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 = C44 Scotch, Sea-cadet mate: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3 d6 6.Bc4 Bg4 7.O-O Ne5 8.Nxe5 Bxd1 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Nd5+

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ Four Random Mating Patterns ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚
Boden's Mate	Two Knights' Mate	1357 Mate	Fianchetto 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:
1	Brett Kildahl	2132
2	Roger Cappallo	2021
3	Ray Paulson	2016
4	Paul Godin	1977
5	Bruce Felton	1933
6	George Mirijanian	1909
7	Geoff LePoer	1907
8	Dave Couture	1808
9	Ken Gurge	1784
10	Arthur Barlas	1758
11	Gary Brassard	1756
12	Larry Gladding	1740
13	Jim Donahue	1724
14	Mike Commisso	1714
15	Ritvik Pulya	1714
16	Dave Thomas	1703
17	Jim Hankard	1673
18	Stephen Murray	1642
19	Vince Premus	1639
20	Mike Meehan	1632
21	Tom Fratturelli	1622
22	Roland Booker	1600
23	Don Ostrowski	1600
24	Mark Wheeler	1507
25	Michael David	1491
26	Don Briggs	1486
27	Larry O'Rourke	1446
28	Brian Biglow	1400
29	John Bastarache	1400
30	Hugh McLaughlin	1238
31	Bryce McLaughlin	1181
32	Raaga Pulya	1138
33	Emily Gawboy	1125
34	Francis Scanlon	991
35	Tom Whistler	882

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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Arthur Barlas
Dave Couture	0-1	Paul Godin
Larry Gladding	0-1	Geoff LePoer
Jim Donahue	0-1	Brett Kildahl
Jim Hankard	0-1	George Mirijanian
♔ Stephen Murray	1-0	Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Don Briggs	0-1	Larry O'Rourke
Dave Thomas	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Michael David	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow	0-1	John 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
Points	Players
5.0	Cappallo
4.5	-----
4.0	Godin
3.5	Paulson, LePoer
3.0	Kildahl, Mirijanian, Brassard, Couture, Gladding, Barlas, Murray
2.5	Ri. Pulya, Thomas, Donahue, O'Rourke
2.0	Gurge, Commisso, Hankard, David, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Briggs, H. McLaughlin
1.5	Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.0	Wheeler, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5	Biglow
0.0	B. 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! ☆ ♡ ☮ ☺ ⛄ ♝ ♕
♘ ♕ ♔ ♜ ♔ ♕ ♗

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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
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson	1-0	Gary Brassard
Dave Couture	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Larry Gladding
Geoff LePoer	1-0	Don Briggs
Ken Gurge	1/2-1/2	Jim Hankard
Jim Donahue	1-0	Dave Thomas
Brett Kildahl	1-0	Michael David
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Mike Commisso
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Stephen Murray
♔ Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	John Bastarache
Brian Biglow	0-1	Larry O'Rourke
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Emily 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
Points	Players
4.0	Cappallo
3.5	Paulson
3.0	Godin, Couture, Gladding, Barlas
2.5	LePoer, Ri. Pulya, Donahue
2.0	Kildahl, Mirijanian, Gurge, Brassard, Commisso, Murray, Hankard, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Briggs, H. McLaughlin
1.5	Thomas, O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya
1,0	David, Wheeler, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy
0.5	Biglow, Bastarache
0-0	B. 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Dave Couture
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Paul Godin
Don Briggs	0-1	Ray Paulson
Arthur Barlas	1-0	Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard	1-0	Jim Donahue
Larry Gladding	1-0	Stephen Murray
Michael David	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Mike Commisso	0-1	Don Ostrowski
Geoff LePoer	1-0	Mark Wheeler
John Bastarache	0-1	Dave Thomas
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Jim Hankard
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Raaga 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
Points	Players
3.0	Cappallo, Godin
2.5	Paulson, Barlas
2.0	Brassard, Couture, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Briggs
1.5	LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge, Thomas, Donahue, Hankard
1.0	Commisso, Murray, David, Wheeler, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5	Biglow, Bastarache, O'Rourke
0.0	B. 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.

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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 Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12413721: DAVE COUTURE	2018-12-01	9TH SAINT NICK QUICK (MA)	1: OPEN	1757 => 1804	A
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD	2018-12-09	HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)	3: U1810	1698 => 1712	B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA	2018-12-09	HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)	2: U2010	1745 => 1709	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2018-12-09	HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)	3: U1810	1600 => 1600	B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID	2018-12-09	HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)	3: U1810	1570 => 1507	C
15648362: RAAGA PULYA	2018-12-09	HARRY 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
White	Result	Black
Ritvik Pulya	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin	1-0	Mike Commisso
Jim Donahue	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Stephen Murray	0-1	Dave Couture
Larry Gladding	0-1	♔ Tom Fratturelli
Dave Thomas	0-1	♔ Don Briggs
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Arthur Barlas
Gary Brassard	1-0	Brian Biglow
Jim Hankard	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Michael David
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Bryce McLaughlin
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Emily 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
Points	Players
2.0	Cappallo, Godin, Couture, Fratturelli, Briggs
1.5	Paulson, Gurge, Barlas, Donahue
1.0	Felton, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Commisso, Premus, Murray, David, Ostrowski, Wheeler
0.5	LePoer, Thomas, Hankard, Bastarache, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin
0.0	Biglow, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Jim Hankard
Michael David	0-1	Paul Godin
Ray Paulson	1-0	Don Ostrowski
♔ Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Geoff LePoer
Ken Gurge	1-0	Mark Wheeler
♔ Don Briggs	1-0	Gary Brassard
Dave Couture	1-0	Brian Biglow
John Bastarache	0-1	Larry Gladding
Dave Thomas	1/2-1/2	♖ Larry O'Rourke
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Mike Commisso	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Jim Donahue
Stephen Murray	1-0	Raaga 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
Points	Players
1.0	Cappallo, Godin, Paulson, Gurge, Couture, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Commisso, Donahue, Murray, Fratturelli, Briggs
0.5	Felton, Mirijanian, Thomas, Barlas, Premus, O'Rourke
0.0	LePoer, 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.

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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:
1	Roger Cappallo	1991
2	Diego Ubiera	1985
3	Paul Godin	1972
4	Ray Paulson	1966
5	Bruce Felton	1933
6	Geoff LePoer	1918
7	George Mirijanian	1902
8	Ken Gurge	1829
9	Ralph McNeilage	1772
10	Gary Brassard	1762
11	Dave Couture	1757
12	Joe Bennett	1750
13	Larry Gladding	1745
14	Dave Thomas	1745
15	Ritvik Pulya	1745
16	Arthur Barlas	1739
17	Mike Commisso	1733
18	Jim Donahue	1723
19	Ed Harris	1717
20	Paul Lynch	1705
21	Mariano Rivera	1651
22	Vince Premus	1639
23	Mike Meehan	1632
24	Stephen Murray	1628
25	Jackson Parker	1625
26	Robert Kaminsky	1608
27	Jim Hankard	1606
28	Michael David	1604
29	Bill Burke	1604
30	Roland Booker	1600
31	Don Ostrowski	1598
32	George Miller	1597
33	Alan Condon	1586
34	Tom Fratturelli	1546
35	Mark Wheeler	1534
36	Angel Soto	1444
37	Don Briggs	1430
38	Brian Biglow	1412
39	John Bastarache	1410
40	Bob Mathieu	1402
41	Randy McLaughlin	1394
42	Larry O'Rourke	1379
43	Bryce McLaughlin	1271
44	Hugh McLaughlin	1200
45	Emily Gawboy	1131
46	Raaga Pulya	1098
47	Andrew Kiser	1088
48	Larry Legros	1013
49	Francis Scanlon	991
50	Tom 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
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	1-0	Ken Gurge
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Michael David
Mike Commisso	1-0	Stephen Murray
Jim Donahue	1/2-1/2	Mike Meehan
Dave Couture	1-0	Don Ostrowski
♔ Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Larry Gladding
Jim Hankard	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
John Bastarache	0-1	Gary Brassard
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow	1-0	Francis 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
Points	Players
4.5	Godin
4.0	Cappallo
3.5	Gurge, Commisso
3.0	Paulson, Couture, Donahue, Meehan, Hankard, Murray, David, Fratturelli
2.5	Mirijanian, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
2.0	Felton, Gladding, Thomas, Barlas, Biglow, O'Rourke, Gawboy
1.5	Premus, Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.0	Briggs, Soto, H. McLaughlin, Whistler, B. McLaughlin
0,5	Scanlon
0.0	R. 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 !!! 🦃

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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
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	1-0	Roger Cappallo
Ken Gurge	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Ray Paulson	1-0	Jim Donahue
Mike Meehan	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
♔ Stephen Murray	1-0	Dave Couture
Gary Brassard	0-1	♔ Michael David
Larry Gladding	1/2-1/2	Jim Hankard
John Bastarache	0-1	Mike Commisso
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Vince Premus
Arthur Barlas	1-0	Brian Biglow
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Bryce McLaughlin
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Don Briggs
Raaga Pulya	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Francis 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
Points	Players
3.5	Godin, Gurge
3.0	Cappallo, Paulson, Murray, David
2.5	Mirijanian, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Donahue, Meehan, Ostrowski
2.0	Felton, Gladding, Couture, Thomas, Barlas, Hankard, Fratturelli, O'Rourke
1.5	Brassard, Premus, Bastarache, Ra. Pulya
1.0	Briggs, Soto, Biglow, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Whistler, B. McLaughlin
0.5	Scanlon
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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Ray Paulson
Dave Couture	0-1	Paul Godin
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Gary Brassard
Jim Donahue	1-0	Larry Gladding
Mike Commisso	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Don Briggs	0-1	Stephen Murray
Michael David	1-0	Bryce McLaughlin
Angel Soto	0-1	Jim Hankard
Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Tom Fratturelli
Raaga Pulya	0-1	John Bastarache
Emily Gawboy	1-0	Hugh 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
Points	Players
3.0	Cappallo
2.5	Godin, Gurge, Ri. Pulya, Donahue
2.0	Paulson, Felton, Mirijanian, Couture, Meehan, Murray, David
1.5	Brassard, Gladding, Thomas, Commisso, Premus, Hankard, Ostrowski, Bastarache
1.0	Barlas, Fratturelli, Briggs, Biglow, O'Rourke, Gawboy, B. McLaughlin
0.5	Soto, 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.

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October 24th, 2018

2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 2 of 5

**Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 24th, 2018**
Round 2 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Dave Thomas	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson	1-0	Mike Commisso
Ritvik Pulya	1/2-1/2	Paul Godin
Gary Brassard	1/2-1/2	Jim Donahue
Vince Premus	0-1	Ken Gurge
Bryce McLaughlin	0-1	Dave Couture
Bruce Felton	1-0	Arthur Barlas
George Mirijanian	1-0	John Bastarache
Larry Gladding	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Jim Hankard	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
Stephen Murray	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Michael David
Tom Whistler	0-1	Don 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
Points	Players
2.0	Cappallo, Paulson, Gurge, Couture
1.5	Godin, Felton, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Donahue, Meehan
1.0	Thomas, Commisso, Premus, Murray, David, Ostrowski, Briggs, B. McLaughlin
0.5	Barlas, 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.

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October 17th, 2018

2018 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 1 of 5

**Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 17th, 2018**
Round 1 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Stephen Murray
Michael David	0-1	Ray Paulson
Paul Godin	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Don Briggs	0-1	Gary Brassard
Ken Gurge	1-0	Angel Soto
♖ John Bastarache	1/2-1/2	Larry Gladding
Dave Couture	1-0	Brian Biglow
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Dave Thomas
Mike Commisso	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Jim Donahue	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Francis Scanlon	0-1	Vince Premus
Mike Meehan	1-0	Tom Whisterl
♔ Bryce McLaughlin	1-0	Jim 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
Points	Players
1.0	Cappallo, Paulson, Godin, Brassard, Gurge, Couture, Thomas, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Donahue, Premus, Meehan, B. McLaughlin
0.5	Felton, Lepoer, Mirijanian, Gladding, Barlas, Ostrowski, O'Rourke
0.0	Hankard, 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.

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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:
1	Roger Cappallo	1982
2	Ray Paulson	1953
3	Paul Godin	1947
4	Bruce Felton	1925
5	George Mirijanian	1910
6	Gary Brassard	1828
7	Ken Gurge	1814
8	Larry Gladding	1804
9	Ralph McNeilage	1772
10	Dave Couture	1761
11	Dave Thomas	1748
12	Arthur Barlas	1743
13	Mike Commisso	1738
14	Ritvik Pulya	1727
15	Ed Harris	1712
16	Jim Donahue	1711
17	Vince Premus	1670
18	Mike Meehan	1613
19	Roland Booker	1600
20	Jim Hankard	1600
21	Robert Kaminsky	1600
22	Stephen Murray	1584
23	Michael David	1581
24	Don Ostrowski	1577
25	Mark Wheeler	1534
26	Tom Fratturelli	1516
27	Don Briggs	1470
28	Angel Soto	1464
29	Bob Mathieu	1402
30	Brian Biglow	1400
31	John Bastarache	1400
32	Randy McLaughlin	1400
33	Larry O'Rourke	1367
34	Hugh McLaughlin	1200
35	Emily Gawboy	1091
36	Raaga Pulya	1075
37	Larry Legros	1064
38	Francis Scanlon	1013
39	Tom 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
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	1-0	Ken Gurge
George Mirijanian	1/2-1/2	Ritvik Pulya
♔ Dave Thomas	1-0	Ray Paulson
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Mike Commisso
Arthur Barlas	1-0	Larry Gladding
Jim Donahue	0-1	Gary Brassard
Dave Couture	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Mike Meehan	0-1	♔ Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Michael David
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Tom Whistler
John Bastarache	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Brian Biglow	0-1	♕ Raaga Pulya
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Jim 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
Points	Players
4.0	Godin
3.5	-----
3.0	Cappallo, Mirijanian, Gurge, Thomas, Barlas, Ri. Pulya
2.5	Brassard, Couture
2.0	Paulson, Felton, Gladding, Commisso, Donahue, David, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Murray, Briggs, Ra. Pulya
1.5	Hankard, Booker, O'Rourke
1.0	Premus, Meehan, Kaminsky, Biglow, Bastarache, Gawboy, Scanlon, Whistler
0.5	-----
0.0	Soto, 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!

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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
White	Result	Black
Bruce Felton	0-1	♔ Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding	0-1	Paul Godin
Gary Brassard	0-1	George Mirijanian
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Dave Couture
Ray Paulson	1-0	Mike Meehan
Mike Commisso	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Dave Thomas
Don Briggs	0-1	Jim Donahue
Vince Premus	0-1	♔ Stephen Murray
Michael David	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
Jim Hankard	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Angel Soto	0-1	♕ Emily Gawboy
♕ Raaga Pulya	1-0	Hugh 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
Points	Players
3.0	Godin, Gurge
2.5	Mirijanian, Ri. Pulya
2.0	Paulson, Cappallo, Felton, Gladding, Commisso,Thomas, Barlas, Donahue, Murray
1.5	Brassard, Couture, Booker, O'Rourke
1.0	Premus, Meehan, Kaminsky, David, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Biglow, Bastarache, Briggs, Gawboy, Ra. Pulya, Whistler
0.5	Hankard, Scanlon
0.0	Soto, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
♔ Ken Gurge	1-0	Ray Paulson
Jim Donahue	0-1	Bruce Felton
Paul Godin	1-0	Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard	1/2-1/2	Ritvik Pulya
Mike Meehan	0-1	Larry Gladding
Dave Couture	1-0	Don Briggs
Tom Whistler	0-1	Arthur Barlas
Larry O'Rourke	1/2-1/2	Tom Fratturelli
Dave Thomas	1-0	Angel Soto
Robert Kaminsky	1/2-1/2	Brian Biglow
Stephen Murray	1-0	Jim Hankard
Roland Booker	1-0	Emily Gawboy
John Bastarache	1/2-1/2	Michael David
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Raaga 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
Points	Players
2.0	Felton, Godin, Gladding, Gurge
1.5	Cappallo, Mirijanian, Brassard, Couture, Barlas, Ri. Pulya
1.0	Paulson, McNeilage, Commisso, Thomas, Harris, Donahue, Premus, Meehan, Booker, Ostrowski, Fratturelli, Murray, Mathieu, Briggs, O'Rourke
0.5	Kaminsky, David, Biglow, Bastarache, Whistler
0.0	Hankard, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Ray Paulson	1-0	Robert Kaminsky
Jim Hankard	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Bruce Felton	1-0	Roland Booker
Michael David	0-1	Paul Godin
George Mirijanian	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Angel Soto	0-1	Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding	1-0	Stephen Murray
Brian Biglow	0-1	Ken Gurge
Mike Commisso	1-0	John Bastarache
♔ Don Briggs	1-0	Dave Thomas
Arthur Barlas	1/2-1/2	♖ Larry O'Rourke
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Jim Donahue
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Francis Scanlon
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Mike 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
Points	Players
1.0	Paulson, Cappallo, Felton, Godin, Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Gurge, Commisso, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Meehan, Briggs
0.5	McNeilage, Couture, Barlas, Harris, Premus, Wheeler, Fratturelli, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Whistler
0.0	Thomas, 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.

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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 Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
10011965: ROGER J CAPPALLO	2018-09-16	3RD MASSACHUSETTS SENIOR OPEN (MA)	1: OPEN	2002 => 1974	A
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD	2018-09-16	3RD MASSACHUSETTS SENIOR OPEN (MA)	2: U1810	1600 => 1605	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2018-09-16	3RD 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
White	Result	Black
Ray Paulson	1-0	Paul Godin
Bruce Felton	1/2-1/2	Roger Cappallo
Gary Brassard	0-1	Eric Strickland
Larry Gladding	1-0	Ken Gurge
Dave Couture	1-0	Don Ostrowski
George Mirijanian	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Roland Booker	0-1	Dave Thomas
Stephen Murray	0-1	Ed Harris
Mike Commisso	1-0	Brian Biglow
Angel Soto	0-1	Michael David
Jim Hankard	1-0	Don Briggs
John Bastarache	0-1	Larry O'Rourke
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Bob Mathieu
Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Tom 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
Points	Players
4.5	Paulson
4.0	Strickland, Gladding
3.5	Cappallo, Felton, Godin, Couture
3.0	Mirijanian, Brassard, Thomas, Harris
2.5	Commisso, Gurge, Premus, Ri. Pulya, David, Ostrowski
2.0	McNeilage, Booker, Hankard, Wheeler, Murray, Mathieu, O'Rourke
1.5	Meehan, Soto, Biglow, Legros
1.0	Bastarache, Briggs, McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon
0.5	Ra. Pulya
0.0	Whistler

♔ 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.

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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 Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON	2018-09-03	78TH NEW ENGLAND OPEN (MA)	10: U2000	1957 => 1972	A
12413721: DAVE COUTURE	2018-09-09	11TH W.M.C.A. FREE (MA)	1: OPEN	1774 => 1767	B
16062155: RALPH MCNEILAGE	2018-08-30	2018 AMIABLE AUGUST OPEN (MA)	1: OPEN	1773 => 1761	B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA	2018-08-08	HARLOW B DALY MEMORIAL (MA)	1: HARLOW B DALY MEMORIAL	1577 => 1655	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2018-09-03	78TH NEW ENGLAND OPEN (MA)	11: U1800	1622 => 1620	B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID	2018-09-03	78TH 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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1/2-1/2	Gary Brassard
Vince Premus	0-1	Ray Paulson
Paul Godin	1-0	Ken Gurge
Eric Strickland	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	Bruce Felton
Dave Thomas	0-1	Larry Gladding
Ed Harris	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
Michael David	0-1	Dave Couture
♔ Don Ostrowski	1-0	Mike Commisso
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Don Briggs
Roland Booker	1-0	John Bastarache
Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Angel Soto
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Stephen Murray
Larry O'Rourke	1/2-1/2	Jim Hankard
Tom Whistler	0-1	Emily 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
Points	Players
3.5	Paulson, Godin
3.0	Cappallo, Felton, Strickland, Brassard, Gladding
2.5	Couture, Gurge, Premus, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
2.0	Mirijanian, McNeilage, Thomas, Harris, Booker, Wheeler, Murray
1.5	Commisso, (Meehan), David, Soto, Biglow, Legros
1.0	Hankard, Bastarache, Mathieu, Briggs, O'Rourke, Gawboy, Scanlon
0.5	(Ra. Pulya)
0.0	H. 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1/2-1/2	Paul Godin
Ray Paulson	1-0	Ralph McNeilage
Gary Brassard	1-0	Ed Harris
Vince Premus	1-0	Dave Couture
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Mike Commisso
Ken Gurge	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Bruce Felton	1-0	Roland Booker
Angel Soto	0-1	Eric Strickland
Stephen Murray	0-1	Larry Gladding
John Bastarache	0-1	Dave Thomas
Bob Mathieu	1/2-1/2	Mark Wheeler
Jim Hankard	0-1	Michael David
Brian Biglow	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Don Briggs	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Larry Legros	1-0	Tom 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
Points	Players
2.5	Cappallo, Paulson, Godin, Brassard, Gurge, Premus, Ri. Pulya
2.0	Felton, Strickland, Gladding, McNeilage, Thomas
1.5	Mirijanian, Couture, Commisso, Harris, (Meehan), David, Ostrowski
1.0	Pennington, Booker, Wheeler, Soto, Murray, Bastarache, Mathieu, Biglow, Briggs, Legros
0.5	Hankard, O'Rourke, Scanlon, (Ra. Pulya)
0.0	McLaughlin, 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.

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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 Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Event	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12465223: EDWARD ARTHUR HARRIS	2018-08-20	3RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)	1: 3RD HOT AU	1710 => 1724	B
14804517: JOHN PENNINGTON	2018-08-20	3RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)	1: 3RD HOT AU	1731 => 1713	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2018-08-20	3RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)	1: 3RD HOT AU	1633 => 1622	B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD	2018-08-20	3RD HOT AUGUST NIGHTS 75 (NH)	1: 3RD HOT AU	1600 => 1600	B
13907728: JAMES ELMOUR	2018-08-20	3RD 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
White	Result	Black
Larry Gladding	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	George Mirijanian
Dave Thomas	0-1	Paul Godin
Gary Brassard	1/2-1/2	Ritvik Pulya
Dave Couture	1-0	Mark Wheeer
Mike Commisso	1-0	Jim Hankard
Ed Harris	1-0	Bob Mathieu
Francis Scanlon	0-1	Vince Premus
Eric Strickland	1-0	Brian Biglow
Roland Booker	1-0	Don Briggs
Larry O'Rourke	1/2-1/2	Michael David
Angel Soto	1-0	Larry Legros
Stephen Murray	1-0	Tom Whistler
Emily Gawboy	0-1	John 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
Points	Players
2.0	Cappallo, Godin, McNeilage
1.5	Paulson, Brassard, Couture, Commisso, Gurge, Harris, Premus, Ri. Pulya, Meehan, Ostrowski
1.0	Cesolini, Mirijanian, Felton, Strickland, Gladding, Thomas, Pennington, Booker, Soto, Fratturelli, Murray, Bastarache
0.5	Hankard, David, Wheeler, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Scanlon, (Ra. Pulya)
0.0	Biglow, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Roland Booker
Michael David	0-1	Ray Paulson
George Mirijanian	1-0	Angel Soto
♔ Don Ostrowski	1-0	Eric Strickland
Paul Godin	1-0	Stephen Murray
John Bastarache	0-1	Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding	1-0	Brian Biglow
Don Briggs	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Ken Gurge	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Larry Legros	0-1	Dave Thomas
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Tom Whistler	0-1	Mike Meehan
Mark Wheeler	1/2-1/2	♖ 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
Points	Players
1.0	Cappallo, Paulson, Mirijanian, Godin, Brassard, Gladding, McNeilage, Gurge, Thomas, Ri. Pulya, Meehan, Ostrowski
0.5	Cesolini, Felton, Couture, Commisso, Pennington, Harris, Hankard, Wheeler, Fratturelli, Mathieu, R. McLaughlin, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya
0.0	Strickland, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1/2-1/2	♖ Ralph McNeilage
Ken Gurge	1/2-1/2	Mike Commisso
Dave Thomas	0-1	Ray Paulson
Ritvik Pulya	0-1	Paul Godin
Dave Couture	1-0	Gary Brassard
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Eric Strickland
Don Ostrowski	1/2-1/2	Roland Booker
Brian Biglow	0-1	Michael David
Ed Harris	1-0	John Bastarache
Stephen Murray	1-0	Don Briggs
Mike Meehan	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Larry Legros	0-1	Tom Weideman
♔ Randy McLaughlin	1-0	Lee Denis
Robert Anderson	0-1	Jim Hankard
♖ James Elmour	1/2-1/2	Emily Gawboy
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Hugh 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
Points	Players
4.0	Cappallo, McNeilage
3.5	Cesolini, Paulson, Godin, Couture, Gurge, Commisso
3.0	Strickland, Gladding, David
2.5	Felton, Brassard, Thomas, Harris, Murray, Meehan, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
2.0	Weideman, Pennington, Hankard, Wheeler, Soto, Biglow, Bastarache, R. McLaughlin
1.5	Mirijanian, Rivera, Briggs, O'Rourke, Gawboy, Legros, Elmour
1.0	Denis, Anderson, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5	-----
0.0	Bennett, 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.

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August 1st, 2018

2018 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 4 of 5

**Harlow B. Daly Memorial, August 1st, 2018**
Round 4 of 5 Results
White	Result	Black
Tony Cesolini	1/2-1/2	Roger Cappallo
♔ Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Paul Godin
Mike Commisso	1/2-1/2	Bruce Felton
Michael David	0-1	Larry Gladding
Dave Couture	1/2-1/2	Ritvik Pulya
Roland Booker	0-1	Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard	1-0	Angel Soto
Ray Paulson	1-0	Mike Meehan
Don Briggs	0-1	Dave Thomas
♖ Don Ostrowski	1/2-1/2	George Mirijanian
Jim Hankard	0-1	♔ John Bastarache
James Elmour	0-1	Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	1-0	Francis 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
Points	Players
3.5	Cesolini, Cappallo, McNeilage
3,0	Gladding, Gurge, Commisso
2.5	Paulson, Felton, Godin, Brassard, Thomas, Couture, Ri Pulya
2.0	Strickland, Pennington, Booker, David, Wheeler, Ostrowski, Soto, Biglow, Bastarache
1.5	Mirijanian, Harris, Murray, (Rivera), Meehan, Briggs, O'Rourke, Legros
1.0	Hankard, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Tony Cesolini	1-0	Roland Booker
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
♔ Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Ray Paulson
Paul Godin	1-0	John Pennington
George Mirijanian	0-1	♔ Mike Commisso
Bruce Felton	1-0	Jim Hankard
Larry Gladding	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Dave Thomas	1/2-1/2	Don Ostrowski
Ken Gurge	1-0	Brian Biglow
♔ Angel Soto	1-0	Ed Harris
Michael David	1-0	Larry Legros
Mike Meehan	1-0	Randy McLaughlin
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Don Briggs
John Bastarache	1-0	Francis Scanlon
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	♔ James Elmour
♕ Raaga Pulya	1-0	Emily 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
Points	Players
3.0	Cesolini, Cappallo
2.5	Godin, Commisso, McNeilage
2.0	Felton, Strickland, Gladding, Couture, Gurge, Booker, David, Ri. Pulya, Soto
1.5	Paulson, Brassard, Thomas, Pennington, Murray, (Rivera), Meehan, Ostrowski, Briggs
1.0	Mirijanian, Harris, Hankard, Wheeler, Biglow, Bastarache, Legros, Ra. Pulya, Elmour
0.5	R. 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.

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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 Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Tournament	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12465223: EDWARD A. HARRIS	2018-07-22	68TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	1: OPEN	1735 => 1728	B
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO	2018-07-22	68TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	2: UNDER 1950	1689 => 1716	B
12222200: JAMES A. HANKARD	2018-07-22	68TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	3: UNDER 1650	1601 => 1600	B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA	2018-07-22	68TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	2: UNDER 1950	1550 => 1577	C
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID	2018-07-22	68TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)	3: UNDER 1650	1581 => 1569	C
13907728: JAMES ELMOUR	2018-07-22	68TH 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
White	Result	Black
Ed Harris	0-1	Tony Cesolini
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Ken Gurge
Mike Commisso	1/2-1/2	Paul Godin
♔ Roland Booker	1-0	Larry Gladding
♔ Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Dave Thomas
Ray Paulson	1-0	Angel Soto
Eric Strickland	1-0	Mike Meehan
Dave Couture	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
John Pennington	1-0	Don Briggs
♖ Larry Legros	1/2-1/2	Stephen Murray
Gary Brassard	1-0	John Bastarache
Jim Hankard	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Francis Scanlon	0-1	Michael David
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Raaga Pulya
Don Ostrowski	1-0	James Petullo
Brian Biglow	1-0	James 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
Points	Players
2.0	Cesolini, Cappallo, Booker, Ri. Pulya
1.5	Paulson, Godin, Strickland, Couture, Pennington, Commisso, McNeilage, Rivera
1.0	Mirijanian, Brassard, Gladding, Thomas, Gurge, Harris, Murray, Hankard, David, Wheeler, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Soto, Biglow, Mathieu, Legros
0.5	Meehan, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Tony Cesolini	1-0	Jim Hankard
Michael David	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin	1-0	Mark Wheeler
♔ Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding	1-0	Don Ostrowski
♔ Angel Soto	1-0	Joe Bennett
Dave Thomas	1-0	Brian Biglow
♖ Don Briggs	1/2-1/2	Dave Couture
Ken Gurge	1-0	John Bastarache
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Ed Harris
Mike Commisso	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Mariano Rivera	1-0	Francis Scanlon
James Elmour	0-1	Roland 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
Points	Players
1.0	Cesolini, Cappallo, Godin, Gladding, Thomas, Gurge, Harris, Commisso, McNeilage, Rivera, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Soto
0.5	Paulson, Mirijanian, Couture, Meehan, Fratturelli, Mathieu, Briggs, O'Rourke, Legros
0.0	Brassard, 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.

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

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1-0	George Mirijanian
Paul Godin	0-1	♔ Gary Brassard
Dave Couture	0-1	Larry Gladding
Arthur Barlas	1-0	Ken Gurge
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

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

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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
White	Result	Black
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	♔ Michael David
Mike Commisso	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Ed Harris	1-0	Roland Booker
♔ Don Briggs	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Brian Biglow
Larry Legros	0-1	Jim Hankard
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Don Ostrowski
Hugh McLaughln	0-1	John Bastarache
Emily Gawboy	1-0	Francis Scanlon
Tom Whistler	0-1	Angel 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
Points	Players
5.5	David
5.0	Commisso, McNeilage
4.5	Paulson, Harris
4.0	Meehan, Rivera, Briggs
3.5	Hankard, Biglow
3.0	Donahue, Wheeler, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Mathieu, Bastarache, R. McLaughlin
2.5	Legros
2.0	Gladding, Soto, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Scanlon, Cullen
1.5	Brassard, Ra. Pulya
1.0	Burke, M. Long
0.5	Whistler,
0.0	Petullo, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Gary Brassard	0-1	Roger Cappallo
George Mirijanian	1-0	Dave Couture
♔ Arthur Barlas	1-0	Paul Godin
Gary Brassard	1-0	Larry 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
Points	Players
4.5	Cappallo, Brassard, Mirijanian
4.0	-----
3.5	-----
3.0	Godin
2.5	Gurge
2.0	Couture
1.5	-----
1.0	Gladding, 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.

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June 20th, 2018

2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 6 of 7

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 20th, 2018**
Round 6 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
359D*Mike Meehan	1/2-1/2	Ray Paulson
Michael David	1-0	Mark Wheeler
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Mike Commisso
Roland Booker	0-1	Mariano Rivera
Jim Hankard	0-1	Ed Harris
Ritvik Pulya	1/2-1/2	Don Briggs
Bob Mathieu	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	375D*Larry Legros
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Randy McLaughlin
♖ Francis Scanlon	1/2-1/2	John Bastarache
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Larry Gladding
Don Ostrowski	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Kyle Cullen	1-0	Tom 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
Points	Players
5.0	McNeilage
4.5	Paulson, David
4.0	Commisso, Meehan, Rivera,
3.5	Harris
3.0	Donahue, Wheeler, Booker, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Mathieu, Briggs, R. McLaughlin
2.5	Hankard, Biglow, Legros
2.0	(Gladding), Ostrowski, Bastarache, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Scanlon, Cullen
1.5	(Brassard), Ra. Pulya
1.0	(Burke), Gawboy, M. Long
0.5	Whistler
0.0	Petullo, 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.

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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):
1 Ray Paulson 2000

2 Brett Kildahl 1988

3 Roger Cappallo 1968

4 Paul Godin 1939

5 George Mirijanian 1908

6 Larry Gladding 1823

7 Bruce Felton 1822

8 Diego Ubiera 1816

9 Joe Bennett 1800

10 Gary Brassard 1766

11 Ed Harris 1761

12 Geoff LePoer 1742

13 Ken Gurge 1717

14 Arthur Barlas 1703

15 Dave Couture 1682

16 Jim Hankard 1665

17 Roland Booker 1630

18 Gail Lingner 1616

19 Dave Thomas 1606

20 Tom Fratturelli 1610

21 Mike Commisso 1586

22 Alan Condon 1524

23 Bill Burke 1508

24 Mike Meehan 1501

25 Paul Lynch 1444

26 Brian Biglow 1383

27 Mariano Rivera 1315P2

28 Wayne Steadman 1269

29 Jim Donahue 1251

30 Larry O'Rourke 1249P7

31 Robert King 1030P15

32 Nik Lavoie 980P19

33 Francis Scanlon 950

34 Andrew Kiser 906

USCF Ratings of WCC Players 25 Years Ago (June 1993):
1 Ray Paulson 2069

2 George Mirijanian 2000

3 Paul Godin 1987

4 Roger Cappallo 1949

5 Gary Brassard 1895

6 Larry Gladding 1800

7 Arthur Barlas 1771

8 Jim Hankard 1706

9 Bruce Felton 1681

10 Gail Lingner 1600

11 Paul Lynch 1468

12 Dave Couture 1631

13 Dave Thomas 1579

14 Wayne Steadman 1424

15 Tom Fratturelli 1289P14

16 Francis 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
White	Result	Black
Dave Couture	0-1	Gary Brassard
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Arthur Barlas
Larry Gladding	0-1	George Mirijanian
Paul Godin	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Total of 4 boards, no major upsets.

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

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.

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June 13th, 2018

2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 5 of 7

**WCC 'B' Championship, June 13th, 2018**
Round 5 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Mariano Rivera	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Ray Paulson	1-0	Mike Commisso
Mike Meehan	1-0	Jim Hankard
Don Briggs	0-1	Michael David
Jim Donahue	1-0	Brian Biglow
Mark Wheeler	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Larry Legros	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache	0-1	Ed Harris
Randy McLaughlin	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin	1-0	Tom 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
Points	Players
4.5	McNeilage
4.0	Paulson
3.5	Meehan, David
3.0	Donahue, Commisso, Wheeler, Booker, Rivera, Fratturelli
2.5	Harris, Hankard, Ri. Pulya, Briggs
2.0	Mathieu, Biglow, R. McLaughlin, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Legros
1.5	(Brassard), Bastarache, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya
1.0	(Burke), Ostrowski, Gawboy, Cullen, M. Long
0.5	Whistler
0.0	Petullo, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Paul Godin	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Ken Gurge	0-1	George Mirjanian
Arthur Barlas	0-1	Dave Couture
Gary Brassard	(postponed)	Larry Gladding
Total of 3 boards, no major upsets.

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

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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
White	Result	Black
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Jim Hankard
Mike Commisso	1-0	Roland Booker
Mariano Rivera	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Mike Meehan
Michael David	1-0	John Bastarache
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Don Briggs
Ed Harris	1/2-1/2	Gary Brassard
Randy McLaughlin	0-1	Jim Donahue
Francis Scanlon	0-1	Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow	1-0	Hugh McLaughlin
Tom Whistler	0-1	Larry Legros
Emily Gawboy	1/2-1/2	Raaga 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
Points	Players
3.5	McNeilage
3.0	Paulson, Commisso, Rivera
2.5	Booker, Hankard, Meehan, David, Briggs
2.0	Donahue, 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
0.5	Whistler
0.0	Petullo, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
George Mirijanian	0-1	♔ Gary Brassard
Dave Couture	0-1	Paul Godin
Roger Cappallo	1/2-1/2	Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding	1-0	Arthur 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
Points	Players
2.5	Godin, Brassard
2.0	Gurge
1.5	Cappallo, Mirijanian
1.0	Gladding, Couture
0.5	-----
0.0	Barlas

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

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May 30th, 2018

2018 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 3 of 7

**WCC 'B' Championship, May 30th, 2018**
Round 3 of 7 Results
White	Result	Black
Roland Booker	1/2-1/2	Ralph McNeilage
Ray Paulson	1-0	Mariano Rivera
Jim Hankard	1-0	Larry O'Rourke
Mike Commisso	1-0	Michael David
Mark Wheeler	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache	1/2-1/2	Mike Meehan
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Brian Biglow
Tom Whistler	0-1	Bob Mathieu
Don Briggs	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Randy McLaughlin
Teagan Long	0-1	Hugh McLaughlin
Charlotte Long	0-1	Larry Legros
James Petullo	0-1	Melissa 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
Points	Players
2.5	Paulson, McNeilage, Booker, Hankard
2.0	Commisso, Rivera, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli
1.5	Meehan, David, Mathieu, Bastarache, Briggs, O'Rourke
1.0	Donahue, Wheeler, (Burke), Ostrowski, Biglow, R.McLaughlin, H. McLaughlin, Scanlon, Legros, Cullen, M. Long
0.5	Gawboy, Whistler, Ra. Pulya
0.0	Petullo,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.

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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 Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Tournament	Section: Name	Pre => Post	Class
12459389: PAUL L GODIN	2018-05-27	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	7: BLITZ	1907 => 1946	A
15518741: ANDREW SU	2018-05-28	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	2: UNDER 2100	1685 => 1740	B
11156665: GARY BRASSARD	2018-05-28	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	2: UNDER 2100	1757 => 1732	B
12933153: MARIANO RIVERA	2018-05-28	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	4: UNDER 1500	1612 => 1628	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2018-05-28	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	3: UNDER 1800	1644 => 1625	B
12222200: JAMES A. HANKARD	2018-05-28	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	3: UNDER 1800	1621 => 1600	B
15648356: RITVIK PULYA	2018-05-28	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	3: UNDER 1800	1587 => 1571	C
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID	2018-05-28	87TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)	4: UNDER 1500	1495 P14 => 1461 P20	New
15648362: RAAGA PULYA	2018-05-26	MASSACHUSETTS 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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	0-1	♔ Dave Couture
Ken Gurge	1/2-1/2	Gary Brassard
Arthur Barlas	0-1	George Mirijanian
Paul Godin	1-0	Larry Gladding
Total of 4 boards, 1 major upset (♔).

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 23rd, 2018**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
Points	Players
1.5	Mirijanian, Godin, Brassard, Gurge
1.0	Couture, Cappallo
0.0	Gladding, 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
White	Result	Black
Mariano Rivera	1-0	Mike Commisso
Ralph McNeilage	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Roland Booker	1-0	Tom Fratturelli
Michael David	1/2-1/2	Jim Hankard
Brian Biglow	0-1	Ray Paulson
Larry O'Rourke	1-0	Tom Whistler
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Mark Wheeler
♖ Emily Gawboy	1/2-1/2	Bob Mathieu
Larry Legros	0-1	John 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
Points	Players
2.0	McNeilage, Booker, Rivera
1.5	Paulson, Hankard, David, O'Rourke
1.0	Thomas, Lavoie, Donahue, Harris, Commisso, Wheeler, Meehan, (Burke), Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Biglow, Bastarache
0.5	Ostrowski, Mathieu, Briggs, Gawboy, Scanlon, Whistler, Cullen. Ra. Pulya
0.0	McLaughlin, 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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Larry Gladding	0-1	Roger Cappallo
George Mirijanian	1/2-1/2	Paul Godin
Gary Brassard	1-0	Arthur Barlas
Dave Couture	0-1	Ken Gurge
Total of 4 boards, no major upsets.

**WCC 'A' Championship, May 16th, 2018**
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
Points	Players
1.0	Cappallo, Brassard, Gurge
0.5	Mirijanian, Godin
0.0	Gladding, 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
White	Result	Black
Mike Commisso	1-0	Don Ostrowski
Bob Mathieu	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Mark Wheeler	0-1	♔ Brian Biglow
John Bstarache	0-1	Roland Booker
Jim Hankard	1-0	Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Mariano Rivera
Bill Burke	1-0	Francis Scanlon
Larry Legros	0-1	Ritvik Pulya
Tom Fratturelli	1-0	Kyle Cullen
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Michael 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
Points	Players
1.0	Commisso, McNeilage, Booker, Hankard, Rivera, Burke, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, David, Biglow
0.5	Thomas, Lavoie, Donahue, Harris, Meehan, O'Rourke, Whistler
0.0	Wheeler, 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.

Return to Top of List

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: ♔


Player	Rating	WCC History	Pairing #

Roger Cappallo	1982	Champ: 2016	3
George Mirijanian	1959	Champ: 1977-1984 1990-1991 1997-1998 2005-2007 2013 2015 Quick: 2005 2008	6
Paul Godin	1949	Champ: 1967 Quick: 2015 2016(Current)	2
Larry Gladding	1795	Champ: 1992 1998 2009	5
Dave Couture	1778	Martin Laine Mem: 2018	4
Gary Brassard	1757	Quick: 2015	7
Arthur Barlas	1750	Quick: 2012 Reggie Boone Mem: 2013	1
Ken Gurge	1741	George Sturgis Mem: 2012	8

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


Player	Rating	WCC History	Pairing #

Roger Cappallo	1982	Champ: 2016	3
George Mirijanian	1959	Champ: 1977-1984 1990-1991 1997-1998 2005-2007 2013 2015 Quick: 2005 2008	6
Paul Godin	1949	Champ: 1967 Quick: 2015 2016(Current)	2
Bruce Felton	1920	Champ: 2004-2005 Quick: 2012 Blitz: 2013	7
Larry Gladding	1795	Champ: 1992 1998 2009	5
Dave Couture	1778	Martin Laine Mem: 2018	4
Arthur Barlas	1750	Quick: 2012 Reggie Boone Mem: 2013	1
Ken Gurge	1741	George Sturgis Mem: 2012	8

♔ 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
White	Result	Black
♔ Dave Couture	1-0	Geoff LePoer
Paul Godin	0-1	George Mirijanian
♔ Mariano Rivera	1-0	Arthur Barlas
Roger Cappallo	1-0	Roland Booker
Gary Brassard	1-0	Jim Donahue
Ed Harris	1/2-1/2	♖ Michael David
Ray Paulson	1-0	Ralph McNeilage
Jim Hankard	0-1	Dave Thomas
Ken Gurge	1-0	Bill Burke
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Mike Commisso
John Bastarache	0-1	Larry Gladding
Francis Scanlon	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
Don Briggs	1-0	Larry Legros
Tom Whistler	0-1	Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy	1-0	Kyle 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
Points	Players
4.0	Couture
3.5	Mirijanian, Rivera
3.0	Cappallo, LePoer, Brassard
2.5	Godin, Paulson, Thomas, Gurge, Commisso, Lavoie, Harris, David
2.0	Gladding, Barlas, Booker, Donahue, Fratturelli, Briggs
1.5	McNeilage, Hankard, Meehan, Burke, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Biglow
1.0	Condon, Bastarache, Gawboy, Scanlon, Legros
0.5	Parker, O'Rourke, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0	McLaughlin

♔ 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.

Return to Top of List

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
White	Result	Black
Geoff LePoer	1-0	Ed Harris
Dave Couture	1-0	Michael David
705D*Mariano Rivera	1/2-1/2	Roger Cappallo
Dave Thomas	0-1	Paul Godin
♔ Nik Lavoie	1-0	Ray Paulson
George Mirijanian	1-0	Jim Hankard
Larry Gladding	0-1	♔ Jim Donahue
Arthur Barlas	1-0	John Bastarache
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Gary Brassard
Francis Scanlon	0-1	Roland Booker
Brian Biglow	0-1	Mike Commisso
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Mike Meehan
Ritvik Pulya	1-0	Tom Whistler
Kyle Cullen	0-1	Don Ostrowski
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Don Briggs
Larry Legros	1-0	Emily 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
Points	Players
3.0	LePoer, Couture
2.5	Godin, Mirijanian, Lavoie, Rivera
2.0	Cappallo, Barlas, Brassard, Harris, Booker, Donahue, David
1.5	Paulson, Thomas, Gurge, Commisso, McNeilage, Hankard, Meehan, Burke, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski
1.0	Gladding, Condon, Fratturelli, Bastarache, Briggs, Scanlon, Legros
0.5	Parker, Biglow, O'Rourke, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0	Gawboy

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.

Return to Top of List

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 Name	End Date	Most Recent Rated Tournament	Section: Name	Pre => Post
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO	2018-04-29	27TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)	5: CLASS C	1753 => 1759	B
12465223: EDWARD A HARRIS	2018-04-29	27TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)	4: CLASS B	1712 => 1719	B
12840591: NIKOLAS LAVOIE	2018-04-29	27TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)	4: CLASS B	1724 => 1718	B
13250463: JOSEPH BENNETT	2018-04-29	EASTERN CLASS BLITZ (MA)	1: BLITZ	1701 => 1704	B
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE	2018-04-29	27TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)	4: CLASS B	1685 => 1700	B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III	2018-04-29	27TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)	4: CLASS B	1608 => 1618	B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD	2018-04-29	27TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS (MA)	4: CLASS B	1634 => 1616	B
12933153: MARIANO RIVERA	2018-04-29	27TH 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
White	Result	Black
Roland Booker	0-1	Geoff LePoer
Larry Gladding	0-1	Dave Couture
♔ Michael David	1-0	Ken Gurge
Gary Brassard	0-1	♔ Mariano Rivera
Ed Harris	1-0	Francis Scanlon
Don Ostrowski	0-1	Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin	1-0	Ritvik Pulya
Tom Whistler	0-1	Dave Thomas
Jim Hankard	1-0	Brian Biglow
Raaga Pulya	0-1	Ralph McNeilage
Don Briggs	0-1	Bill Burke
Alan Condon	1/2-1/2	Larry O'Rourke
Emily Gawboy	0-1	Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache	1-0	Larry 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
Points	Players
2.0	LePoer, Harris, Couture, David, Rivera
1.5	Cappallo, Godin, Paulson, Mirijanian, Thomas, Lavoie, Hankard
1.0	Gladding, Barlas, Gurge, Brassard, McNeilage, Booker, Donahue, Burke, Fratturelli, Bastarache, Scanlon
0.5	Felton, Commisso, Premus, Parker, Meehan, Condon, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Biglow, O'Rourke, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0	Briggs, (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.

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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
White	Result	Black
Roger Cappallo	1/2-1/2	♖ Jim Hankard
♖ Jim Donahue	1/2-1/2	Paul Godin
Ray Paulson	1-0	Jackson Parker
Bill Burke	0-1	George Mirijanian
Geoff LePoer	1-0	Alan Condon
Tom Fratturelli	0-1	Larry Gladding
Dave Thomas	1/2-1/2	♖ Don Ostrowski
♖ Brian Biglow	1/2-1/2	Arthur Barlas
Ken Gurge	1-0	John Bastarache
Don Briggs	0-1	Gary Brassard
Mike Commisso	0-1	♔ Michael David
Larry O'Rourke	0-1	Nik Lavoie
Ralph McNeilage	0-1	♔ Mariano Rivera
Hugh McLaughlin	0-1	Ed Harris
Dave Couture	1-0	Emily Gawboy
Larry Legros	0-1	Roland 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
Points	Players
1.0	Paulson, Mirijanian, LePoer, Gladding, Gurge, Brassard, Lavoie, Harris, Couture, Booker, David, Rivera, Scanlon
0.5	Cappallo, Ubiera, Godin, Felton, Thomas, Barlas, Premus, Hankard, Donahue, Meehan, Ri. Pulya, Ostrowski, Biglow, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya
0.0	Commisso, 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.

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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:
1 Rob King 2202

2 Brett Kildahl 2129

3 Roger Cappallo 1997

4 Diego Ubiera 1985

5 Paul Godin 1960

6 Ray Paulson 1939

7 George Mirijanian 1937

8 Geoff LePoer 1924

9 Bruce Felton 1920

10 Larry Gladding 1823

11 Joe Bennett 1790

12 Dave Thomas 1783

13 Arthur Barlas 1783

14 Ken Gurge 1754

15 Gary Brassard 1753

16 Mike Commisso 1753

17 Nik Lavoie 1724

18 Ralph McNeilage 1713

19 Ed Harris 1712

20 Paul Lynch 1705

21 Dave Couture 1689

22 Vince Premus 1676

23 Jim Hankard 1634

24 Jim Donahue 1633

25 Roland Booker 1614

26 Mike Meehan 1613

27 Bill Burke 1611

28 Alan Condon 1605

29 Ritvik Pulya 1590

30 Tom Fratturelli 1573

31 Gail Lingner 1500

32 Scott Taylor 1488

33 Don Ostrowski 1479

34 Bob Mathieu 1450

35 Harry Richardson 1447

36 Brian Biglow 1405

37 John Bastarache 1400

38 Don Briggs 1393

39 Michael David 1333

40 Wayne Steadman 1326

41 Larry O'Rourke 1306

42 Mariano Rivera 1292

43 Hugh McLaughlin 1200

44 Andrew Kiser 1088

45 Emily Gawboy 1080

46 Francis Scanlon 1067

47 Tom Whistler 1007

48 Kyle Cullen 992

49 Raaga Pulya 869

50 James 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 Name End Date Most Recent Rated Tournament Section: Name Pre => Post

16062155: RALPH MCNEILAGE 2018-04-15 28TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA) 3: U1800 1700 => 1713 B

10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III 2018-04-15 28TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA) 3: U1800 1629 => 1614 B

12458787: WILLIAM T BURKE II 2018-04-15 28TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA) 3: U1800 1589 => 1611 B

12933153: MARIANO RIVERA 2018-04-15 28TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA) 6: U1200 1289 (P15) => 1292 (P19) D

16122465: KYLE CULLEN 2018-04-15 28TH 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
White Result Black

Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2 Roger Cappallo

Ray Paulson 0-1 ♔ Dave Thomas

Paul Godin 1-0 Ken Gurge

Joe Bennett 0-1 ♔ Mike Commisso

Gary Brassard 0-1 Larry Gladding

Geoff LePoer 1-0 Ritvik Pulya

Ed Harris 0-1 Jim Hankard

Roland Booker 0-1 Dave Couture

Don Briggs 1/2-1/2 Jim Donahue

Bill Burke 0-1 Tom Fratturelli

Raaga Pulya 0-1 Ralph McNeilage

Mike Meehan 1/2-1/2 John Bastarache

Kyle Cullen 0-1 Brian Biglow

Arthur Barlas 0-1 ♔ Mariano Rivera

Larry O'Rourke 1/2-1/2 Emily Gawboy

Andrew Kiser 0-1 Michael David

Hugh McLaughlin 1-0 Tom 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

Points Players

4.0 Cappallo, Godin, Felton,Thomas, Commisso

3.5 Gladding

3.0 Paulson, LePoer, Bennett, Gurge, Couture, Hankard, Fratturelli

2.5 Mirijanian, Brassard, McNeilage, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Biglow, Briggs, Rivera

2.0 Harris, Burke, Meehan, Booker, Lavoie, Ostrowski, Bastarache, David, Ra. Pulya

1.5 O'Rourke, Gawboy, Cullen

1.0 Barlas, McLaughlin, Kiser, Whistler

0.5 Scanlon

♔ 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.

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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 Name End Date Most Recent Rated Tournament Section: Name Pre => Post

12465223: EDWARD ARTHUR HARRIS 2018-04-07 CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA) 1: OPEN 1731 => 1744 B

12840591: NIKOLAS LAVOIE 2018-04-07 CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA) 1: OPEN 1493 => 1701 B

12413721: DAVE J COUTURE 2018-04-07 CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA) 1: OPEN 1686 => 1665 B

12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD 2018-04-07 CHESS 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
White Result Black

Roger Cappallo 1-0 Joe Bennett

Gary Brassard 0-1 Bruce Felton

Ray Paulson 1-0 Bill Burke

Dave Couture 0-1 Paul Godin

Jim Hankard 0-1 Ken Gurge

♔ Mike Commisso 1-0 Ed Harris

Dave Thomas 1-0 Nik Lavoie

George Mirijanian 1-0 Mike Meehan

Larry Gladding 1-0 Kyle Cullen

Ralph McNeilage 1/2-1/2 Roland Booker

Tom Fratturelli 1-0 Michael David

♖ Mariano Rivera 1/2-1/2 Brian Biglow

Emily Gawboy 0-1 Don Briggs

Francis Scanlon 0-1 John Bastarache

Tom Whistler 1/2-1/2 Andrew Kiser

Hugh McLaughlin 0-1 Larry 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

Points Players

3.5 Cappallo, Felton

3.0 Paulson, Godin, Bennett, Gurge, Thomas, Commisso

2.5 Mirijanian, Gladding, Brassard, Ri. Pulya

2.0 LePoer, Harris, Couture, Donahue, Burke, Hankard, Booker, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Ostrowski. Briggs, Ra. Pulya

1.5 McNeilage, Meehan, Biglow, Bastarache, Rivera, Cullen

1.0 Barlas, Lingner, O'Rourke, Kiser, Gawboy, David, Whistler

0.5 Scanlon

0.0 McLaughlin

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.

Return to Top of List

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
White Result Black

Joe Bennett 1-0 Dave Couture

Nik Lavoie 0-1 Bruce Felton

Paul Godin 1/2-1/2 ♖ Mike Commisso

Jim Donahue 0-1 Gary Brassard

Ken Gurge 1/2-1/2 Dave Thomas

Mike Meehan 0-1 Ray Paulson

Roland Booker 1/2-1/2 Larry Gladding

♔ Ritvik Pulya 1-0 Ralph McNeilage

Ed Harris 1-0 Tom Fratturelli

Brian Biglow 0-1 Bill Burke

Michael David 0-1 Jim Hankard

Tom Whistler 0-1 Don Ostrowski

John Bastarache 0-1 ♔ Kyle Cullen

Andrew Kiser 0-1 ♔ Raaga Pulya

Don Briggs 1-0 Hugh McLaughlin

♔ Mariano Rivera 1-0 Larry 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

Points Players

3.0 Bennett

2.5 Cappallo, Felton, Brassard

2.0 Paulson, Godin, Gurge, Harris, Thomas, Couture, Burke, Hankard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Lavoie

1.5 LePoer, Mirijanian, Gladding, Donahue, Meehan, Booker, Ostrowski, Cullen, Ra. Pulya

1.0 McNeilage, Fratturelli, Biglow, Briggs, David, Rivera, Gawboy

0.5 Lingner, Bastarache, Kiser, Whistler

0.0 O'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.

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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 Name End Date Most Recent Rated Tournament Section: Name Pre => Post

12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON 2018-03-24 NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH) 1: CHAMP 1865 => 1854 A

12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO 2018-03-24 NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH) 1: CHAMP 1500 => 1532 C

12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD 2018-03-24 NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH) 1: CHAMP 1500 => 1510 C

12758321: MICHAEL MEEHAN 2018-03-24 NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK CHESS CHAM (NH) 1: CHAMP 1525 => 1492 C

15470877: JEREMY TILTON 2018-03-24 NEW 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
White Result Black

Roger Cappallo 1-0 Ed Harris

Dave Thomas 1/2-1/2 Paul Godin

Larry Gladding 0-1 ♔ Dave Couture

Jim Hankard 0-1 Joe Bennett

Gary Brassard 1/2-1/2 Mike Meehan

Mike Commisso 1/2-1/2 Ken Gurge

Ralph McNeilage 0-1 ♔ Nik Lavoie

Bruce Felton 1-0 Michael David

Don Ostrowski 0-1 Jim Donahue

Kyle Cullen 0-1 Ray Paulson

Geoff LePoer 1-0 Don Briggs

Bill Burke 1-0 Hugh McLaughlin

Larry O'Rourke 0-1 Ritvik Pulya

Tom Fratturelli 1-0 Mariano Rivera

Emily Gawboy 0-1 Brian 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

Points Players

2.0 Cappallo, Bennett, Couture, Lavoie

1.5 Godin, Felton, Brassard, Gurge, Thomas, Donahue, Meehan, Commisso

1.0 King, Paulson, Ubiera, LePoer, Mirijanian, Gladding, McNeilage, Harris, Premus, Burke, Hankard, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli,
Mathieu, Richardson, Biglow, David

0.5 Lingner, Ostrowski, Bastarache, Kiser, Whistler, Cullen, Ra. Pulya

0.0 Briggs, 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.

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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
White Result Black

Ray Paulson 0-1 ♔Mike Commisso

Ritvik Pulya 0-1 Roger Cappallo

Paul Godin 1-0 Tom Fratturelli

♔ Nik Lavoie 1-0 Geoff LePoer

Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2 ♖ Don Ostrowski

Brian Biglow 0-1 Larry Gladding

Joe Bennett 1-0 John Bastarache

Don Briggs 0-1 Gary Brassard

Ken Gurge 1-0 Larry O'Rourke

Hugh McLaughlin 0-1 Ralph McNeilage

Ed Harris 1-0 Andrew Kiser

Mariano Rivera 0-1 Dave Thomas

Dave Couture 1-0 Emily Gawboy

♔ Michael David 1-0 Bill Burke

Mike Meehan 1-0 Tom Whistler

Raaga Pulya 0-1 Jim 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

Points Players

1.0 Cappallo, Godin, Gladding, Bennett, Brassard, Gurge, McNeilage, Harris, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Hankard, Commisso,
Lavoie, David

0.5 King, Ubiera, Mirijanian, Felton, Barlas, Premus, Donahue, Ostrowski, Mathieu, Richardson, Cullen

0.0 Paulson, 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.

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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:
1 Rob King 2202

2 Brett Kildahl 2129

3 Ray Paulson 1988

4 Roger Cappallo 1987

5 Diego Ubiera 1985

6 Paul Godin 1960

7 Geoff LePoer 1941

8 George Mirijanian 1933

9 Bruce Felton 1913

10 Larry Gladding 1837

11 Arthur Barlas 1815

12 Gary Brassard 1768

13 Ken Gurge 1747

14 Ralph McNeilage 1741

15 Ed Harris 1731

16 Paul Lynch 1705

17 Dave Thomas 1700

18 Dave Couture 1686

19 Vince Premus 1676

20 Jim Donahue 1658

21 Bill Burke 1633

22 Mike Meehan 1627

23 Jim Hankard 1615

24 Alan Condon 1605

25 Mike Commisso 1578

26 Ritvik Pulya 1566

27 Tom Fratturelli 1551

28 Gail Lingner 1500

29 Nik Lavoie 1493

30 Scott Taylor 1488

31 Don Ostrowski 1458

32 Bob Mathieu 1450

33 Harry Richardson 1447

34 Brian Biglow 1418

35 John Bastarache 1400

36 Don Briggs 1369

37 :Larry O'Rourke 1342

38 Wayne Steadman 1326

39 Hugh McLaughlin 1200

40 Andrew Kiser 1150

41 Mariano Rivera 1109

42 Emily Gawboy 1081

43 Michael David 1074

44 Tom Whistler 1023

45 Kyle Cullen 941

46 Raaga Pulya 745

47 James 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

Points Players

4.0 Cappallo, Felton

3.5 King, LePoer

3.0 Paulson, Ubiera, Godin, Mirijanian, Gladding, McNeilage, Ostrowski

2.5 Gurge, Brassard, Thomas, Meehan, Donahue, Hankard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Mathieu, Rivera

2.0 Burke, Biglow, Bastarache, Briggs, Kiser

1.5 Richardson, Gawboy, Cullen, Ra. Pulya, David

1.0 O'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.

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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
White Result Black

Roger Cappallo 1-0 Larry Gladding

Bruce Felton 1-0 Paul Godin

Gary Brassard 0-1 Rob King

Ray Paulson 1-0 Nik Lavoie

George Mirijanian 1-0 Brian Biglow

Jim Hankard 1/2-1/2 Ken Gurge

Ralph McNeilage 1-0 Don Briggs

Jim Donahue 1/2-1/2 Dave Thomas

Tom Fratturelli 1/2-1/2 Mike Meehan

♔ Don Ostrowski 1-0 Bill Burke

Ritvik Pulya 1-0 Emily Gawboy

Kyle Cullen 0-1 Bob Mathieu

Raaga Pulya 0-1 John Bastarache

Larry O'Rourke 0-1 ♔ Andrew Kiser

Michael David 1-0 Tom 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

Points Players

3.5 Cappallo, Felton

3.0 King, LePoer

2.5 Paulson, Ubiera, Godin, Mirijanian, Gladding, McNeilage, Ostrowski

2.0 Gurge, Brassard, Thomas, Meehan, Donahue, Hankard, Commisso, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Mathieu, Rivera

1.5 Couture, Burke, Biglow, Bastarache, Briggs, Kiser

1.0 Richardson, Gawboy, Cullen, Ra. Pulya, David

0.5 O'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.

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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
White Result Black

♔ Larry Gladding 1-0 Ray Paulson

Dave Thomas 0-1 Roger Cappallo

Paul Godin 1-0 Ralph McNeilage

Mike Meehan 0-1 Geoff LePoer

Bill Burke 0-1 Bruce Felton

Don Briggs 0-1 Diego Ubiera

Bob Mathieu 0-1 Gary Brassard

Nik Lavoie 1-0 Kyle Cullen

Ken Gurge 1-0 Raaga Pulya

John Bastarache 0-1 Jim Hankard

Mike Commisso 1-0 Larry O'Rourke

Don Ostrowski 1-0 Harry Richardson

Brian Biglow 1-0 Tom Whistler

Mariano Rivera 1-0 Michael 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

Points Players

2.5 Cappallo, Godin, LePoer, Felton, Gladding

2.0 King, Ubiera, Brassard, Lavoie

1.5 Paulson, Mirijanian, Gurge, McNeilage, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Burke, Donahue, Hankard, Commisso, Fratturelli, Biglow,
Briggs, Ostrowski, Rivera

1.0 Ri. Pulya, Mathieu, Gawboy, Cullen, Ra, Pulya

0.5 Richardson, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Kiser, Whistler

0.0 David

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.

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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
White Result Black

Jim Hankard 0-1 Rob King

Ray Paulson 1-0 Mike Commisso

Roger Cappallo 1-0 Ritvik Pulya

Harry Richardson 0-1 Paul Godin

Geoff LePoer 1-0 Brian Biglow

Bruce Felton 1-0 John Bastarache

Larry O'Rourke 0-1 Larry Gladding

Ken Gurge 0-1 ♔ Don Briggs

Ralph McNeilage 1-0 Don Ostrowski

Emily Gawboy 0-1 Dave Thomas

Tom Whistler 0-1 Mike Meehan

Bill Burke 1-0 Mariano Rivera

♖ Raaga Pulya 1/2-1/2 Jim 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

Points Players

1.5 King, Paulson, Cappallo, Godin, LePoer, Felton, Gladding, McNeilage, Thomas, Burke, Meehan, Briggs

1.0 Ubiera, Mirijanian, Brassard, Couture, Donahue, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Taylor, Mathieu, Cullen, Ra. Pulya, Petullo

0.5 Gurge, 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.

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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:
1 Rob King 2203

2 Brett Kildahl 2129

3 Ray Paulson 1995

4 Diego Ubiera 1984

5 Roger Cappallo 1972

6 Paul Godin 1969

7 Geoff LePoer 1935

8 George Mirijanian 1931

9 Bruce Felton 1889

10 Larry Gladding 1821

11 Arthur Barlas 1815

12 Ken Gurge 1783

13 Gary Brassard 1766

14 Ralph McNeilage 1722

15 Dave Thomas 1707

16 Paul Lynch 1705

17 Ed Harris 1700

18 Dave Couture 1686

19 Vince Premus 1676

20 Mike Meehan 1665

21 Bill Burke 1665

22 Jim Donahue 1650

23 Alan Condon 1605

24 Jim Hankard 1604

25 Mike Commisso 1577

26 Ritvik Pulya 1567

27 Tom Fratturelli 1546

28 Gail Lingner 1500

29 Nik Lavoie 1494

30 Scott Taylor 1488

31 Harry Richardson 1472

32 Bob Mathieu 1454

33 Brian Biglow 1418

34 John Bastarache 1405

35 Larry O'Rourke 1391

36 Wayne Steadman 1326

37 Don Briggs 1322

38 Don Ostrowski 1252

39 Hugh McLaughlin 1200

40 Andrew Kiser 1102

41 Emily Gawboy 1086

42 Tom Whistler 1057

43 Raaga Pulya 714

44 James 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
White Result Black

Paul Godin 1/2-1/2 Roger Cappallo

Gary Brassard 0-1 Bruce Felton

Ray Paulson 1-0 Jim Hankard

Arthur Barlas 1/2-1/2 Ralph McNeilage

Larry Gladding 1-0 Ritvik Pulya

Mike Meehan 0-1 Ken Gurge

Geoff LePoer 1-0 Jim Donahue

George Mirijanian 1-0 Harry Richardson

Nik Lavoie 1/2-1/2 Dave Couture

Raaga Pulya 0-1 Tom Fratturelli

Larry O'Rourke 0-1 Rob King

Mike Commisso 1-0 Don Ostrowski

Brian Biglow 1-0 Bob Mathieu

John Bastarache 1-0 Hugh McLaughlin

Andrew Kiser 0-1 Emily 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

Points Players

4.0 Cappallo, Felton

3.5 Paulson, Godin, Gladding, Gurge

3.0 LePoer, Mirijanian, Barlas, Brassard, McNeilage, Fratturelli

2.5 King, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Hankard, Commisso, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Lavoie, Biglow, Bastarache

2.0 Lynch, Burke, Richardson, Ra. Pulya

1.5 Ubiera, Harris, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Gawboy, Ostrowski

1.0 Lingner, Briggs, Petullo, Taylor

0.5 McLaughlin, 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.

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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
White Result Black

Bruce Felton 1/2-1/2 Paul Godin

Roger Cappallo 1-0 Larry Gladding

Ralph McNeilage 1/2-1/2 Ray Paulson

Jim Donahue 1/2-1/2 Arthur Barlas

Dave Couture 0-1 Gary Brassard

Harry Richardson 0-1 Dave Thomas

Ken Gurge 1-0 Mike Commisso

Bob Mathieu 0-1 Mike Meehan

Jim Hankard 1-0 Larry O'Rourke

Tom Fratturelli 1-0 John Bastarache

Don Briggs 0-1 Nik Lavoie

Andrew Kiser 0-1 Brian Biglow

Don Ostrowski 1-0 Hugh McLaughlin

Emily Gawboy 0-1 Scott 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

Points Players

3.5 Cappallo

3.0 Godin, Felton, Brassard

2.5 Paulson, Barlas, Gladding, Gurge, McNeilage, Thomas, Meehan, Hankard, Donahue, Ri. Pulya

2.0 LePoer, Mirijanian, Lynch, Couture, Burke, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Richardson, Ra. Paulya

1.5 Ubiera, Harris, Commisso, Mathieu, O'Rourke, Biglow, Bastarache, Ostrowski

1.0 Lingner, Briggs, Petullo, Taylor

0.5 McLaughlin, 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.

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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

Points Players

2.5 Godin, Cappallo, Felton, Gladding

2.0 Paulson, Barlas, Brassard, McNeilage, Couture, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Richardson

1.5 LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge, Lynch, Thomas, Meehan, Premus, Burke, Hankard, Commisso, Mathieu,
O'Rourke, Bastarache, Ra. Pulya

1.0 Ubiera, Harris, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Briggs

0.5 Lingner, 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.

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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
White Result Black

Paul Godin 1-0 Ken Gurge

Paul Lynch 0-1 Roger Cappallo

Dave Thomas 0-1 Bruce Felton

Arthur Barlas 1/2-1/2 Dave Couture

Mike Meehan 0-1 Larry Gladding

Gary Brassard 1/2-1/2 Ritvik Pulya

Diego Ubiera 0-1 ♔ Jim Donahue

Ralph McNeilage 1-0 Tom Fratturelli

Ed Harris 0-1 ♔ Harry Richardson

Geoff LePoer 1-0 Don Briggs

Bill Burke 1-0 Brian Biglow

Hugh McLaughlin 0-1 Jim Hankard

Mike Commisso 1-0 Andrew Kiser

♔ Raaga Pulya 1-0 Gail Lingner

Bob Mathieu 1-0 Emily Gawboy

Larry O'Rourke 1-0 James Petullo

John Bastarache 1-0 Don 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

Points Players

2.0 Godin, Cappallo, Felton, Gladding

1.5 Paulson, Barlas, Brassard, McNeilage, Couture, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Richardson

1.0 King, LePoer, Mirijanian, Gurge, Lynch, Thomas, Meehan, Premus, Burke, Condon, Hankard, Commisso, Mathieu, O'Rourke,
Bastarache, Steadman, Scanlon, Ra. Pulya

0.5 Ubiera, Harris, Fratturelli, Lavoie, Briggs

0.0 Lingner, 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.

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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
White Result Black

Ray Paulson 1-0 Bill Burke

Jim Hankard 0-1 Paul Godin

Roger Cappallo 1-0 Mike Commisso

♔ Ritvik Pulya 1-0 Geoff LePoer

Bruce Felton 1-0 Bob Mathieu

Nik Lavoie 0-1 Arthur Barlas

Larry Gladding 1-0 Larry O'Rourke

Brian Biglow 0-1 Gary Brassard

Ken Gurge 1-0 John Bastarache

♖ Don Briggs 1/2-1/2 Ralph McNeilage

Paul Lynch 1-0 Hugh McLaughlin

Emily Gawboy 0-1 Dave Thomas

Dave Couture 1-0 Raaga Pulya

Don Ostrowski 0-1 Mike 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

Points Players

1.0 Paulson, Godin, Cappallo, Felton, Barlas, Gladding, Brassard, Gurge, Lynch, Thomas, Couture, Meehan, Ri. Pulya

0.5 King, Ubiera, Mirijanian, McNeilage, Premus, Condon, Donahue, Fratturelli, Richardson, Steadman, Briggs, Scanlon,
Whistler

0.0 LePoer, 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!

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January 1st, 2018

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

♔ ♛ ♖ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♗ ♜ ♕ ♚ Ratings in effect for
the 2018 Reggie Boone Memorial tournament:
1 Rob King 2220

2 Brett Kildahl 2129

3 Diego Ubiera 2008

4 Ray Paulson 2002

5 Paul Godin 1961

6 Roger Cappallo 1956

7 Geoff LePoer 1955

8 George Mirijanian 1929

9 Bruce Felton 1864

10 Arthur Barlas 1826

11 Larry Gladding 1813

12 Vlad Gaciu 1777

13 Gary Brassard 1769

14 Ken Gurge 1769

15 Ralph McNeilage 1756

16 Paul Lynch 1710

17 Dave Thomas 1708

18 Dave Couture 1703

19 Mike Meehan 1678

20 Vince Premus 1676

21 Bill Burke 1663

22 Lenny Arsenault 1631

23 Alan Condon 1605

24 Roland Booker 1600

25 Jim Hankard 1600

26 Mike Commisso 1582

27 Jim Donahue 1579

28 Tom Fratturelli 1542

29 Gail Lingner 1507

30 Ritvik Pulya 1505

31 Bob Mathieu 1487

32 Harry Richardson 1448

33 Larry O'Rourke 1405

34 Brian Biglow 1400

35 John Bastarache 14000

36 Randy McLaughlin 1371

37 Wayne Steadman 1326

38 Don Briggs 1316

39 Hugh McLaughlin 1208

40 Andrew Kiser 1144

41 Francis Scanlon 1077

42 Emily Gawboy 1070

43 Tom Whistler 1047

44 Raaga Pulya 613

45 James 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.

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

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♚ WCC News Archives: ♚
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Photo credits unless otherwise noted: Dave Couture
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Content: George Mirijanian, Paul Godin, Dave Couture, Arthur Barlas & other individual contributors
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Tournament Reports: Paul Godin
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FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
Points	Players
4.0	Cappallo, Godin, Felton,Thomas, Commisso
3.5	Gladding
3.0	Paulson, LePoer, Bennett, Gurge, Couture, Hankard, Fratturelli
2.5	Mirijanian, Brassard, McNeilage, Donahue, Ri. Pulya, Biglow, Briggs, Rivera
2.0	Harris, Burke, Meehan, Booker, Lavoie, Ostrowski, Bastarache, David, Ra. Pulya
1.5	O'Rourke, Gawboy, Cullen
1.0	Barlas, McLaughlin, Kiser, Whistler
0.5	Scanlon

♔ 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

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

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

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

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

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

♔ 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

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

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

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

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

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

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