♟  "From the very beginning, I was different from other chess kids. It was never just a game for me. I always wanted to be a Grandmaster, and I knew that I would
do what it takes." -Varuzhan Akobian  ♟

WCC News 2019 ♔

Miscellaneous News & Other Chess Events of Interest:


MACA Event Calendar of Tournaments throughout Massachusetts

NHCA Event Calendar of Tournaments throughout New Hampshire

Relyea Event Calendar of Open & Invitational Tournaments

Continental Chess Association Tournament Schedule for All States

SENECA Southeast New England Chess Association Tournament Schedule

Connecticut Chess Magazine by Rob Roy blog.


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


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

(Formerly located at the Natick Community Center, 117 E. Central St. (Rt.135) in Natick Massachusetts.)


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

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

Keene, NH Chess Club events calendar

Waltham Chess Club events calendar

Boylston Chess Club events calendar

Greater Worcester Chess Club events calendar

New Britain CT Chess Club events calendar

MetroWest Chess Club events calendar


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

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

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

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

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

ECO code to enjoy =  C44 Inverted Hungarian: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Be2 
♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   Four Random Mating Patterns   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚

Damiano's Mate

Box Mate

Box Mate

Greco's Mate



December 26th 2019
USCF Rule changes for 2020

Effective January 1st, 2020, the following changes to the USCF rules will go into effect.
https://new.uschess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/RULESUPDATE-2020-v1.pdf

December 18th, 2019

Brassard, Paulson, Godin tie at top of
year's end Sturgis Memorial tournament

George Sturgis Memorial, December 18th, 2019
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Gary Brassard 1-0Ray Paulson
Paul Godin 1-0Michael David
Geoff LePoer 0-1♔  Dave Couture
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Bob Mathieu
Don Ostrowski 0-1Mike Commisso
Mark Wheeler 0-1Larry Gladding
Stephen Murray 1-0John Bastarache
Don Briggs 0-1Ken Gurge
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Robert King
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Jim Donahue 1-0Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow 1-0Paul Carrier
Mike Densmore 0-1Bryce McLaughlin
Total of 13 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

♖ Not playing round 5 were Brett Kildahl, Roger Cappallo, George Mirijanian, Ritvik Pulya, Bruce Felton,
Roland Booker, Jim Hankard, Keith Hamer, Larry O'Rourke and Raaga Pulya.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 18th, 2019
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Brassard, Paulson, Godin
3.5McNeilage, Couture
3.0Commisso, Gladding, Murray, David
2.5King, Kildahl, Cappallo, Mirijanan, LePoer, Ri. Pulya, Gurge, Mathieu
2.0Felton, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Donahue, Bastarache, Wheeler, Briggs, Biglow
1.5Booker, H. McLaughlin, B. McLaughlin
1.0Hankard, Hamer, R. McLaughlin, Gawboy, Carrier
0.5O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya
0.0Densmore

♔ 2019 George Sturgis Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st-3rd: Gary Brassard of Leominster,
Ray Paulson of Lowell,
Paul Godin of Bedford
Top U1850: Dave Couture of Westminster
Top U1650: Bob Mathieu of Leominster
Top U1450: Don Briggs of Lunenburg, Brian Biglow of Fitchburg

A total of 2 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Gary Brassard + 64
Dave Couture + 52
Only one player
reached a new all time high:
The following player achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Ralph McNeilage 1864

Pictures from this year's George Sturgis Memorial tournament.

Current 2020 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 12/18/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
RICHARD HUBBARD Hollis, NH 1958 1958 2nd Cat. 18 15 3 0 15.0 .833
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1936 2186 1st Cat. 10 7 1 2 8.0 .800
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1971 2015 1st Cat. 20 15 4 1 15.5 .775
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1938 2102 Can. Master 17 12 3 2 13.0 .765
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1958 2020 1st Cat. 21 15 4 2 16.0 .762
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1864 1864 2nd Cat. 16 11 3 2 12.0 .750
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1938 2085 Can. Master 21 14 6 1 14.5 .690
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1849 1904 1st Cat. 23 12 5 6 15.0 .652
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1771 1953 1st Cat. 20 12 6 2 12.5 .625
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1797 1849 2nd Cat. 23 13 8 2 14.0 .609
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1750 1858 1st Cat. 21 11 7 3 12.5 .595
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1780 1819 2nd Cat. 14 7 5 2 8.0 .571
KEN GURGE Leominster 1691 1856 2nd Cat. 22 10 7 5 12.5 .568
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1747 1795 3rd Cat. 23 12 9 2 13.0 .565
JAMES HANKARD Antrim, NH 1607 1816 2nd Cat. 18 9 7 2 10.0 .556
TOM FRATTURELLI Leominster 1671 1735 2nd Cat. 19 10 9 0 10.0 .526
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the Reggie Boone Memorial, starts Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.
There will be no Wachusett Chess Club meeting on December 25th, 2019 or January 1st, 2020
Players must be present by 7:10 p.m. on January 8, 2020 in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.
♘ ♕ ♔ ♜ ♔ ♕ ♗
  ♔ ♘ ☕ ☺ ☮ ♡ ☆   MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR   ☆ ♡ ☮ ☺ ⛄ ♝ ♕  
  ♔ ♘ ☕ ☺ ☮ ♡ ☆  TO ALL WACHUSETT CHESS CLUB PLAYERS!   ☆ ♡ ☮ ☺ ⛄ ♝ ♕  
♘ ♕ ♔ ♜ ♔ ♕ ♗

December 11th, 2019
2019 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Half dozen draws in round 4 of Sturgis tournament

George Sturgis Memorial, December 11th, 2019
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 1-0Paul Godin
Brett Kildahl1/2-1/2♖ 375Gary Brassard
Roger Cappallo1/2-1/2Ritvik Pulya
Dave Couture1/2-1/2Ralph McNeilage
Larry Gladding 0-1Michael David
John Bastarache1/2-1/2Bob Mathieu
Mike Commisso1/2-1/2♖ Mark Wheeler
Jim Donahue 0-1Stephen Murray
Ken Gurge1/2-1/2Roland Booker
Tom Fratturelli 0-1♔ Don Briggs
Don Ostrowski 1-0Brian Biglow
Larry O'Rourke 0-1♔ Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 1-0Raaga Pulya
Paul Carrier 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 14 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 2 upset draws ().

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian and Geoff LePoer.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Bruce Felton, Jim Hankard and Keith Hamer.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament was Richard Hubbard.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 11th, 2019
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Paulson
3.5-----
3.0Godin, Brassard, David
2.5Kildahl, Cappallo, Mirijanian, LePoer, McNeilage, Ri. Pulya, Couture, Mathieu
2.0Felton, Commisso, Gladding, Murray, Ostrowski, Bastarache, Wheeler, Briggs
1.5Gurge, Booker, McLaughlin
1.0Fratturelli, Donahue, Hankard, Biglow, Hamer, Gawboy, Carrier
0.5O'Rourke, Ra. Pulya
0.0Densmore


Projected Round 5 Pairings for December 18th:

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

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes new club and USCF member Paul Carrier of Leominster.

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 5 on December 18th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

December 9th, 2019
Four Wachusett CC members compete in Harry Nelson Pillsbury Memorial tournament

Four Wachusett CC members competed in the Harry Nelson Pillsbury Memorial tournament held on Sunday, December 8th in Westford. Below are their rating updates

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Tuesday December 10, 2019 Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12413721: DAVE COUTURE2019-12-08HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)3: U1750 1735 => 1698 B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-12-08HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)2: U1950 1702 => 1693 B
12222200: JAMES A. HANKARD2019-12-08HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)3: U1750 1616 => 1628 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2019-12-08HARRY NELSON PILLSBURY MEMORIA (MA)3: U1750 1600 => 1600 B

December 9th 2019
Mike Commisso posts YouTube chess video

Mike Commisso recently posted a video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LojdOqoCo8k
In the video, in Episode 1 of his "What were you thinking?" series, Mike addresses a worthwhile topic to many chess players, i.e. "Missing the point about blunders".
It's worth checking out, even if you don't own a computer & never make blunders.
-PG

December 4th, 2019
<2019 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 3 of 5

George Sturgis Memorial, December 4th, 2019
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 1-0Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Geoff LePoer
Gary Brassard 1-0Mike Commisso
Michael David1/2-1/2Ritvik Pulya
Stephen Murray 0-1Brett Kildahl
George Mirijanian 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Larry Gladding 1-0Don Ostrowski
Roland Booker 0-1Dave Couture
♔ Bob Mathieu 1-0Ken Gurge
Larry O'Rourke 0-1John Bastarache
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Mark Wheeler
Raaga Pulya 0-1Jim Donahue
Don Briggs 1-0Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Bruce Felton and Ralph McNeilage.
♖ Not playing round 3 were Richard Hubbard, Jim Hankard and Keith Hamer.

George Sturgis Memorial, December 4th, 2019
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0Godin, Paulson
2.5Brassard
2.0Kildahl, Felton, Cappallo, Mirijanian, LePoer, McNeilage, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Couture, David, Mathieu
1.5Commisso, Bastarache, Wheeler
1.0Hubbard, Murray, Gurge, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Donahue, Hankard, Booker, Briggs, Biglow, Hamer
0.5O'Rourke, McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.0Gawboy, Densmore


Projected Round 4 Pairings for December 11th:

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

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

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on December 11th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

November 27th 2019
Arthur A. King Jr. of Haverhill, MA, former MACA member dies at 69

See the Billerica page for detailed obituary submitted by George Mirijanian.

November 22nd 2019
2019 Fall Interclub Chess Tournament at Worcester State University

The WSU Chess Club proudly presents the 2019 Fall Interclub Chess Tournament,
Saturday, November 23, 9:30am - 3:00pm
WSU Blue Lounge, Student Center (1st floor) Food and beverages included (pizza lunch)
4 rounds, 30 minutes each player, Non-rated, $5.00 entry fee for non-students; free for students
Directed by Joe Alfano, Assumption College
Location: Student Activities building, Parking free: use K lot (administration)
Bring chess sets, boards, clocks
Contact: chesswsu@gmail.com

November 22nd, 2019

Hello Everyone,
I've uploaded the next installment of MWATC to youtube. The video features the action on board 1 last night, in a game with Larry Gladding, where I played the White side of a Smith-Morra Gambit. The astronomy tidbit explains (or at least attempts to, Paul) why time appears to run slowly in a gravity field.

Link to the Gladding game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2S4zxEbUJI
Index to all the "My Week at the Club" videos, now with hot links embedded:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSWKxqhBcZdBsR6jo6LS_ySOa64hNKEfMB29AQLxdj9YOxd_93Nze6YPswrmrfjv8g42_s_uiSI0rMJ/pubhtml
Index of all the videos:
https://cappallo.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/mwatc_index.pdf
Cheers,
Rogger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 20th, 2019
2019 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 2 of 5

George Sturgis Memorial, November 20th, 2019
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 1-0Larry Gladding
Dave Couture 0-1Paul Godin
Geoff LePoer 1-0Stephen Murray
Ken Gurge 0-1Ray Paulson
Mike Commisso1/2-1/2Michael David
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Gary Brassar
Mark Wheeler 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Don Ostrowski 1-0Don Briggs
♔ Keith Hamer 1-0Jim Donahue
Jim Hankard 1-0Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy 0-1Roland Booker
John Bastarache1/2-1/2♖ Hugh McLaughlin
Mike Densmore 0-1Bob Mathieu
Total of 13 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Bruce Felton, Ritvik Pulya, Richard Hubbard, George Mirijanian,
Larry O'Rourke and Raaga Pulya.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament was Andrew Jeselson.

George Sturgis Memorial, November 20th, 2019
CURRENT STANDINGS After 2 Rounds
PointsPlayers
2.0Cappallo, Godin, LePoer, Paulson
1.5Felton, McNeilage, Commisso, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, David
1.0Hubbard, Mirijanian, Gladding, Couture, Murray, Gurge, Fratturelli, Ostrowski, Hankard, Booker, Mathieu, Hamer
0.5Bastarache, Wheeler, O'Rourke, McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.0Donahue, Briggs, Biglow, Gawboy, Densmore


Projected Round 3 Pairings for December 4th:

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

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 3 on December 4th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.
🦃 HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL !!!  🦃

November 14th, 2019

Hello Everyone,
I've uploaded the next installment of MWATC up to youtube. It features last night's game against Jim Donahue, in which I played Black in a Slav defense. The astronomy tidbit addresses the idea of seeing stars during the daytime.

Link to the Donahue game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j6H0ef3p5U
Index to all the "My Week at the Club" videos, now with hot links embedded:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSWKxqhBcZdBsR6jo6LS_ySOa64hNKEfMB29AQLxdj9YOxd_93Nze6YPswrmrfjv8g42_s_uiSI0rMJ/pubhtml
Index of all the videos:
https://cappallo.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/mwatc_index.pdf
Cheers,
Rogger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 13th, 2019
2019 George Sturgis Memorial
Round 1 of 5

George Sturgis Memorial, November 13th, 2019
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 1-0Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue 0-1Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Jim Hankard
Roland Booker 0-1Geoff LePoer
Ray Paulson 1-0John Bastarache
Bob Mathieu 0-1Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2♖ Mark Wheeler
Don Briggs 0-1Larry Gladding
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biblow 0-1Dave Couture
Stephen Murray 1-0Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Ken Gurge
Michael David 1-0Raaga Pulya
Mike Densmore 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Total of 14 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Richard Hubbard, Andrew Jeselson, George Mirijanian, and Ralph McNeilage.

George Sturgis Memorial, November 13th, 2019
CURRENT STANDINGS After 1 Rounds
PointsPlayers
1.0Felton, Cappallo, Godin, LePoer, Paulson, Commisso, Gladding, Ri. Pulya, Couture, Murray, Gurge, David, Fratturelli
0.5Hubbard, Jeselson, Mirijanian, McNeilage, Brassard, Wheeler
0.0Ostrowski, Donahue, Hankard, Booker, Bastarache, Mathieu, Briggs, O'Rourke, Biglow, Gawboy, McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya, Densmore


Projected Round 2 Pairings for November 20th:

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

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

November 11th, 2019
Ratings in effect for the George Sturgis Memorial tournament

The following ratings are in effect for the George Sturgis Memorial tournament,
which begins Wednesday, November 13th, in Room C159 of the McKay Complex at Fitchburg State University.
Registration is from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., with Round 1 starting at 7:15 p.m.
Deadline for all subsequent rounds is 7:10 p.m. Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 p.m.

  ♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚     Ratings in effect for the
George Sturgis Memorial tournament:
1Bruce Felton 1967
2Richard Hubbard 1958
3Andrew Jeselson 1951
4Roger Cappallo 1947
5Paul Godin 1945
6George Mirijanian 1931
7Geoff LePoer 1924
8Ray Paulson 1892
9Ralph McNeilage 1862
10Mike Commisso 1811
11Gary Brassard 1785
12Larry Gladding 1777
13Ritvik Pulya 1773
14Dave Couture 1745
15Stephen Murray 1742
16Ken Gurge 1720
17Michael David 1719
18Tom Fratturelli 1711
19Don Ostrowski 1690
20Arthur Barlas 1668
21Jim Donahue 1642
22Jim Hankard 1610
23Roland Booker 1600
24John Bastarache 1523
25Bob Mathieu 1484
26Mark Wheeler 1467
27Don Briggs 1426
28Larry O'Rourke 1426
29Brian Biglow 1400
30Emily Gawboy 1202
31Hugh McLaughlin 1200
32Raaga Pulya 1175
33Mike Densmore 687

November 7th, 2019

Hello All,
Here is my next video effort, on my game last night with Bruce Felton. It was a QP game with some characteristics of a London System. The video ran a bit longer than I'd hoped, but it was an exciting game with opposite-side pawn storm attacks. I hope you enjoy it.

Link to the Felton game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoPFkyjDar0
Index to all the "My Week at the Club" videos, now with hot links embedded:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSWKxqhBcZdBsR6jo6LS_ySOa64hNKEfMB29AQLxdj9YOxd_93Nze6YPswrmrfjv8g42_s_uiSI0rMJ/pubhtml
Index of all the videos:
https://cappallo.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/mwatc_index.pdf
Cheers,
Rogger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 6th, 2019

Hubbard tops WCC by a full point with 5-0 finish!

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, November 6th, 2019
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 0-1Richard Hubbard
Bruce Felton 0-1Roger Cappallo
Ralph McNeilage 1-0George Mirijanian
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2Ray Paulson
Geoff LePoer 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Mike Commisso 1-0Don Ostrowski
Michael David 0-1Dave Couture
Mark Wheeler 0-1Stephen Murray
Roland Booker 0-1Ken Gurge
Jim Donahue 0-1♔ Bob Mathieu
Emily Gawboy 0-1Jim Hankard
Larry O'Rourke 0-1John Bastarache
Mike Densmore 0-1Brian Biglow
Total of 13 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

♖ Not playing round 5 were Larry Gladding, Ritvik Pulya, Andrew Jeselson, Don Briggs, Hugh McLaughlin,
Raaga Pulya and Randy McLaughlin.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, November 6th, 2019
FINAL STANDINGS After 5 Rounds
PointsPlayers
5.0Hubbard
4.5-----
4.0Cappallo, McNeilage
3.5LePoer
3.0Felton, Godin, Paulson, Commisso, Brassard, Gladding, Couture
2.5Mirijanian, Ri. Pulya, Murray, Fratturelli, Gurge, Mathieu
2.0Jeselson, Ostrowski, David, Hankard, Bastarache, Briggs
1.5Donahue, Booker, Wheeler, Biglow, Gawboy
1.0O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5-----
0.0R. McLaughlin, Densmore

♔ 2019 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial PRIZE WINNERS ♔
1st: ♔ Richard Hubbard of Hollis, NH
2nd-3rd: Roger Cappallo of Groton, Ralph McNeilage of Worcester
Top U1800: Larry Gladding of Leominster, Dave Couture of Westminster
Top U1650: Bob Mathieu of Ashburnham
Top U1400: Don Briggs of Lunenburg

A total of 2 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Richard Hubbard + 92
Emily Gawboy + 66
A total of 3 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Richard Hubbard 1958
Ralph McNeilage 1862
Emily Gawboy 1202

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

  2020 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of november 6th, 2019:  
After 19 games completed in the 2019-2020 season, the following are the current standings for qualification
for the 2020 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 50% of season's games MUST be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 9 or more games played are listed below.)

2020 WCC 'B' Club Championship Tournament will be open to all.
However, a minimum of 50% of season's games must be completed to qualify for the 'B' title.

Both A & B Championship tournaments will be paired as 7 round Swiss tournaments.
No half-point byes will be allowed in either section. Players who miss a round will be given "0" for that round.
If there is an odd number of players in either section in any round,
a full-point bye will be issued to the lowest-ranking player with the lowest rating eligible for the bye.
Current 2020 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 11/6/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
RICHARD HUBBARD Hollis, NH 1958 1958 2nd Cat. 18 15 3 0 15.0 .833
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 1947 2102 Can. Master 13 10 2 1 10.5 .808
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1931 2186 1st Cat. 9 6 1 2 7.0 .778
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1967 2015 1st Cat. 19 14 4 1 14.5 .763
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1945 2020 1st Cat. 16 11 3 2 12.0 .750
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1862 1862 2nd Cat. 13 9 3 1 9.5 .731
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1892 2085 Can. Master 16 10 5 1 10.5 .656
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1777 1953 1st Cat. 15 9 5 1 9.5 .633
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1799 1849 2nd Cat. 18 11 7 0 11.0 .611
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1785 1904 1st Cat. 18 9 5 4 11.0 .611
KEN GURGE Leominster 1720 1856 2nd Cat. 17 8 5 4 10.0 .588
TOM FRATTURELLI Leominster 1711 1735 2nd Cat. 14 8 6 0 8.0 .571
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1745 1858 1st Cat. 16 8 6 2 9.0 .563
JAMES HANKARD Antrim, NH 1647 1816 2nd Cat. 16 8 6 2 9.0 .563
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1742 1795 3rd Cat. 18 9 7 2 10.0 .556
ALEXANDER VENEZIA Lunenburg 1728 1766 3rd Cat. 9 4 3 2 5.0 .556
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1773 1819 2nd Cat. 11 6 5 0 6.0 .545
Championship Grand Prix Archive

REMINDER: The next tournament at the club, the George Sturgis Memorial, starts Wednesday, November 13th.
Players must be present by 7:00 p.m. in order to be paired for Round 1.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7:00 p.m.

November 3rd, 2019

Hello All,
As promised (threatened?) yesterday, here is my game vs. Geoff LePoer. It was a Sicilian Smith-Morra Gambit, declined.

Link to the LePoer game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyWjwynd6zU
Index of all the videos:
https://cappallo.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/mwatc_index.pdf
Cheers,
Rogger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 2nd, 2019

Hello All,
This first video is actually of last week's game vs. Richard Hubbard, in which I lost. I'll post this week's game vs. Geoff LePoer later.

Link to the Hubbard game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ca0CHzaVw4&t=13s
Index of all the videos:
https://cappallo.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/mwatc_index.pdf
Cheers,
Rogger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

November 2nd, 2019
Wachusett CC's Jim Hankard wins U1700 section of 86th 86th Greater Boston Open

Wachusett CC's Jim Hankard wins U1700 section of 86th GBO
Jim Hankard of Antrim, New Hampshire, one of the most active members of the Wachusett Chess Club, posted a score of 3.5-0.5 to finish clear first in the Under 1700 section of the 86th Greater Boston Open, held Sunday, October 27, at the Westford Regency Inn in Westford. The tournament, directed by National TD Bob Messenger of Nashua, N.H., saw 33-year-old IM Denys Shmelov and 63-year-old GM Alexander Ivanov, both of Newton, tie for 1st-3rd place in the Open section with national master Brandon Wu (who also won the top U2300 prize). Assisting Messenger in the 125-player, 6-section tournament were local TD Nicholas Sterling, director of the Waltham Chess Club, and club TD Oleg Poliannikov, president of the Massachusetts Chess Association.
-George M.
Six Wachusett CC members competed in events outside the WCC this past week. Here are their rating updates.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Saturday November 2, 2019 Notable Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12415086: BRUCE O FELTON2019-10-2786TH GREATER BOSTON OPEN (MA)2: U2100 2015 => 1977 A
10011965: ROGER CAPPALLO2019-10-2786TH GREATER BOSTON OPEN (MA)2: U2100 1954 => 1917 A
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON2019-10-25BILLERICA OCTOBER SWISS 2019 (MA)1: OPEN 1943 => 1910 A
11156665: GARY BRASSARD2019-10-2786TH GREATER BOSTON OPEN (MA)7: EXTRA 1784 => 1774 B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-10-25BILLERICA OCTOBER SWISS 2019 (MA)1: OPEN 1678 => 1753 B
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD2019-10-2786TH GREATER BOSTON OPEN (MA)4: U1700 1665 => 1683 B

October 30th, 2019
2019 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 30th, 2019
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Richard Hubbard 1-0Bruce Felton
Roger Cappallo 1-0Geoff LePoer
Paul Godin 1-0Mike Commisso
Dave Couture 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Ray Paulson 1-0Jim Donahue
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Mark Wheeler
Bob Mathieu 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Stephen Murray1/2-1/2Roland Booker
Don Ostrowski 1-0John Bastarache
Michael David 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Jim Hankard 0-1♔ Don Briggs
Brian Biglow 0-1♕  Emily Gawboy
Raaga Pulya 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 13 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

♝ Receiving half-point byes were Larry Gladding, George Mirijanian, Gary Brassard and Ken Gurge.
♖ Not playing round 4 were Andrew Jeselson and Hugh McLaughlin.
♙ Randy McLaughlin had already withdrawn from the tournament.
♟ Larry Gladding will be paired if he shows up to play.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 30th, 2019
CURRENT STANDINGS After 4 Rounds
PointsPlayers
4.0Hubbard
3.5-----
3.0Felton, Cappallo, Godin, McNeilage, Gladding
2.5Mirijanian, Paulson, LePoer, Brassard, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli
2.0Jeselson, Commisso, Couture, Ostrowski, David, Briggs
1.5Murray, Gurge, Donahue, Booker, Wheeler, Mathieu, Gawboy
1.0Hankard, Bastarache, O'Rourke, H. McLaughlin, Ra. Pulya
0.5Biglow
0.0(R. McLaughlin), Densmore


Projected Round 5 Pairings for November 6th:

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

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

October 30th 2019
Carissa news posted on chess.com

https://www.chess.com/news/view/carissa-yip-youngest-im-chess
Yip Becomes Youngest American Female IM Ever - Chess.com With her 5.0/9 score at the 2019 SPICE Cup, which included two draws and a win against grandmasters, Carissa Yip has unofficially become the youngest female international master in U.S. history (pending certification from FIDE). Her third and final norm came this past weekend at the annual St. Louis... www.chess.com
-Mike Commisso

October 28th 2019
Carissa Yip make chess history; becomes youngest female IM in USA

Carissa Yip makes chess history; becomes youngest female IM in USA
Carissa Yip, the 16-year-old Woman Grandmaster from Andover, Mass., made chess history on Sunday, October 27, at the Days Inn in Saint Louis, where she made her 3rd and final IM norm in the 13th annual SPICE Cup to become the youngest female International Master in U.S. chess history. The title will be awarded by the World Chess Federation, better known by its acronym, FIDE, at its next congress. The former Wachusett CC and Boylston CC champion won her final-round game against Rubens Cezila Jr. of Brazil to finish with a score of 5-4. Winning this year's SPICE Cup was 20-year-old GM Akshat Chandra of the United States. He scored 6.5-2.5. Six players tied for 2nd-7th with 6-3 tallies. They were GM Illya Nyzhnik, 23, of Ukraine; GM Jan-Christian Schroeder, 21, of Germany; GM John Burke, 18, of New Jersey; IM Nikolas Theodorou, 19, of Greece; GM Emilio Cordova, 28, of Peru; and GM Lazaro Bruzon Batista, 37, of Cuba. The tournament was organized by former Women's World Champion Susan Polgar, head of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) at Webster University in Saint Louis.
-George M

October 27th 2019
Carissa Yip a win away from 3rd IM norm at SPICE Cup

Carissa Yip a win away from 3rd IM norm at SPICE Cup
Former Wachusett CC and Boylston CC champion Carissa Yip (rated 2422) is just a win away from her 3rd IM norm going into the 9th round of the 13th annual SPICE Cup in Saint Louis. The 16-year-old Woman Grandmaster from Andover, Mass., who earned her 2nd IM norm at this year's U.S. Masters, needs a victory in the final round against Rubens Cezlla Jr. (rated 2163) of Brazil to claim the norm and a plus score of 5-4. Leading the field going into the final round with a score of 6-2 is GM Akshat Chandra (2513) of the United States, who will face GM Hedinn Steingrimsson (2548) of Iceland, who stands at 5-3. Four other GMs are a half point behind Chandra in the current standings and will face each other in the final round. They are GM Jan-Christian Schroeder (2572) of Germany, who will play GM Illya Nizhnik (2665) of Ukraine, and GM Emilio Cordova (2571) of Peru, who will challenge IM Nikolas Theodorou (2541) of Greece.
-George M

October 26th 2019
Five GMs tied for lead in 13th annual SPICE Cup

After seven rounds of play in the 13th annual SPICE Cup in Saint Louis, five grandmasters are tied for the lead with scores of 5-2. Sharing the limelight are GMs Illya Nyzhnik (2665), 23, of Ukraine,Jan-Christian Schroeder (2572), 21, of Germany, Emilio Cordova (2571), 28 of Peru, Nikolas Theodorou (2541), 19, of Greece, and Akshat Chandra (2513), 20, of the United States. In Round 8, Nyzhnik will play Cordova, Schroeder will face Theodorou, and Chandra will come up against 15-year-old IM Brandon Jacobson (2452) of New Jersey. There are 4 players at 4.5-2.5 and 10 players at 4-3. Among those at 4-3 are WGM Carissa Yip, 16, of Andover, Mass., who lost her Round 7 game with Black to Theodorou and will receive her second Black in a row when she faces IM Robby Kevlishvili (2483), 18, of the Netherlands in Round 8. The 9th and final round will be played on Sunday, October 27th.
-George M

October 26th 2019
Carissa Yip still half point behind leaders in 13th annual SPICE Cup

After six rounds of play in the 13th annual SPICE Cup in Saint Louis, former Wachusett CC and Boylston CC champion Carissa Yip (2422) still remains only a half point behind the leaders, GMs Jan-Christian Schroeder (2572) of Germany, Emilio Cordova (2571) of Peru and Akshat Chandra (2513). All three have scores of 4.5-1.5. Carissa is tied with two GMs and three IMs at 4-2 and will be playing in Round 7 on Board 5, when she faces IM Nikolas Theodorou (2541) of Greece, whom she was originally paired with in Round 6, but pairings were changed and she faced GM Illya Nyzhnik (2665) of Ukraine, the highest-rated player in the tournament, who won this year's U.S. Open in Florida. She drew Nyzhnik! In Round 7, Chandra will face Cordova on Board 1 and Schroeder will play GM Yuniesky Quesada Perez (2615) on Board 2. Nyzhnik is paired against one of the IMs at 4-2 and will play on Board 3. The 9-round tournament ends on Sunday, October 27th.
-George M

October 22nd, 2019
2019 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 22nd, 2019
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 1-0Dave Couture
Richard Hubbard 1-0Roger Cappallo
Geoff LePoer 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Larry Gladding 1-0Mark Wheeler
Andrew Jeselson 1-0Stephen Murray
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Don Ostrowski
Mike Commisso 1-0Michael David
Jim Hankard 0-1Gary Brassard
Ray Paulson 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Brian Biglow
John Bastarache1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Jim Donahue 1-0Emily Gawboy
Don Briggs 1-0Raaga Pulya
Mike Densmore 0-1Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 14 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

♝ Receiving half-point byes were George Mirijanian, Paul Godin and Bob Mathieu.
♙ Withdrawn from the tournament were Arthur Barlas and Roland Booker.
♙ Randy McLaughlin had already withdrawn from the event.

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 22nd, 2019
CURRENT STANDINGS After 3 Rounds
PointsPlayers
3.0Felton, Hubbard
2.5LePoer, Gladding
2.0Cappallo, Mirijanian, Godin, Jeselson, McNeilage, Commisso, Brassard, Couture
1.5Paulson, Ri. Pulya, Fratturelli, Donahue, Wheeler, Mathieu
1.0Murray, Gurge, Ostrowski, David, Hankard, Bastarache, O'Rourke, Briggs, H. McLaughlin
0.5Biglow, Gawboy
0.0(R. McLaughlin), Ra. Pulya, Densmore


Projected Round 4 Pairings for October 29th:

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

REMINDER: Players must be present in Room C159 by 7:10 P.M. in order to be paired for Round 4 on October 29th.
Players running late who wish to be paired MUST CALL by 7 P.M.

October 15th, 2019

Hello All,
I've uploaded a video on this week's game with Mike Commisso (1822).
In it we transposed into a French Advance variation, and I'm nearly done in by a large oversight.
In the astronomy segment I discuss the Earth's rotation.
Cheers,
Rogger
[See this & all of Roger Cappallo's other videos at Roger's YouTube channel.]

October 16th, 2019
2019 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 16th, 2019
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Gary Brassard 0-1Bruce Felton
Roger Cappallo 1-0Mike Commisso
Larry Gladding1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
Stephen Murray 0-1Richard Hubbard
♔ Dave Couture 1-0Ray Paulson
Ken Gurge 0-1Geoff LePoer
♔ Mark Wheeler 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Don Ostrowski 1-0Don Briggs
Brian Biglow1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Michael David 1-0Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Jim Hankard
♖ Emily Gawboy1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 13 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for October 23rd:

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

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

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

October 15th, 2019

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

October 12th 2019

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


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


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Pair | Player Name		Rating	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Round	| Total	|  Place   |
 Num  | 				|  1	|  2	|  3	|  4	|  5	| 	|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Roger Cappallo 1954 | W14 | W2 | W6 | W5 | W4 | 5.0 | 1st | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 | Gary Brassard 1821 | W15 | L1 | W12 | W10 | W5 | 4.0 | 2nd-3rd | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 | Glenn MacDonald 1636 | W13 | W16 | L4 | W9 | W6 | 4.0 | 2nd-3rd | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 | Bruce Felton 2015 | W16 | L7 | W3 | W8 | L1 | 3.0 | 4th-8th | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 | Tom Zuppa 1877 | W12 | W10 | W7 | L1 | L2 | 3.0 | 4th-8th | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 | Mike Commisso 1822 | W9 | W8 | L1 | W7 | L3 | 3.0 | 4th-8th | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 | Matthew Garcia 1731 | W17 | W4 | L5 | L6 | W11 | 3.0 | 4th-8th | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 | Dave Couture 1722 | W11 | L6 | W13 | L4 | W12 | 3.0 | 4th-8th | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 | Francis Scanlon 991 | L6 | bye | W18 | L3 | W13 | 2.5 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 | Don Ostrowski 1703 | W18 | L5 | W11 | L2 | ----- | 2.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 | Riadh Al Zuhairi 1612 | L8 | W14 | L10 | W13 | L7 | 2.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 | Joe Garcia 1341 | L5 | W18 | L2 | W14 | L8 | 2.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 | Kha My Ly 570 | L3 | W15 | L8 | L11 | L9 | 1.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 | Hamed Zarei Unr. | L1 | L11 | W15 | L12 | ----- | 1.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 | Chris Cragin-Warner Unr. | L2 | L13 | L14 | W18 | ----- | 1.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 | Angel Soto 1425 | L4 | L3 | ----- | ----- | ----- | 0.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 | Anthony Sanders Unr. | L7 | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | 0.0 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 | Ava Zarei Unr. | L10 | L12 | L9 | 15 | ----- | 0.0 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pictures from the event are at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vzikhe9x02llbaw/AADHr5nes41UBYNZyP7KLZEya?dl=0

October 9th, 2019
2019 Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Ernest E. Fandreyer Memorial, October 9th, 2019
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 1-0Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue 0-1Roger Cappallo
George Mirijanian 1-0Michael David
John Bastarache 0-1Paul Godin
Richard Hubbard 1-0Larry O'Rourke
♖ Bob Mathieu1/2-1/2Ralph McNeilage
Mike Commisso 1-0Brian Biglow
Don Briggs 0-1Gary Brassard
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Raaga Pulya 0-1Larry Gladding
Stephen Murray 1-0Emily Gawboy
Mike Densmore 0-1Dave Couture
Total of 12 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for October 16th:

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

♗ Jeselson will be paired if he shows up.

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

October 8th, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Ernest Fandreyer Memorial tournament

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

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

October 6th 2019
National Chess Day Open

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

October 2nd, 2019

Felton finishes first

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, October 2nd, 2019
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 1-0Ralph McNeilage
Richard Hubbard 0-1Paul Godin
Roger Cappallo 1-0Gary Brassard
Ray Paulson 1-0Ritvik Pulya
♔ Tom Fratturelli 1-0Mike Commisso
Ken Gurge 1-0Stephen Murray
Don Ostrowski1/2-1/2Michael David
Jim Hankard 1-0Dave Couture
Jim Donahue 1-0Raaga Pulya
Don Briggs 0-1John Bastarache
Emily Gawboy 0-1Larry O'Rourke
Bob Mathieu 0-1Brian Biglow
♔ Mike Densmore 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 13 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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

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

A total of 2 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Mike Densmore +85
Tom Fratturelli +70
A total of 4 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Bruce Felton 2015
Ralph McNeilage 1834
Tom Fratturelli 1735
Mike Densmore 636

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

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

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

September 30th 2019
Wachusett CC's Mike Commisso wins U1850 section of Peter Henner Memorial

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

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

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

September 25th, 2019
2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 25th, 2019
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin1/2-1/2Bruce Felton
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Gary Brassard
George Mirijanian 1-0Mike Commisso
Richard Hubbard 1-0Don Ostrowski
Stephen Murray1/2-1/2Jim Hankard
Roland Booker 0-1Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache 0-1Ken Gurge
♖ Don Briggs1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Michael David 1-0Bob Mathieu
Brian Biglow 1-0Mark Wheeler
Emily Gawboy 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 11 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 5 Pairings for October 2nd:

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

♖ Jeselson will be paired if he shows up.

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

September 23rd 2019
IM Justin Sarkar wins 10th annual Hartford Open;
defeats WGM Carissa Yip in 5th and final round

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 22nd 2019
Yip beats top-rated GM in Hartford Open; now tied for lead in CCA tournament

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

September 18th, 2019
2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 18th, 2019
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 1-0Roger Cappallo
Gary Brassard 1-0Ray Paulson
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Ralph MNeilage
Jim Donahue 0-1Richard Hubbard
Mike Commisso 1-0Ken Gurge
Steve Courtemanche 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Larry Gladding 1-0Michael David
Dave Couture1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Don Ostrowski 1-0Bob Mathieu
Mark Wheeler 0-1Stephen Murray
Jim Hankard 1-0Emily Gawboy
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
♕ Raaga Pulya 1-0Brian Biglow
Mike Densmore 0-1Don Briggs
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for September 25th:

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

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

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

September 16th 2019
Wachusett CC's Michael David ties for 1st in U1750 section of 69th NH Open

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

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday September 16, 2019 69th New Hampshire Open Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
10011965: ROGER CAPPALLO2019-09-1569TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)2: UNDER 1950 1954 => 1942 A
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO2019-09-1569TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)2: UNDER 1950 1830 => 1814 A
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-09-1569TH NEW HAMPSHIRE OPEN (NH)3: UNDER 1750 1687 => 1684 B

September 12th, 2019
2019 Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial, September 12th, 2019
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Richard Hubbard 0-1Bruce Felton
Roger Cappallo 1-0Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
Ray Paulson 1-0Larry Gladding
Ritvik Pulya 0-1Paul Godin
Andrew Jeselson 1-0Don Ostrowski
Stephen Murray 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Ken Gurge 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow 0-1Jim Donahue
Michael David 1-0Don Briggs
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Roland Booker
John Bastarache 1-0Raaga Pulya
♖ Emily Gawboy1/2-1/2Mark Wheeler
Bob Mathieu 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 14 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for September 19th:

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

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

September 4th, 2019

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

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for September 11th:

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

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

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

September 3rd, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Rocco R. Pasquale Memorial tournament

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

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

September 1st 2019
Carissa Yip US #1

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

August 28th, 2019

Trio tie at top of Steadman Memorial tournament

Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 28th, 2019
Round 4 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Stephen Murray 0-1Diego Ubiera
Roger Cappallo 1-0Mike Commisso
Ray Paulson 1-0Alexander Venezia
Ralph McNeilage 0-1Bruce Felton
Paul Godin1/2-1/2Gary Brassard
Richard Hubbard 1-0Larry Gladding
George Mirijanian 1-0Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Dave Couture 1-0Tom Fratturelli
John Bastarache1/2-1/2Michael David
Roland Booker 1-0Emily Gawboy
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Jim Hankard
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Andrew Jeselson
Don Briggs 1-0Brian Biglow
Total of 14 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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

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

Only one player
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following player had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Stephen Murray +122
A total of 2 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Mike Commisso 1830
Stephen Murray 1795

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

2020 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of August 28th, 2019
After 9 games completed in the 2019-2020 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2020 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 50% of season's games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 5 or more games played are listed.)
Current 2020 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 8/28/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
RICHARD HUBBARD Hollis, NH 1868 1869 2nd Cat. 8 7 1 0 7.0 .875
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1986 2000 1st Cat. 9 7 2 0 7.0 .778
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1923 2020 1st Cat. 9 6 2 1 6.5 .722
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1830 1830 2nd Cat. 8 6 2 0 6.0 .750
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1815 1904 1st Cat. 9 5 2 2 6.0 .667
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1795 1795 none 9 6 3 0 6.0 .667
KEN GURGE Leominster 1711 1856 2nd Cat. 9 4 2 3 5.5 .611
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1956 2085 Can. Master 8 5 3 0 5.0 .625
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1759 1953 1st Cat. 9 5 4 0 5.0 .556
ALEXANDER VENEZIA Lunenburg 1728 1766 3rd Cat. 9 4 3 2 5.0 .556
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1743 1858 1st Cat. 8 4 3 1 4.5 .563
JAMES HANKARD Antrim, NH 1602 1816 2nd Cat. 9 4 4 1 4.5 .500
JIM DONAHUE Stow 1711 1738 2nd Cat. 7 3 2 2 4.0 .571
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1812 1827 3rd Cat. 5 3 2 0 3.0 .600
TOM FRATTURELLI Leominster 1665 1688 2nd Cat. 6 3 3 0 3.0 .500
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

August 21st, 2019
2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial
Round 3 of 4

Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 21st, 2019
Round 3 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Alex Venezia1/2-1/2Roger Cappallo
♔ Stephen Murray 1-0Paul Godin
Don Ostrowski 0-1Ray Paulson
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Mike Commisso
Bruce Felton 1-0Dave Couture
Michael David 0-1Richard Hubbard
Jim Hankard 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Gary Brassard 1-0John Bastarache
Bob Mathieu 0-1Larry Gladding
Ken Gurge 1-0Angel Soto
Brian Biglow 0-1Larry O'Rourke
♔ Emily Gawboy 1-0Don Briggs
Mike Densmore 0-1Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 13 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for August 28th:

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

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

August 20th, 2019
ChessChat (Episode 143)
WGM-elect Carissa Yip Wins U.S. Girls Junior Championship (2019-08-03)

August 20th 2019
Four WCC players compete in Sturbridge at the 49th Continental Open

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Tuesday August 20, 2019 49thContinental Open Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12924445: BRETT KILDAHL2019-08-1849TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (MA)1: PREMIER 2161 => 2159 Exp
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE2019-08-1849TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (PA)3: UNDER1900 1711 => 1710 B
12887537: MICHAEL STEVENS2019-08-1849TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (MA)4: UNDER1700 1505 => 1498 C
12899595: EDUARDO VALADARES2019-08-1849TH ANNUAL CONTINENTAL OPEN (PA)5: UNDER1500 1417 => 1400 C

August 14th, 2019
2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial
Round 2 of 4

Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 14th, 2019
Round 2 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Diego Ubiera 1-0Gary Brassard
Roger Cappallo 1-0Dave Couture
Larry Gladding 0-1Paul Godin
Richard Hubbard 0-1♔ Alex Venezia
Ralph McNeilage 0-1♔ Stephen Murray
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Randy McLaughlin
Ken Gurge 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Bruce Felton
Don Briggs 0-1Michael David
Roland Booker1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Jim Hankard
John Bastarache 1-0Emily Gawboy
Mike Densmore 0-1Bob Mathieu
Total of 13 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for August 21st:

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

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

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

August 7th, 2019
2019 Wayne L. Steadman Memorial
Round 1 of 4

Steadman Memorial opens with board one upset

Wayne L. Steadman Memorial, August 7th, 2019
Round 1 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bruce Felton 0-1♔ Stephen Murray
Michael David 0-1Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson 1-0Roland Booker
Jim Hankard 0-1Diego Ubiera
Paul Godin 1-0John Bastarache
Bob Mathieu 0-1Richard Hubbard
Mike Commisso 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Angel Soto 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Gary Brassard 1-0Don Briggs
Eduardo Valadares 0-1Larry Gladding
Dave Couture 1-0Brian Biglow
♖ Randy McLaughlin1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Don Ostrowski 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Jim Donahue
Alexander Venezia 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 15 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), one upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for August 14th:

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

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

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

August 5th, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Wayne L. Steadman Memorial tournament

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

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

July 31st, 2019

Hubbard Dominates Harlow Daly Memorial tournament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 24th, 2019
2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 24th, 2019
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♔ Mike Commisso 1-0Bruce Felton
Gary Brassard 0-1Richard Hubbard
♖ Dave Couture1/2-1/2Bob Secino
Roland Booker 0-1Paul Godin
Ken Gurge1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Jim Donahue 1-0Mark Wheeler
Michael David 1-0Alexander Venezia
Jim Hankard 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Don Briggs 0-1Ray Paulson
Angel Soto 0-1Larry Gladding
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Stephen Murray
Don Ostrowski 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Brian Biglow 0-1Bob Mathieu
Mike Densmore 0-1Emily Gawboy
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), one upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 5 Pairings for July 31st:

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

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

July 21st 2019
Carissa Yip wins 2019 US Girls Championship

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

July 17th, 2019
2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 17th, 2019
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Bob Secino 0-1♔ Mike Commisso
Mark Wheeler 0-1Gary Brassard
Richard Hubbard 1-0Jim Donahue
Ray Paulson 0-1♔ Roland Booker
Paul Godin 1-0Don Briggs
♔ John Bastarache 1-0Larry Gladding
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Ken Gurge
Alexander Venezia1/2-1/2Jim Hankard
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Don Ostrowski
Bob Mathieu 0-1Michael David
Stephen Murray 1-0Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy 0-1Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 13 boards,
3 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for July 24th:

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

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

July 15th 2019
2019 WCC Championship games now available in .PGN format

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

July 14th 2019


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

July 13th, 2019
Revised projected Round 3 pairings for 2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial


REVISED Projected Round 3 Pairings for July 17th:

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

July 10th, 2019
2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Harlow B. Daly Memorial, July 10th, 2019
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Larry Gladding 0-1Bob Secino
♔ Mike Commisso 1-0Ray Paulson
Bruce Felton 1-0Alexander Venezia
♔ Dave Couture 1-0Paul Godin
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Ritvik Pulya 0-1♔ Mark Wheeler
Don Ostrowski 0-1Richard Hubbard
Ken Gurge 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Stephen Murray 0-1♔ Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow1/2-1/2Michael David
Jim Hankard 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Roland Booker
Emily Gawboy 0-1John Bastarache
Don Briggs 1-0Mike Densmore
Total of 14 boards,
4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for July 17th:

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

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

July 9th, 2019
Massachusetts Players Competing in 47th Annual World Open

68 Massachusetts players including two former Wachusett CC members competed in the 47th Annual World Open.
Here are their finishing places within each section & their rating changes.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Below is a list of all players from the state of MA competing in the
47th Annual World Open (201907078302):
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Final Rank, State, USCF ID, Player name, Old rating, New rating, Title Norm, Opponents

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 3rd, 2019
2019 Harlow B. Daly Memorial
Round 1 of 5

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

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for July 10th:

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

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

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

July 3rd, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Harlow B. Daly Memorial tournament

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

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

July 1st 2019
Carissa Yip wins North American Girls Junior U20 Championship

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

June 26th, 2019

Bruce Felton undefeated 2019 WCC Champ

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

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

A total of 5 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
rating increases of
50 or more points:
Don Ostrowski +164
Michael David +123
Bruce Felton +86
Ralph McNeilage +67
Mike Commisso +61
A total of 3 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Bruce Felton 2000
Ralph McNeilage 1824
Don Ostrowski 1751

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

Congratulations to all!

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

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

June 26th, 2019

4-way split tops 'B' group

WCC 'B' Championship, June 26th, 2019
Round 7 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♖ Don Ostrowski1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
Jim Donahue 0-1Gary Brassard
Richard Hubbard 0-1♔ Mike Commisso
Ken Gurge 0-1Alexander Venezia
Roland Booker 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Brian Biglow 0-1Michael David
Stephen Murray 1-0Arthur Barlas
Jim Hankard 1-0Don Briggs
Kurtison MacWilliams 1-0Mark Wheeler
Keith Hamer 0-1Randy McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 1-0Mike Densmore
Bob Mathieu 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 12 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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

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

Congratulations to all!

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

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

June 24th 2019
Geoff LePoer wins Summer Festival Swiss

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



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

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

June 24th, 2019
George Mirijanian with Mikhail Tal, 1988

The legendary Mikhail Tal visits Boston in 1988
Tony Cortizas posted some photos of Tal's visit which may be viewed here.

Mikhail Tal & George Mirijanian

Mikhail Tal, George Mirijanian, XXX, Warren Pinches, Brad Ryan

Mikhail Tal, George Mirijanian & XXX

June 19th, 2019

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

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

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

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.
♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 6 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating Roger Cappallo Paul Godin Ray Paulson Bruce Felton Ritvik Pulya Larry Gladding Ralph McNeilage Dave Couture Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003 0 0 1 0 0 1 2
Paul Godin 1973 0 0 1 0 1/2 1 2.5
Ray Paulson 1965 1 1 0 1 1 1 5
Bruce Felton 1914 1 1 1 1/2 1 1 5.5
Ritvik Pulya 1849 0 0 1/2 1 0 1/2 2
Larry Gladding 1770 1 1 0 0 0 1 3
Ralph McNeilage 1747 1 1/2 0 0 1 1 0 3.5
Dave Couture 1734 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 0.5


Projected Round 7 Pairings for June 26th:

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

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

June 19th, 2019
2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 6 of 7

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

WCC 'B' Championship, June 19th, 2019
Round 6 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♖ Don Ostrowski1/2-1/2Brett Kildahl
George Mirijanian1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Mike Commisso 1-0Roland Booker
Gary Brassard 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Michael David 0-1Richard Hubbard
Alexander Venezia 1-0Jim Hankard
Mark Wheeler 0-1Stephen Murray
Don Briggs 0-1Larry O'Rourke
John Bastarache 0-1Brian Biglow
Arthur Barlas 1-0Randy McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Keith Hamer
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Kurtison MacWilliams
Raaga Pulya 0-1Bob Mathieu
Total of 13 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 7 Pairings for June 26th:

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

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

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

June 19th 2019
EVERT SIISKONEN MEMORIAL CHESS TOURNAMENT

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

June 14th, 2019
2019 WCC 'A' Championship update
Round 5 of 7

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

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

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.
♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 5 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating Roger Cappallo Paul Godin Ray Paulson Bruce Felton Ritvik Pulya Larry Gladding Ralph McNeilage Dave Couture Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003 0 0 1 0 0 1
Paul Godin 1973 0 1 0 1/2 1 2.5
Ray Paulson 1965 1 0 1 1 1 4
Bruce Felton 1914 1 1 1 1/2 1 4.5
Ritvik Pulya 1849 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 1
Larry Gladding 1770 1 1 0 0 1 3
Ralph McNeilage 1747 1 1/2 0 1 1 3.5
Dave Couture 1734 0 0 0 1/2 0 0.5

June 12th, 2019
2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 5 of 7

Bruce continues to dominate after 5 rounds

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

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


Projected Round 6 Pairings for June 19th:

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

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

June 12th, 2019
2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 5 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, June 12th, 2019
Round 5 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♖ Roland Booker1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
Brett Kildahl 1-0Michael David
Richard Hubbard 0-1♔ Don Ostrowski
Andrew Jeselson 1-0Jim Hankard
Paul Godin 0-1♔ Gary Brassard
Stephen Murray 0-1Ken Gurge
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Arthur Barlas
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Alexander Venezia
Mark Wheeler1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Emily Gawboy
Bob Mathieu 0-1John Bastarache
Mike Densmore 0-1Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 12 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 6 Pairings for June 19th:

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

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

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

June 10th, 2019
Revised projected Round 5 Pairings for WCC 'A' Championship

Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 12th:

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

June 10th 2019
Murray, Ostrowski tie for first in Billiards Cafe June Quad

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

June 6th, 2019

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

June 5th, 2019
2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 4 of 7

Felton in front after four

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

WCC 'A' Championship, June 5th, 2019
Round 4 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ritvik Pulya1/2-1/2Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson 1-0Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin1/2-1/2Ralph McNeilage
Dave Couture 0-1Larry Gladding
Total of 4 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.
♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 4 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating Roger Cappallo Paul Godin Ray Paulson Bruce Felton Ritvik Pulya Larry Gladding Ralph McNeilage Dave Couture Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003 0 1 0 0 1
Paul Godin 1973 0 0 1/2 1 1.5
Ray Paulson 1965 1 0 1 1 3
Bruce Felton 1914 1 1 1/2 1 3.5
Ritvik Pulya 1849 0 1/2 0 1/2 1
Larry Gladding 1770 1 1 0 1 3
Ralph McNeilage 1747 1 1/2 0 1 2.5
Dave Couture 1734 0 0 1/2 0 0.5


Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 12th:

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

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

June 5th, 2019
2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 4 of 7

Big upset in 'B' Championship puts Mirijanian in front

WCC 'B' Championship, June 5th, 2019
Round 4 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
♔ George Mirijanian 1-0Brett Kildahl
Jim Donahue1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Gary Brassard 0-1Michael David
Mike Commisso1/2-1/2Steve Courtemanche
Stephen Murray 0-1Roland Booker
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Richard Hubbard
John Bastarache 0-1Andrew Jeselson
Ken Gurge 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Alexander Venezia1/2-1/2Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow1/2-1/2Don Briggs
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1♔ Emily Gawboy
Total of 11 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 5 Pairings for June 12th:

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

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

May 29th, 2019

Felton emerges as leader after 3 rounds

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

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

Roll your cursor onto the boxes below for more information.
♔ 2019 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER Round 3 of 7 ♔
Name ▼ & rating Roger Cappallo Paul Godin Ray Paulson Bruce Felton Ritvik Pulya Larry Gladding Ralph McNeilage Dave Couture Score ▼
Roger Cappallo 2003 1 0 0 1
Paul Godin 1973 0 0 1 1
Ray Paulson 1965 0 1 1 2
Bruce Felton 1914 1 1 1 3
Ritvik Pulya 1849 0 0 1/2 0.5
Larry Gladding 1770 1 1 0 2
Ralph McNeilage 1747 1 0 1 2
Dave Couture 1734 0 0 1/2 0.5


Projected Round 4 Pairings for June 5th:

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

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

May 29th, 2019
2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 3 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, May 29th, 2019
Round 3 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Brett Kildahl 1-0Gary Brassard
Don Ostrowski 1-0Stephen Murray
George Mirijanian 1-0Richard Hubbard
♔ Jim Hankard 1-0Ken Gurge
Michael David 1-0Alexander Venezia
Don Briggs 0-1Michael Commisso
Roland Booker 1-0Keith Hamer
Raaga Pulya 0-1Tom Fratturelli
Arthur Barlas1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Emily Gawboy 0-1Randy McLaughlin
Mark Wheeler 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Total of 12 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for June 5th:

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

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

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

May 28th 2019
Wachusett CC players competing in 88th Massachusetts Open

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

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

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Tuesday May 28, 2019 88th Mass Open Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12924445: BRETT KILDAHL2019-05-2788TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)1: CHAMPIONSHIP 2160 => 2179 Exp
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON2019-05-2788TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)2: UNDER 2100 1955 => 1965 A
11156665: GARY BRASSARD2019-05-2788TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)2: UNDER 2100 1725 => 1793 B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-05-2788TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)3: UNDER 1800 1598 => 1607 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2019-05-2788TH MASSACHUSETTS OPEN (MA)3: UNDER 1800 1600 => 1600 B

May 22nd, 2019
2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 2 of 7

Improbable results continue in WCC 'A' Championship

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

WCC 'A' Championship, May 22nd, 2019
Round 2 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 0-1Bruce Felton
Ray Paulson 1-0Larry Gladding
Roger Cappallo 0-1♔ Ralph McNeilage
Ritvik Pulya1/2-1/2Dave Couture
Total of 4 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 29th:

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

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

May 22nd, 2019
2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 2 of 7

WCC 'B' Championship, May 22nd, 2019
Round 2 of 7 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Mike Commisso 0-1Brett Kildahl
Gary Brassard 1-0Roland Booker
Jim Donahue 1-0Michael David
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Stephen Murray
Mike Meehan 0-1George Mirijanian
Richard Hubbard 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Ken Gurge 1-0Mark Wheeler
♖ Brian Biglow1/2-1/2Arthur Barlas
Jim Hankard 1-0Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Don Briggs
John Bastarache1/2-1/2♖ Emily Gawboy
Total of 11 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), 2 upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 29th:

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

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

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

May 21st 2019
Wachusett Chess Club USCF-Rated Blitz Players

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

May 20th 2019

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

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

Pictures from the Billiards Cafe Spring Blitz tournament.
Below are their rating updates for the ten WCC members who competed.

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday May 20, 2019 Billiards Cafe Spring Blitz Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12924445: BRETT KILDAHL2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 2160 (P10) => 2170 (P19) New
10011965: ROGER CAPPALLO2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1978 (P17) => 1890 A
12401616: RAYMOND PAULSON2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1893 => 1855 A
12413721: DAVE COUTURE2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1722 => 1757 B
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1652 => 1754 B
16752964: STEPHEN MURRAY2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1664 (P10) => 1685 (P19) New
12222200: JAMES HANKARD2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1677 => 1660 B
12758321: MICHAEL MEEHAN2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1630 => 1656 B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1599 => 1621 B
12420184: DON OSTROWSKI2019-05-19BILLARDS CAFE SPING BLITZ (MA)1: BILLARDS CAFE SPRING BLIT 1587 (P10) => 1564 (P19) New

May 17th 2019
Billiards Cafe to host rated blitz tournament this Sunday, May 19

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


May 15th, 2019
2019 WCC 'A' Championship
Round 1 of 7

Unexpected results in Championship opener

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

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

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for May 22nd:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Godin vs. Felton Board 2: Paulson vs. Gladding Board 3: Cappallo vs. McNeilage Board 4: Pulya vs. Couture

May 15th, 2019
2019 WCC 'B' Championship
Round 1 of 7

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

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for May 22nd:

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

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

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

May 13th, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Wachusett Chess Club "B" Division Championship tournament

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

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

May 13th 2019
Wachusett CC's Dave Couture ties for 1st in U1750 section of Bennington Spring Open

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

May 11th, 2019
2019 WCC "A" Championship pairings announced


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

♔ 2019 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship Contestants: ♔
PlayerRatingWCC HistoryPairing #
Roger Cappallo2003co-champ: 2016, 2018 (Current)3
Paul Godin1973Champ: 1967, Quick: 2015, 2016 (Current)1
Ray Paulson1955Champ: 2017, co-champ 20162
Bruce Felton1914Champ: 2004, co-champ 2005, Quick: 2006, 2009, Blitz: 2013 6
Ritvik Pulya18492nd-8th Martin Laine Memorial, 20198
Larry Gladding1770Champ: 2009 co-champ 1992, 19985
Ralph McNeilage17572nd-8th Martin Laine Memorial, 20194
Dave Couture1717Martin Laine Mem: 20187

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

♔ 2019 Wachusett Chess Club "A" Championship: ♔
Schedule of Rounds

Current WCC co-Champs

2018 WCC co-Champs,
Roger Cappallo & Gary Brassard

Round 1 - May 15, 2019:

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

8 Previous WCC Champs

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

Round 2 - May 22, 2015:

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

Round 3 - May 29, 2019:

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

Round 4 - June 5, 2019:

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

Round 5 - June 12, 2019:

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

Round 6 - June 19, 2019:

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

Round 7 (final) - June 26, 2019:

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

May 8th, 2019

Brett clear first with big 4-0 finish

Martin Laine Memorial, May 8th, 2019
Round 4 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Geoff LePoer 0-1Brett Kildahl
Ken Gurge 0-1Roger Cappallo
Arthur Barlas 0-1Paul Godin
Stephen Murray 0-1Andrew Jeselson
Bruce Felton 1-0Jim Hankard
Roland Booker 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Jim Donahue 0-1♔ Michael David
Mike Stevens 0-1Larry Gladding
Gary Brassard 0-1♔ Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy 0-1Dave Couture
Don Ostrowski 0-1♔ Hugh McLaughlin
John Bastarache1/2-1/2Mark Wheeler
Keith Hamer1/2-1/2Randy McLaughlin
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Brian Biglow
Total of 14 boards,
3 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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

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

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Michael David + 100
Ritvik Pulya + 77
Hugh McLaughlin + 59
Only 1 player
reached a new all time high:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya 1849

Pictures from this year's Martin Laine Memorial tournament.

Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 5/8/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2003 2102 Can. Master 39 28 5 6 31.0 .795
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1973 2020 1st Cat. 42 31 7 4 33.0 .786
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1955 2085 Can. Master 34 23 7 4 25.0 .735
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1914 1971 1st Cat. 22 13 4 5 15.5 .705
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1849 1745 3rd Cat. 34 19 8 7 22.5 .662
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1757 1787 3rd Cat. 22 13 7 2 14.0 .636
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1770 1953 1st Cat. 41 23 13 5 25.5 .622
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1717 1858 1st Cat. 37 20 12 5 22.5 .608
KEN GURGE Leominster 1788 1856 2nd Cat. 41 21 14 6 24.0 .585
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1659 1770 2nd Cat. 38 19 13 6 22.0 .579
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1725 1904 1st Cat. 42 20 14 8 24.0 .571
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1701 1837 2nd Cat. 27 14 11 2 15.0 .556
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1664 1670 none 30 15 13 2 16.0 .533
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1598 1623 3rd Cat. 41 19 18 4 21.0 .512
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

May 6th 2019
Five WCC players compete in 29th Mass G/60 Championship

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday May 6th, 29th Mass G/60 Championship< Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12763343: GEOFFREY LEPOER2019-05-0529TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)1: OPEN 1911 => 1910 A
11156665: GARY BRASSARD2019-05-0529TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)2: U2000 1800 => 1774 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2019-05-0529TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)3: U1800 1600 => 1600 B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD2019-05-0529TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)3: U1800 1600 => 1600 B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-05-0529TH MASSACHUSETTS G/60 CHAMPI (MA)3: U1800 1565 => 1498 C

May 1st, 2019
2019 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 3 of 4

Martin Laine Memorial, May 1st, 2019
Round 3 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Brett Kildahl 1-0Bruce Felton
Andrew Jeselson 0-1♔ Ritvik Pulya
Geoff LePoer 1-0Jim Hankard
Tom Fratturelli 0-1George Mirijanian
Roger Cappallo 1-0Mike Stevens
Paul Godin 1-0Mike Commisso
Larry Gladding 0-1♔ Roland Booker
♔ Michael David 1-0Gary Brassard
Ralph McNeilage 1-0John Bastarache
Don Briggs 0-1Arthur Barlas
Mark Wheeler 0-1Stephen Murray
Dave Couture1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue 1-0Keith Hamer
Brian Biglow 0-1♕ Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Tyler Bedard
Total of 15 boards,
4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for May 8th:

Board #: [White] vs. [Black]
Board 1: Ri. Pulya vs. Kildahl Board 2: Mirijanian vs. LePoer Board 3: Gurge vs. Cappallo Board 4: Barlas vs. Godin Board 5: Murray vs. Jeselson Board 6: Felton vs. Hankard Board 7: Booker vs. McNeilage Board 8: Donahue vs. David Board 9: Stevens vs. Fratturelli Board 10: Basttarache vs. Gladding Board 11: Brassard vs. Wheeler Board 12: O'Rourke vs. Couture Board 13: Ostrowski vs. H. McLaughlin Board 14: Gawboy vs. Briggs Board 15: Hamer vs. Ra. Pulya Board 16: Bedard vs. Biglow Board 17: Segura vs. B. McLaughlin
Note: Projected pairings & colors are only estimates. Official pairings are posted at the beginning of each round.
2019 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of April 24th, 2019
After 42 of 43 games completed in the 2018-2019 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2019 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 22 games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 21 or more games played & a .500 pct. or greater are listed.)
(At this point, Paul, Roger & Ray have clinched qualifying spots.
There is still significant uncertainty as to exactly which 5 others will qualify.)
Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 5/1/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1980 2020 1st Cat. 41 30 7 4 32.0 .780
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2012 2102 Can. Master 38 27 5 6 30.0 .789
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1952 2085 Can. Master 34 23 7 4 25.0 .735
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1808 1953 1st Cat. 40 22 13 5 24.5 .613
KEN GURGE Leominster 1768 1856 2nd Cat. 40 21 13 6 24.0 .600
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1800 1904 1st Cat. 41 20 13 8 24.0 .585
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1772 1745 3rd Cat. 34 19 8 7 22.5 .662
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1661 1770 2nd Cat. 38 19 13 6 22.0 .579
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1746 1858 1st Cat. 36 19 12 5 21.5 .597
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1905 1971 1st Cat. 21 12 4 5 14.5 .690
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1748 1787 3rd Cat. 21 12 7 2 13.0 .619
WCC: Biographies
Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot Qualified by GPP Qualified by Pct. Qualified, not yet eligible Eligible, not yet qualified
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

April 27th, 2019

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

April 24th, 2019
2019 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 2 of 4

Martin Laine Memorial, April 24th, 2019
Round 2 of 4 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Gary Brassard 0-1Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo 0-1♔ Ritvik Pulya
♔ Ken Gurge 1-0Paul Godin
Arthur Barlas 0-1Andrew Jeselson
Bruce Felton 1-0Ralph McNeilage
Jim Hankard 1-0Larry Gladding
Stephen Murray 0-1Geoff LePoer
George Mirijanian 1-0Jim Donahue
♔ Tom Fratturelli 1-0Dave Couture
♔ Mike Stevens 1-0Steve Courtemanche
Mike Commisso 1-0Keith Hamer
Larry O'Rourke1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Roland Booker 1-0Brian Biglow
Raaga Pulya 0-1Michael David
John Bastarache 1-0Emily Gawboy
Tyler Bedard 0-1Don Briggs
Mark Wheeler 1-0Jhojan Segura
Total of 17 boards,
4 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for May 1st:

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

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

2019 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of April 24th, 2019
After 41 of 43 games completed in the 2018-2019 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2019 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 22 games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 20 or more games played & a .500 pct. or greater are listed.)
Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 4/24/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1980 2020 1st Cat. 40 29 7 4 31.0 .775
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2012 2102 Can. Master 37 26 5 6 29.0 .784
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1926 2085 Can. Master 34 23 7 4 25.0 .735
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1800 1904 1st Cat. 40 20 12 8 24.0 .600
KEN GURGE Leominster 1768 1856 2nd Cat. 40 21 13 6 24.0 .600
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1661 1770 2nd Cat. 37 19 12 6 22.0 .595
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1772 1745 3rd Cat. 33 18 8 7 21.5 .652
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1746 1858 1st Cat. 35 19 12 4 21.0 .600
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1905 1971 1st Cat. 20 12 3 5 14.5 .725
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1748 1787 3rd Cat. 20 11 7 2 12.0 .600
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

April 22nd 2019
Recent activity of WCC members

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday April 22, 2019 Recent Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
15782648: ANDREW JESELSON2019-04-142ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1926 => 1931 A
10032059: DAVID M KOCHMAN2019-04-142ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1921 => 1922 A
12465223: EDWARD HARRIS2019-04-142ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1736 => 1720 B
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD2019-04-142ND CHESS FOOL'S DAY OPEN (MA)1: OPEN 1671 => 1624 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2019-04-20BCF LOC TAIMANOV (MA)2: U1900 1600 => 1607 B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-04-14WESTFORD APRIL OPEN (MA)4: U1600 1549 => 1565 C
12887537: MICHAEL STEVENS2019-04-2113TH ANNUAL OPEN AT FOXWOODS (CT)5: UNDER 1600 1525 => 1481 C

April 22nd, 2019

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

April 19th, 2019

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

April 18th, 2019
Revised projected Round 2 Pairings for Martin Laine Memorial

Projected Round 2 Pairings for April 24th:

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

April 17th, 2019
2019 Martin Laine Memorial
Round 1 of 5

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

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for April 24th:

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

♙ The Wachusett Chess Club welcomes Jhojan Segura.

2019 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of April 17th, 2019
After 40 of 43 games completed in the 2018-2019 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2019 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 22 games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 19 or more games played & a .500 pct. or greater are listed.)
Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 4/17/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1980 2020 1st Cat. 39 29 6 4 31.0 .795
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2012 2102 Can. Master 36 26 4 6 29.0 .806
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1926 2085 Can. Master 34 23 7 4 25.0 .735
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1808 1953 1st Cat. 38 22 11 5 24.5 .645
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1800 1904 1st Cat. 39 20 11 8 24.0 .615
KEN GURGE Leominster 1768 1856 2nd Cat. 39 20 13 6 23.0 .590
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1746 1858 1st Cat. 34 19 11 4 21.0 .618
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1661 1770 2nd Cat. 36 18 12 6 21.0 .583
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1772 1745 3rd Cat. 32 17 8 7 20.5 .641
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1701 1837 2nd Cat. 27 14 11 2 15.0 .556
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1670 1670 none 27 14 11 2 15.0 .556
JIM DONAHUE Stow 1723 1738 3rd Cat. 27 11 11 5 13.5 .500
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1905 1971 1st Cat. 19 11 3 5 13.5 .711
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1748 1787 3rd Cat. 19 11 6 2 12.0 .632
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

April 15th, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Martin Laine Memorial tournament

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

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

April 15th 2019
Wachusett Chess Club's Andrew Jeselson sweeps students section
of Worcester State University Intercollegiate Tournament

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

   Worcester State University  Intercollegiate Chess Tournament, Saturday April 13, 2019
  
   Hosted by Bill Shakalis and Alvin Marchena, Worcester State University
   Tournament director: Joe Alfano, Assumption College  
   The tournament had two sections: Students section and Non-students/Open section.
  
   STUDENTS SECTION
                                    Round 1    Round 2    Round 3    Round 4    Prize
                                    --------   --------   --------   --------   -----
( 1) Andrew Jeselson (WCC) FSU (10) 1.0 ( 5) 2.0 ( 3) 3.0 ( 2) 4.0 1st
( 2) Christian Scillitoe WPI ( 9) 1.0 (11) 2.0 ( 4) 3.0 ( 1) 3.0 2nd ( 3) Dermot McCormick WSU (13) 1.0 ( 6) 2.0 ( 1) 2.0 ( 7) 3.0 3rd ( 4) Kha Li UMM ( 8) 1.0 (10) 2.0 ( 2) 2.0 (11) 3.0 ( 5) Patrick Houlihan WPI (12) 1.0 ( 1) 1.0 (11) 2.0 ( 6) 3.0 ( 6) Stephen Papagno WSU ( 7) 1.0 ( 3) 1.0 ( 8) 2.0 ( 5) 2.0 ( 7) Alvin Marchena WSU ( 6) 0.0 ( 9) 1.0 (10) 2.0 ( 3) 2.0 ( 8) Tom Walsh WPI ( 4) 0.0 (12) 1.0 ( 6) 1.0 ( 9) 2.0 ( 9) Tamanna Gurung SHS ( 2) 0.0 ( 7) 0.0 (12) 1.0 ( 8) 1.0 (10) Ryan Doyle WPI ( 1) 0.0 ( 4) 0.0 ( 7) 0.0 (12) 1.0 (11) Justin Korn WPI (BY) 1.0 ( 2) 1.0 ( 5) 1.0 ( 4) 1.0 (12) Prince Henaku SHS ( 5) 0.0 ( 8) 0.0 ( 9) 0.0 (10) 0.0 (13) Kadriana Colon SHS ( 3) 0.0 (WD) 0.0 (WD) 0.0 (WD) 0.0 The tie-break method for selecting trophy winners among those who scored 3.0 points: 1.. Strength of opponents: Christian's opponents had the highest total score, Patrick's had lowest. 2.. Then a 5-minute blitz game between Dermot and Kha Li; Dermot won that game. NON-STUDENTS/OPEN SECTION Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Prize -------- -------- -------- -------- ----- ( 1) Achu Balasubramanian WPI ( 4) 1.0 (11) 2.0 ( 8) 3.0 ( 6) 4.0 1st ( 2) Bhon Bunnag WPI (13) 1.0 (18) 2.0 ( 3) 3.0 ( 5) 4.0 2nd ( 3) Juan Luis Herrero WPI ( 7) 1.0 (12) 2.0 ( 2) 2.0 ( 9) 3.0 3rd ( 4) Andrew Nolan ( 1) 0.0 (20) 1.0 (14) 2.0 (10) 3.0
( 5) Roger Cappallo (WCC) (16) 1.0 (19) 2.0 ( 9) 3.0 ( 2) 3.0
( 6) Matt Garcia (BY) 1.0 (10) 2.0 (15) 3.0 ( 1) 3.0 ( 7) Bob Secino ( 3) 0.0 (24) 1.0 (11) 2.0 (12) 3.0 ( 8) Stephen Dann (19) 1.0 (16) 2.0 ( 1) 2.0 (23) 2.5 ( 9) Tommy Thach SHS (21) 1.0 (14) 2.0 ( 5) 2.0 ( 3) 2.0 (10) Mike Bocka (22) 1.0 ( 6) 1.0 (13) 2.0 ( 4) 2.0 (11) Mushtaq Al-Zuhairi (20) 1.0 ( 1) 1.0 ( 7) 1.0 (21) 2.0 (12) Glenn MacDonald (17) 1.0 ( 3) 1.0 (18) 2.0 ( 7) 2.0 (13) Joe Garcia ( 2) 0.0 (BY) 1.0 (10) 1.0 (18) 2.0 (14) Riyadh Al-Zuhairi (24) 1.0 ( 9) 1.0 ( 4) 1.0 (17) 2.0 (15) Tim Antonelli WSU (18) 0.0 (21) 1.0 ( 6) 1.0 (19) 2.0 (16) Nkosi Muhangi ( 5) 0.0 ( 8) 0.0 (17) 0.5 (20) 1.5 (17) Mike Pucci (12) 0.0 (22) 1.0 (16) 1.5 (14) 1.5 (18) Todd Daigneault (15) 1.0 ( 2) 1.0 (12) 1.0 (13) 1.0 (19) Ed Chrzanowski ( 8) 0.0 ( 5) 0.0 (22) 1.0 (15) 1.0 (20) Fitzgerald Pucci (11) 0.0 ( 4) 0.0 (BY) 1.0 (16) 1.0
(21) Larry Legros (WCC) ( 9) 0.0 (15) 0.0 (24) 1.0 (11) 1.0
(22) Bryan Laferrierre (10) 0.0 (17) 0.0 (19) 0.0 (24) 1.0 (23) Joe Alfano AC (BY) 0.0 (BY) 0.0 (BY) 0.0 ( 8) 0.5
(24) Hugh McLaughlin (WCC) (14) 0.0 ( 7) 0.0 (21) 0.0 (22) 0.0
The tie-break method for selecting trophy winners among those who scored 4.0 points: A 5-minute blitz game between Achu and Bhon; Achu won that game. The tie-break method for selecting trophy winners among those who scored 3.0 points: Strength of opponents: Juan Luis's opponents had the highest total score. AC = Assumption College FSU = Fitchburg State University SHS = South High School UMM = UMass Medical School WPI = Worcester Polytechnic Institute WSU = Worcester State University
(WCC) = Wachusett Chess Club
1.0 = Win 0.0 = Loss 0.5 = Draw BY = Bye WD = Withdrew. In each round, the player is listed with their opponent and final score. E.g. in Round 1, Andrew Jeselson played Ryan Doyle (player 10) and won. Please contact Joe Alfano (jalfano@assumption.edu) if you have corrections, e.g. if I recorded your school/club incorrectly.

April 15th 2019
Wachusett CC's Michael David wins prize in Westford April Open

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

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

April 13th, 2019

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

April 13th, 2019

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

April 10th, 2019

Four Finish First at 4/5

Gail S. Lingner Memorial, April 10th, 2019
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Geoff LePoer1/2-1/2Ray Paulson
Andrew Jeselson 0-1Brett Kildahl
Paul Godin 1-0Bruce Felton
Larry Gladding 1-0Mike Commisso
Mike Meehan 0-1Roger Cappallo
Gary Brassard 1-0Tom Fratturelli
♔ Jim Hankard 1-0Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage 0-1♔ Don Ostrowski
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Michael David
Jim Donahue 1-0Mark Wheeler
John Bastarache 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Roland Booker
Mike Stevens 1-0Keith Hamer
Brian Biglow 1-0Don Briggs
♔ Dillon Motyka 1-0Emily Gawboy
Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Tyler Bedard
Total of 16 boards,
3 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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

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

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Dillon Motyka + 72
Jim Hankard + 71
Don Ostrowski + 66
A total of 5 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya 1772
Stephen Murray 1670
Don Ostrowski 1627
Dillon Motyka 1007P8
Tyler Bedard 624P2

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

2019 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of April 10th, 2019
After 39 of 43 games completed in the 2018-2019 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2019 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 22 games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 18 or more games played & a .500 pct. or greater are listed.)
Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 4/10/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games  W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1980 2020 1st Cat. 38 28 6 4 30.0 .789
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2012 2102 Can. Master 35 25 4 6 28.0 .800
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1926 2085 Can. Master 33 22 7 4 24.0 .727
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1808 1953 1st Cat. 37 21 11 5 23.5 .635
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1800 1904 1st Cat. 38 19 11 8 23.0 .605
KEN GURGE Leominster 1768 1856 2nd Cat. 38 19 13 6 22.0 .579
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1746 1858 1st Cat. 34 19 11 4 21.0 .618
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1661 1770 2nd Cat. 35 18 11 6 21.0 .600
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1772 1745 3rd Cat. 31 16 8 7 19.5 .629
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1701 1837 2nd Cat. 27 14 11 2 15.0 .556
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1670 1670 none 26 13 11 2 14.0 .538
JIM DONAHUE Stow 1723 1738 3rd Cat. 27 11 11 5 13.5 .500
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1905 1971 1st Cat. 18 10 3 5 12.5 .694
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1900 2186 1st Cat. 18 9 4 5 11.5 .639
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1748 1787 3rd Cat. 18 10 6 2 11.0 .611
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

April 1st 2019
Wachusett CC's Michael David wins prize in 28th Eastern Class Championships

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday April 8, 2019 28th Eastern Class Championship Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE2019-04-0728TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)4: CLASS B 1691 => 1720 B
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO2019-04-0728TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)4: CLASS B 1706 => 1652 B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-04-0728TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)5: CLASS C 1537 => 1549 C
12887537: MICHAEL STEVENS2019-04-0728TH ANNUAL EASTERN CLASS CHAM (MA)5: CLASS C 1561 => 1539 C

April 8th, 2019

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

April 5th 2019
Wachusett CC players Commisso, Donahue & David to compete
in 28th Eastern Class Championships

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

April 3rd, 2019
2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 4 of 5

Gail S. Lingner Memorial, April 3rd, 2019
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 1-0Paul Godin
Ed Harris 0-1Andrew Jeselson
Ken Gurge 0-1Brett Kildahl
David Kochman1/2-1/2Larry Gladding
Mike Lally 1-0Ralph McNeilage
Mike Commisso 1-0Michael David
Don Ostrowski1/2-1/2Gary Brassard
Arthur Barlas1/2-1/2Jim Donahue
Don Briggs 0-1David Martin
Keith Hamer 0-1Mike Meehan
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Brian Biglow
Mark Wheeler 1-0Mike Stevens
John Bastarache 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Bryce McLaughlin
Tyler Bedard 0-1Dillon Motyka
Total of 15 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 5 Pairings for April 10th:

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

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

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

April 2nd, 2019
Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for Gail S. Lingner Memorial

Revised Projected Round 4 Pairings for April 3rd:

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

April 1st 2019
Andrew Jeselson wins U2100 section in Modern Chess Conceptions Classic

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday April 1, 2019 Modern Chess Conceptions Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
10032059: DAVID M KOCHMAN2019-03-31THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)5: XRG 1935 => 1933 A
15782648: ANDREW JESELSON2019-03-31THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)2: U2100 1836 => 1922 A
12525099: MICHAEL COMMISSO2019-03-31THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)3: U1800 1756 => 1706 B
10569176: ROLAND D BOOKER III2019-03-31THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)3: U1800 1600 => 1600 B
12222200: JAMES ALOYSIUS HANKARD2019-03-31THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)3: U1800 1600 => 1600 B
12758321: MICHAEL MEEHAN2019-03-31THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)3: U1800 1632 => 1600 B
16636306: MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID2019-03-31THE MODERN CHESS CONCEPTIONS C (MA)3: U1800 1489 => 1512 C

April 1st 2019
Hikaru Nakamura wins U.S. Championship

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

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

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

March 31st 2019
Tension mounts as U.S. Championship enters final round with 3-way tie for first

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

March 31st 2019
U.S Championship leaders Nakamura & Dominguez set for big battle in Round 10

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

March 29th 2019
Dominguez tied with Nakamura for lead in U.S. Championship

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

March 27th, 2019
2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 27th, 2019
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Paul Godin 1-0Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding 0-1Geoff LePoer
Gary Brassard 0-1Ray Paulson
Bruce Felton 1-0Mike Commisso
♔ Ed Harris 1-0George Mirijanian
Andrew Jeselson 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Brett Kildahl 1-0Arthur Barlas
David Kochman 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Mike Stevens 0-1Mike Lally
Don Briggs 0-1Ralph McNeilage
Dave Couture 1-0Mike Meehan
♔ Michael David 1-0Dave Thomas
Stephen Murray1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Jim Donahue 1-0Keith Hamer
Roland Booker 0-1Jim Hankard
♖ Bryce McLaughlin1/2-1/2John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Raaga Pulya
Mark Wheeler 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Brian Biglow 1-0Emily Gawboy
Total of 19 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), one upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for April 3rd:

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

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

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

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

March 26th 2019
Nakamura takes lead in U.S. Championship;
Yu on top in Women's Championship

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

March 25th 2019
Sevian tied for lead in U.S. Championship;
Yip tied for 4th in Women's Championship

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

March 25th 2019
Jennifer Yu on hot streak leads U.S. Women's Championship, 4-0;
Xiong, So, Nakamura & Dominguez tied for lead in Championship

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

March 24th 2019
Xiong takes lead in U.S. Championship; Yu on top in Women's Championship

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

March 22th, 2019

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

March 22th, 2019

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

March 22nd 2019
Yip and Yu tied for lead in U.S. Women's Championship;
Sevian shares lead in main championship after Round 2

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

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

March 20th, 2019
2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 20th, 2019
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ralph McNeilage 0-1Paul Godin
Ritvik Pulya1/2-1/2Bruce Felton
Geoff LePoer 1-0Dave Couture
Arthur Barlas1/2-1/2Andrew Jeselson
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2Ed Harris
Dave Thomas 0-1Larry Gladding
Ken Gurge 1-0Stephen Murray
Ray Paulson 1-0Jim Donahue
Mike Meehan1/2-1/2Dave Kochman
George Mirijanian 1-0Jim Hankard
Mike Commisso 1-0Roland Booker
John Bastarache 0-1Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Mark Wheeler
Don Ostrowski 1-0Brian Biglow
Raaga Pulya 0-1Mike Stevens
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy 0-1Michael David
Total of 18 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for March 27th:

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

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

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

March 19th, 2019

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

March 18th 2019
Worcester Telegram & Gazette features George Mirijanian

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

March 16th, 2019

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

March 14th, 2019

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

March 13th, 2019
2019 Gail S. Lingner Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Big upsets topple top two boards

Gail S. Lingner Memorial, March 13th, 2019
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Brett Kildahl 0-1♔ Dave Thomas
♔ Stephen Murray 1-0Roger Cappallo
Paul Godin 1-0Tom Fratturelli
♖ Jim Hankard1/2-1/2Ray Paulson
Bruce Felton 1-0Don Ostrowski
Mike Stevens 0-1Geoff LePoer
Andrew Jeselson 1-0Don Briggs
Michael David 0-1Gary Brassard
Larry Gladding 1-0John Bastarache
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Mark Wheeler
Brian Biglow 0-1Ritvik Pulya
Dave Couture 1-0Raaga Pulya
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Arthur Barlas
Ed Harris 1-0Emily Gawboy
Total of 15 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for March 20th:

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

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

March 14th 2019
China wins Women's World Team Championship; USA defeats Egyptian team to finish in 7th place

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

March 12th 2019
U.S. women's team "routed" in Round 7 by India in World Team Championship

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

March 11th 2019
U.S. women's team loses to Russia in World Team Championship - Rd. 6

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

March 11th, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Gail S. Lingner Memorial tournament

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

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

March 10th 2019
U.S. women's team back on winning path
defeats Armenia in World Team Championship

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

March 10th, 2019

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

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

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

March 6th, 2019

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

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, March 6th, 2019
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Brett Kildahl 1-0Ritvik Pulya
Gary Brassard 0-1Roger Cappallo
Larry Gladding1/2-1/2Paul Godin
Bruce Felton1/2-1/2Mike Commisso
Michael Stevens 0-1Ken Gurge
Stephen Murray 0-1Andrew Jeselson
Don Briggs 0-1Ed Harris
Jim Donahue 0-1Dave Couture
♔ Michael David 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Jim Hankard1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
John Bastarache 1-0Randy McLaughlin
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Mark Wheeler
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Raaga Pulya
Dillon Motyka 0-1Emily Gawboy
Total of 14 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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

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

A total of 3 players
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following players had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Bob Mathieu + 89
Gary Brassard + 67
Ritvik Pulya + 56
A total of 2 players
reached new all time highs:
The following players achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Ritvik Pulya 1764
Stephen Murray 1651

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

2019 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of March 6th, 2019
After 34 of 43 games completed in the 2018-2019 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2019 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 22 games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 13 or more games played & a .500 pct. or greater are listed.)
Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 3/6/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2031 2102 Can. Master 32 23 3 6 26.0 .813
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1971 2020 1st Cat. 33 24 5 4 26.0 .788
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1960 2085 Can. Master 28 19 7 2 20.0 .714
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1787 1953 1st Cat. 32 18 10 4 20.0 .625
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1808 1904 1st Cat. 33 17 10 6 20.0 .606
KEN GURGE Leominster 1785 1856 2nd Cat. 33 17 10 6 20.0 .606
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1756 1770 2nd Cat. 31 16 9 6 19.0 .613
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1743 1858 1st Cat. 31 17 10 4 19.0 .613
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1764 1745 3rd Cat. 27 14 7 6 17.0 .630
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1489 1623 3rd Cat. 32 14 14 4 16.0 .500
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1706 1837 2nd Cat. 24 13 9 2 14.0 .583
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1651P23 1651 none 23 12 10 1 12.5 .543
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1900 2186 1st Cat. 16 8 3 5 10.5 .656
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1911 1971 1st Cat. 14 8 2 4 10.0 .714
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1778 1787 3rd Cat. 13 8 3 2 9.0 .692
ARTHUR BARLAS Stow 1740 1833 2nd Cat. 13 7 4 2 8.0 .615
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 3/6/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2031 2102 Can. Master 32 23 3 6 26.0 .813
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1971 2020 1st Cat. 33 24 5 4 26.0 .788
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1960 2085 Can. Master 28 19 7 2 20.0 .714
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1787 1953 1st Cat. 32 18 10 4 20.0 .625
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1808 1904 1st Cat. 33 17 10 6 20.0 .606
KEN GURGE Leominster 1785 1856 2nd Cat. 33 17 10 6 20.0 .606
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1756 1770 2nd Cat. 31 16 9 6 19.0 .613
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1743 1858 1st Cat. 31 17 10 4 19.0 .613
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1764 1745 3rd Cat. 27 14 7 6 17.0 .630
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1489 1623 3rd Cat. 32 14 14 4 16.0 .500
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1706 1837 2nd Cat. 24 13 9 2 14.0 .583
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1651P23 1651 none 23 12 10 1 12.5 .543
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1900 2186 1st Cat. 16 8 3 5 10.5 .656
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1911 1971 1st Cat. 14 8 2 4 10.0 .714
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1778 1787 3rd Cat. 13 8 3 2 9.0 .692
ARTHUR BARLAS Stow 1740 1833 2nd Cat. 13 7 4 2 8.0 .615
Above are the standings for the club championship qualification.
The players in green would qualify on the basis of grand prix points and the players in yellow would qualify on the basis of winning percentage.
The top sheet of the standings shows who would qualify if the season ended today.
The bottom sheet shows who would qualify if they play enough of the remaining games to reach the 50% threshold.
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

March 7th 2019
Carissa Yip still undefeated in World Team Championship.
Draws former Georgian women's champion in round 3.

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

March 5th 2019
Carissa Yip defeats former Women's World Champion in World Team Championship

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

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

March 1st 2019
Chess videos by Andrew Jeselson

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

February 27th, 2019
Brett's video: OTB Chess 02/27/19
Roger's video: My Week at the Club #57
Board 1 in Round 4 of the George O'Rourke Memorial, Roger Cappallo vs. Brett Kildahl

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

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

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

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

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

February 27th, 2019
2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 4 of 5

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 27th, 2019
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Roger Cappallo 0-1Brett Kildahl
♔ Ritvik Pulya 1-0Bruce Felton
George Mirijanian 0-1♔ Gary Brassard
Mike Commisso1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Ralph McNeilage1/2-1/2Arthur Barlas
Stephen Murray 0-1Larry Gladding
Paul Godin 1-0Bob Mathieu
Ray Paulson 1-0Jim Donahue
Tom Fratturelli 0-1Michael Stevens
Andrew Jeselson 1-0John Bastarache
Dave Couture1/2-1/2Michael David
Ed Harris 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Mark Wheeler 0-1Don Briggs
Raaga Pulya 0-1Don Ostrowski
Emily Gawboy 0-1Brian Biglow
Total of 15 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 5 Pairings for March 6th:

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

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

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

February 23rd 2019
Ex-Wachusett CC Champion, Carissa Yip to compete in World Team Championship

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

February 22nd, 2019
My Week at the Club #56
Board 2 in Round 3 of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Ken Gurge

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

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

February 21st, 2019
Brett Kildahl vs. Mike Commisso
Board 1 in Round 3 of the George O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Mike Commisso

OTB Chess 02/14/19

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

February 20th, 2019
2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 3 of 5

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

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for February 27th:

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

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

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

February 20th 2019
Jeff Caruso and Robb Stewart to run in MACA elections

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

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

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

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

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

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

February 16th, 2019
My Week at the Club #55
Board 2 in Round 2 of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Larry Gladding


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

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

February 14th, 2019
Brett Kildahl vs. Ralph McNeilage
Board 1 in Round 2 of the George O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Ralph McNeilage

OTB Chess 02/14/19

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

February 13th, 2019
2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 2 of 5

George E. O'Rourke Memorial, February 13th, 2019
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ralph McNeilage 0-1Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo 1-0Larry Gladding
♔ Mike Commisso 1-0Paul Godin
Bruce Felton1/2-1/2Gary Brassard
Jim Donahue1/2-1/2Mike Lally
John Bastarache 0-1Ken Gurge
Ray Paulson 1-0Bob Mathieu
Geoff LePoer 0-1♔ Stephen Murray
Tom Fratturelli 0-1George Mirijanian
Dave Couture 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Michael Stevens 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Don Briggs
Michael David 1-0Emily Gawboy
Mark Wheeler 1-0Dillon Motyka
Total of 15 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for February 20th:

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

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

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

February 9th, 2019
My Week at the Club #54
Board 2 in Round 1 of the George E. O'Rourke Memorial, vs. Don Ostrowski


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

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


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

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

February 6th, 2019
2019 George E. O'Rourke Memorial
Round 1 of 5

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

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for February 13th:

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

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

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

February 5th, 2019
Ratings in effect for the George E. O'Rourke Memorial tournament

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

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

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

February 2nd, 2019
Local chess on WGBY TV

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

February 1st, 2019
Roger's video: My Week at the Club #53
Brett's video: OTB Chess 01/30/19
Board 1 in Round 5 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, Roger Cappallo vs. Brett Kilhadl

Duelling videos!

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

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

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

My Week at the Club #53

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

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

January 30th, 2019
Brett Kildahl vs. Roger Cappallo
Board 1 in Round 5 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Roger Cappallo

OTB Chess 01/30/19

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

January 30th, 2019

Brett Kildahl tops 2019 opener with perfect 5.0

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

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

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

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 30th, 2019
Round 5 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Brett Kildahl 1-0Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson 0-1Paul Godin
Mike Commisso 1-0Dave Couture
Gary Brassard 1-0Jim Hankard
Don Briggs 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Ken Gurge 1-0John Bastarache
Ritvik Pulya 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Don Ostrowski1/2-1/2Brian Biglow
Ralph McNeilage 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
♕ Raaga Pulya 1-0Mark Wheeler
Dillon Motyka1/2-1/2Bryce McLaughlin
Total of 11 boards,
1 major upset (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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

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

Only 1 player
gained 50 or more rating points:
The following player had
a rating increase of
50 or more points:
Raaga Pulya + 146
Only 1 player
reached a new all time high:
The following player achieved
a new all-time high rating:
Raaga Pulya 1284

Pictures from this year's Reggie Boone Memorial tournament.

2019 Club Championship Qualification Standings as of January 30th, 2019
After 29 of 43 games completed in the 2018-2019 season,
the following are the current standings for qualification for the
2019 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 22 games must be completed to qualify.
(Only players currently with 9 or more games played & a .500 pct. or greater are listed.)
Current 2019 Championship Grand Prix Standings
Club Members Hometown Current Rating As Of 1/30/19 All-Time High TITLE Total Games W L D Grand Prix Points Winning Pct.
PAUL GODIN Bedford 1994 2020 1st Cat. 29 22 4 3 23.5 .810
ROGER CAPPALLO Groton 2022 2102 Can. Master 27 19 2 6 22.0 .815
RAYMOND PAULSON Lowell 1985 2085 Can. Master 25 17 6 2 18.0 .720
DAVE COUTURE Westminster 1780 1858 1st Cat. 26 15 8 3 16.5 .635
LARRY GLADDING Leominster 1765 1953 1st Cat. 27 15 9 3 16.5 .611
KEN GURGE Leominster 1778 1856 2nd Cat. 28 14 9 5 16.5 .589
GARY BRASSARD Leominster 1742 1904 1st Cat. 28 14 9 5 16.5 .589
MIKE COMMISSO Brookline, NH 1728 1770 2nd Cat. 26 14 8 4 16.0 .615
RITVIK PULYA Acton 1708 1745 3rd Cat. 23 11 6 6 14.0 .609
MICHAEL DAVID Groton 1484 1623 3rd Cat. 27 12 12 3 13.5 .500
DAVID THOMAS Fitchburg 1706 1837 2nd Cat. 23 12 9 2 13.0 .565
STEPHEN MURRAY Ayer 1642P20 1642 none 20 11 8 1 11.5 .575
GEORGE MIRIJANIAN Fitchburg 1906 2186 1st Cat. 14 7 2 5 9.5 .679
JIM DONAHUE Stow 1711 1738 3rd Cat. 18 8 7 3 9.5 .528
TOM FRATTURELLI Leominster 1637 1688 2nd Cat. 15 7 6 2 8.0 .533
BRUCE FELTON Fitchburg 1933 1971 1st Cat. 9 6 1 2 7.0 .778
RALPH MCNEILAGE Worcester 1774 1787 3rd Cat. 9 6 2 1 6.5 .722
ARTHUR BARLAS Stow 1733 1833 2nd Cat. 11 6 4 1 6.5 .591
MICHAEL MEEHAN Westminster 1632 1705 3rd Cat. 12 5 5 2 6.0 .500
WCC: Biographies
Background color key:
Clinched playoff spot Qualified by GPP Qualified by Pct. Qualified, not yet eligible Eligible, not yet qualified
Championship Grand Prix Archive

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

January 27th, 2019
My Week at the Club #52
Board 2 in Round 4 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Larry Gladding

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

January 24th, 2019
Ray Paulson vs Brett Kildahl
Board 1 in Round 4 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Ray Paulson

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

January 23rd, 2019

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 23rd, 2019
Round 4 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Ray Paulson 0-1Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo 1-0Larry Gladding
Paul Godin 1-0Ken Gurge
Dave Couture 1-0Jim Donahue
Arthur Barlas 0-1Jim Hankard
Larry O'Rourke 0-1Gary Brassard
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Ritvik Pulya
John Bastarache1/2-1/2Don Ostrowski
Mark Wheeler 0-1Don Briggs
Emily Gawboy 0-1Michael David
Total of 10 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 5 Pairings for January 30th:

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

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

January 18th, 2019
My Week at the Club #51
Board 2 in Round 3 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Geoff LePoer

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

January 18th 2019
Just The Rules: No Claim, No Fame


Position from H. McLaughlin - Mike Commisso, 2019.01.16

Kxb6??

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

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

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

January 16th, 2019
2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 3 of 5

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 16th, 2019
Round 3 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Brett Kildahl 1-0Paul Godin
Geoff LePoer 0-1Roger Cappallo
Arthur Barlas 0-1Ray Paulson
Ken Gurge 0-1Larry Gladding
George Mirijanian 1-0Tom Fratturelli
Jim Hankard1/2-1/2Dave Couture
Jim Donahue 1-0Don Ostrowski
Hugh McLaughlin 0-1Mike Commisso
Gary Brassard 1-0Raaga Pulya
Michael David 0-1John Bastarache
Bryce McLaughlin 0-1Mark Wheeler
Don Briggs 1-0Emily Gawboy
Brian Biglow 1-0Dillon Motyka
Total of 13 boards,
no major upsets, (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 4 Pairings for January 23rd:

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

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

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

January 10th, 2019
Dave Couture vs Brett Kildahl
Board 1 in Round 2 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Dave Couture

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

January 10th, 2019
My Week at the Club #50
Board 2 in Round 2 of the Reggie Boone Memorial, vs. Ken Gurge

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

January 9th, 2019
2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 2 of 5

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 9th, 2019
Round 2 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Dave Couture 0-1Brett Kildahl
Roger Cappallo1/2-1/2Ken Gurge
Larry Gladding1/2-1/2Ray Paulson
Paul Godin 1-0Jim Donahue
Mike Commisso 0-1Geoff LePoer
Ritvik Pulya1/2-1/2George Mirijanian
Tom Fratturelli 1-0Gary Brassard
John Bastarache 0-1Jim Hankard
Dave Thomas 1-0Brian Biglow
Don Ostrowski 1-0Bryce McLaughlin
♔ Hugh McLaughlin 1-0Mark Wheeler
♕ Raaga Pulya 1-0Don Briggs
Larry O'Rourke 1-0Emily Gawboy
Total of 13 boards,
2 major upsets (♔ ♕), no upset draws ().

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

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


Projected Round 3 Pairings for January 16th:

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

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

January 8th 2019
Carissa Yip to play in PRO Chess League

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

January 7th 2019
WCC Weekend Warriors

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

♙   ♝   ♘   ♜   ♘   ♟   Monday January 7, 2019 Westford January Blitz & 7th Boston Chess Congress Rating Updates   ♗   ♞   ♖   ♞   ♗   ♟
USCFID#: WCC Member NameEnd DateMost Recent Rated EventSection: NamePre => PostClass
14514636: CARISSA SHIWEN YIP2019-01-05WESTFORD JANUARY BLITZ (MA)1: OPEN 2221 => 2213 NM
12681247: ROBERT KING2019-01-067TH ANNUAL BOSTON CHESS CONGRE (MA)1: PREMIER 2202 => 2202 NM
12633241: JAMES E DONAHUE2019-01-067TH ANNUAL BOSTON CHESS CONGRE (MA)3: U1900 1724 => 1718 B
16636306: MICHAEL DAVID2019-01-05WESTFORD JANUARY BLITZ (MA)1: OPEN 1586 (P18) => 1615 B
12222200: JAMES A HANKARD2019-01-067TH ANNUAL BOSTON CHESS CONGRE (MA)4: U1700 1673 => 1615 B

January 2nd, 2019
2019 Reggie Boone Memorial
Round 1 of 5

Reggie Boone Memorial, January 2nd, 2019
Round 1 of 5 Results
WhiteResultBlack
Brett Kildahl 1-0Dave Thomas
Jim Hankard 0-1Roger Cappallo
Ray Paulson 1-0Don Ostrowski
Mark Wheeler 0-1Paul Godin
Geoff LePoer 1-0Michael David
Don Briggs 0-1Dave Couture
Ken Gurge 1-0Larry O'Rourke
Brian Biglow 0-1Arthur Barlas
Gary Brassard1/2-1/2♖ John Bastarache
Randy McLaughlin 0-1Larry Gladding
Jim Donahue 1-0Hugh McLaughlin
Emily Gawboy 0-1Mike Commisso
Total of 12 boards,
no major upsets (♔ ♕), 1 upset draw ().

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

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


Projected Round 2 Pairings for January 9th:

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

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

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

January 1st, 2019
Ratings in effect for the Reggie Boone Memorial tournament

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

♔   ♛   ♖   ♝   ♘   ♞   ♗   ♜   ♕   ♚   Ratings in effect for the
2019 Reggie Boone Memorial tournament:
1Brett Kildahl 2132
2Roger Cappallo 2021
3Ray Paulson 2016
4Paul Godin 1977
5Bruce Felton 1933
6George Mirijanian 1909
7Geoff LePoer 1907
8Dave Couture 1808
9Ken Gurge 1784
10Arthur Barlas 1758
11Gary Brassard 1756
12Larry Gladding 1740
13Jim Donahue 1724
14Mike Commisso 1714
15Ritvik Pulya 1714
16Dave Thomas 1703
17Jim Hankard 1673
18Stephen Murray 1642
19Vince Premus 1639
20Mike Meehan 1632
21Tom Fratturelli1622
22Roland Booker 1600
23Don Ostrowski 1600
24Mark Wheeler 1507
25Michael David 1491
26Don Briggs 1486
27Larry O'Rourke 1446
28Brian Biglow 1400
29John Bastarache 1400
30Hugh McLaughlin 1238
31Bryce McLaughlin 1181
32Raaga Pulya 1138
33Emily Gawboy 1125
34Francis Scanlon 991
35Tom Whistler 882