, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Godin, Cappallo, Felton, Gladding
1.5Paulson, Barlas, Brassard, McNeilage, Couture, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Richardson
1.0King, LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge, Lynch, Thomas, Meehan, Premus, Burke, Condon, Hankard, Commisso, Mathieu, O'Rourke,
Bastarache, Steadman, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya
0.5Ubiera, Harris, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Briggs
0.0Lingner, Biglow, McLaughlin, Kiser, Gawboy, Petullo, Ostrowski
 


Projected Round 3 Pairings for January 17th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Felton vs. Godin
Board 2: Cappallo vs. Gladding
Board 3: Couture vs. Paulson
Board 4: Donahue vs. Barlas
Board 5: Richardson vs. Brassard
Board 6: Ri. Pulya vs. McNeilage
Board 7: King vs. O'Rourke
Board 8: Hankard vs. LePoer
Board 9: Mirijanian vs. Commisso
Board 10: Gurge vs. Mathieu
Board 11: Condon vs. Lynch
Board 12: Bastarache vs. Thomas
Board 13: Steadman vs. Meehan
Board 14: Ra. Pulya vs. Burke
Board 15: Fratturelli vs. Ubiera
Board 16: Briggs vs. Harris
Board 17: Lingner vs. Lavoie
Board 18: Biglow vs. Gawboy
Board 19: Petullo vs. McLaughlin
Board 20: Kiser vs. Ostrowski

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

January 8th, 2018
Former Wachusett CC member Dean E. Turra dies at 62


Former Wachusett CC member Dean E. Turra dies at 62

Dean E. Turra

Dean E. Turra, a USCF life member and a former member of the Wachusett Chess Club, died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, at his home in Fitchburg. He was 62. Born Oct. 22, 1955 in Shirley, Mass., the son of Frank and Josephine (Bartolo) Turra, he graduated from Ayer High School in 1973. Dean served in the U.S. Army from 1975 to 1978. During that time, he became chess champion at Fort Meade in Maryland. While serving in the Army, he enrolled in the University of Maryland and continued his education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

After graduating from UMass-Amherst in 1982 with a degree in business, Dean joined the Wachusett Chess Club, which at that time was meeting at the St. Joseph Club in the Cleghorn section of Fitchburg. Dean became one of the most active members of the club during the 1980s and continued playing there right into the early 1990s. His last tournament at the club was the Wachusett CC Fall Swiss, held October-November 1992. His last over-the-board tournament was the Nashoba Chess Club July Swiss, held in Westford, Mass. in 1995. While playing at the Wachusett CC, Dean was a key member of the Wachusett CC team that narrowly lost a 14-board match to the Framingham Chess Club on April 2, 1985 at the American Legion in Framingham. Outrated on 11 of 14 boards, the Wachusett CC team lost 7.5 to 6.5, with Dean scoring a crucial win on board 8.

A funeral Mass for Dean Turra will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11, at St. Mary's Church, 31 Shirley St., Ayer. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery. Dean's family will receive family and friends 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Anderson Funeral Home, 25 Fitchburg Road, Ayer. For more information, visit: http://www.andersonfuneral.com/?s=Turra
or
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fitchburg/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=187766034.

-George M

January 3rd, 2018
2018 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Ritvik Pulya opens new year with another big upset!

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 3rd, 2018
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 1-0Bill Burke
Jim Hankard 0-1Paul Godin
Roger Cappallo 1-0Mike Commisso
♔ Ritvik Pulya 1-0Geoff LePoer
Bruce Felton 1-0Bob Mathieu
Nik Lavoie 0-1Arthur Barlas
Larry Gladding 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow 0-1Gary Brassard
Ken Gurge 1-0John Bastarache
♖ Don Briggs 1/2-1/2Ralph McNeilage
Paul Lynch 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Dave Thomas
Dave Couture 1-0Raaga Pulya
Don Ostrowski 0-1Mike Meehan
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕) 1 upset draw (♖)

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Rob King, Diego Ubiera, George Mirijanian, Vince Premus,
Alan Condon, Jim Donahue, Tom Fratturelli, Harry Richardson, Wayne Steadman, Francis Scanlon, and Tom Whistler.
♖ Not playing round 1 were Gail Lingner, Andrew Kiser, and James Petullo.

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 3rd, 2018
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Paulson, Godin, Cappallo, Felton, Barlas, Gladding, Brassard, Gurge, Lynch, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Ri. Pulya
0.5King, Ubiera, Mirijanian, McNeilage, Premus, Condon, Donahue, Fratturelli, Richardson, Steadman, Briggs, Scanlon,
Whistler
0.0LePoer, Burke, Hankard, Commisso, Lingner, Mathieu, Lavoie, O'Rourke, Biglow, Bastarache, McLaughlin, Kiser, Gawboy, Ra.
Pulya, Petullo, Ostrowski
 


Projected Round 2 Pairings for January 10th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]

Board 1: Godin vs. Gurge
Board 2: Lynch vs. Cappallo
Board 3: Thomas vs. Felton
Board 4: Barlas vs. Couture
Board 5: Meehan vs. Gladding
Board 6: Brassard vs. Ri. Pulya
Board 7: Fratturelli vs. King
Board 8: Ubiera vs. Richardson
Board 9: Steadman vs. Mirijanian
Board 10: McNeilage vs. Scanlon
Board 11: Condon vs. Briggs
Board 12: Whistler vs. Donahue
Board 13: LePoer vs. Biglow
Board 14: Burke vs. Kiser
Board 15: Bastarache vs. Hankard
Board 16: Commisso vs. Gawboy
Board 17: McLaughlin vs. Lingner
Board 18: Mathieu vs. Petullo
Board 19: Ra. Pulya vs. Lavoie
Board 20: O'Rourke vs. Ostrowski

♗ Ray Paulson and Vince Premus are requesting half-point byes for Round 2.
♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new player, Don Ostrowski (Ph.D) of Fitchburg, a senior advisor and lecturer in social studies at Harvard University Extension School, where he teaches world history.
Don also serves on the Fitchburg Historical Commission and was a member years ago of the Reading (Pennsylvania) Chess Club. Welcome Don!

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

Reminder: Your digital electronic chess clock doesn't like the cold either!

"In surface-mount designs, the differential temperature coefficient of expansion between the parts-soldered-to-the-circuit-board and the circuit board can cause large stresses. The stress-strain-temperature relationship often barely works over the specified temperature range. When the equipment is powered up, the hot components can change shape and break the brittle plastic, much like my old ice chest."

"If the equipment is below zero degrees C [32 degrees F] and then you take it into a nice warm, humid office, water will condense on the circuit boards and can cause problems. Presumably a similar thing can happen with frost, depending on the weather. When the frost melts, there can be problems."
For more info, refer to:
Storing electronics at low temperatures
Operating electronics at low temperatures

Most electronic chess clocks are difficult &/or expensive to repair, so don't leave your clock in your car overnight!

January 1st, 2018
Ratings in effect for Reggie Boone Memorial (Jan. 3, 2018)

  ♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚     Ratings in effect for
the 2018 Reggie Boone Memorial tournament:
1Rob King 2220
2Brett Kildahl 2129
3Diego Ubiera 2008
4Ray Paulson 2002
5Paul Godin 1961
6Roger Cappallo 1956
7Geoff LePoer 1955
8George Mirijanian 1929
9Bruce Felton 1864
10Arthur Barlas 1826
11Larry Gladding 1813
12Vlad Gaciu 1777
13Gary Brassard 1769
14Ken Gurge 1769
15Ralph McNeilage 1756
16Paul Lynch 1710
17Dave Thomas 1708
18Dave Couture 1703
19Mike Meehan 1678
20Vince Premus 1676
21Bill Burke 1663
22Lenny Arsenault 1631
23Alan Condon 1605
24Roland Booker 1600
25Jim Hankard 1600
26Mike Commisso 1582
27Jim Donahue 1579
28Tom Fratturelli 1542
29Gail Lingner 1507
30Ritvik Pulya 1505
31Bob Mathieu 1487
32Harry Richardson 1448
33Larry O'Rourke 1405
34Brian Biglow 1400
35John Bastarache 14000
36Randy McLaughlin 1371
37Wayne Steadman 1326
38Don Briggs 1316
39Hugh McLaughlin 1208
40Andrew Kiser 1144
41Francis Scanlon 1077
42Emily Gawboy 1070
43Tom Whistler 1047
44Raaga Pulya 613
45James Petullo 515

January 1st, 2018
John Curdo reissues "Chess Caviar" series of 3 books.


Each book contains 100 instructive insightful & entertaining mineature games by FM John Curdo, arguably New England's most successful & prolific practioner of the game.
"Chess Caviar" - 100 games with notes & annotations by John Curdo - $10.
"More Chess Caviar" by John Curdo - 100 more games with notes & annotations by John Curdo - $10.
"Still More Chess Caviar" by John Curdo - yet another 100 games with notes & annotations by John Curdo - $10.

"A necessary & welcome component of any chess library!"
Any or all of these books may be purchased directly from John Curdo at jacurdo@verizon.net.

For information & news stories from 2017, please refer to the WCC 2017-News Archive