Grandmaster Lubomir Ftacnik of Slovakia will be at our club on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011, to present a chess lecture and simultaneous exhibition.  The lecture is free to all members and guests, while for the simul, we request a $5 contribution from adult players which goes towards scholastic chess.  Scholastic players can play for free!  Join us at 7:00pm to attend both events and bring your set and board if you plan to play in the simul.  GM Ftacnik has attended twice before in the past and has given very instructive lectures on famous games.  His tour of our state has been sponsored by the generosity of Precision Tune Auto Care.

Check out his info at Wikipedia – GM Lubomir Ftacnik

The “Make a Difference 2” chess tournament held on Saturday, July 23rd, brought out fourteen supporters who graciously donated their entry fees for the benefit of the fledgling Summerville High Chess Club.  The organizer and tournament director, Chris Falter(pictured below, right), held the tournament in the office of SPARC on Daniel Island, where he is employed.  The conditions where excellent for the players, where the amenities in the office were well suited for creativity and thought. 

With numerous players from the Charleston Chess Club as well as high school players, a Swiss-system format was used, so many of the newcomers had games against higher rated players.  After three rounds, the only player achieving a 3-0 score was CCC member, John Vonderlieth, a long-time class “A” player and former Expert.  Congratulations to John for his effort!  

For the benefit of the younger players, the CCC offered a free set and board for the top player under 1400.  After tiebreaks, Joshua Hutchins(pictured below, left), won the prize and has an extra set and board to help with his chess career.  Thanks to all who participated and keep up the good chess! 

Best under 1400 - Joshua Hutchins

On Saturday, July 23, 2011, the Charleston Chess Club will host a USCF-rated tournament at the office of SPARC on Daniel Island.  The net proceeds from the $10 entry fee will be used to assist the fledgling chess program at Summerville High School.  Time control: G/60 (45′ + 15″ with increment clock).  Registration: 9-9:30am. Rounds:  9:45am, 1pm, and 3:15pm.  Tournament format (Swiss,  quads, etc.) will be decided based on number and rating profile of participants.  USCF membership required.  Pre-registration and contact: Chris Falter, 213 Goldfinch Ln., Summerville, SC 29485 (843)-696-8277.  Come have fun and make a difference!

2011 Club Champion, Stephen Welt (L) and Runner Up, Ananth Pappu

 With a victory against new CCC member,  NM Ananth Pappu, in the final game of the Upper Section last night, club president, Stephen Welt, becomes our 2011 Club Champion.  Many games in the Upper Section came down to flag-hanging conclusions for many of the players.  Stephen, after dropping one game against fellow A player, Dennis Dawley, survived the other competition to score 4-1 and take the title.  Ananth, who also dropped a previous game against John Vonderlieth, survived to the final game against Stephen, but succumbed to Stephen’s pressure play, but was still rewarded for his effort with the Runner Up trophy.  Congratulations to Stephen and Ananth for their hard-earned prizes.

Revised (#2):  The 2011 CCC Championship has begun with twelve club members participating in two sections.  The following round robin crosstables reflect games played thus far (for pairings, click on “Club Calendar”):

 Trophies will be awarded to the winner and runner up in each section.

The annual election of officers will be held during the April 6, 2011, meeting.  For those who need to renew their memberships, we will be taking annual dues ($5) from 7:00pm until 7:30pm.  The business meeting will begin at 7:30pm.  Come out and give your support for the club officers of your choice and have your voice heard.   See you there!

* Results of annual election meeting (6 members present):

President – Stephen Welt

Vice President – Dennis Dawley

Secretary – Ian Morton

Treasurer – David Causey

Before departing with their prize money, we captured the above Snowstorm Special winners for the record.  Left to right, Wayne Christensen (Top Expert prize), Expert Donny Gray and current S.C. champion, Philipp Lamby (Tied for 1st/2nd).

37th Snowstorm Special —             Cross Table
February 4-6, 2011
Charleston, SC
Chief TD – Stephen Welt

  No.    Name                              St Rate 1     2     3     4     5     Score

   1. Lamby, Philipp (1)…………  SC 2190 D12   W15   W11   D3    W4      4.0  1st/2nd
   2. Gray, Donny (2)……………  GA 2099 W16   D6    D8    W5    W3      4.0  1st/2nd

   3. Christensen, Wayne (3)……..  SC 2056 W13   W5    W4    D1    L2      3.5  Top X

   4. Morton, Ian Gregor (7)……..  SC 1882 W14   W10   L3    W6    L1      3.0  Top A(tie)
   5. Vonderlieth, John (8)………  SC 1830 W19   L3    W13   L2    W9      3.0  Top A(tie)
   6. Murrah, Erik Lee (11)………  SC 1691 W18   D2    D9    L4    W10     3.0  Top B(tie)
   7. Falter, Christophe (12)…….  SC 1652 D8    L11   W16   -H-   W13     3.0  Top B(tie)

   8. Holmes, Douglas R (5)………  SC 1992 D7    W12   D2    D10   -U-     2.5
   9. Causey, David Y (6)………..  SC 1951 L10   W19   D6    W12   L5      2.5
  10. Sellards III, Harry (13)……  NC 1608 W9    L4    W18   D8    L6      2.5

  11. Welt, Stephen Alex (4)……..  SC 1994 -H-   W7    L1    -H-   -U-     2.0
  12. Musulin, Rade (9)………….  SC 1788 D1    L8    W15   L9    -H-     2.0
  13. Bryan, Paul A (15)…………  SC 1429 L3    W14   L5    -X-   L7      2.0  Top C
  14. Woodworth, Robert (17)……..  SC 1148 L4    L13   W19   D15   D16     2.0  Top E

  15. Goodwin, Bruce (10)………..  NC 1707 -H-   L1    L12   D14   -H-     1.5
  16. Doyle, Michael Mal (14)…….  SC 1473 L2    L18   L7    W19   D14     1.5

  17. Miller, Gordon (18)………..  SC  868 -B-   -U-   -U-   -U-   -U-     1.0  W/D
  18. Cook, Randall Burk (19)…….  SC nnnn L6    W16   L10   -F-   -U-     1.0

  19. Pilaud, William (16)……….  SC 1400 L5    L9    L14   L16   -H-     0.5

Check out the official USCF crosstable by clicking here – 37th Snowstorm Special 2011

Even with a light turnout of only eighteen players, the 37th Snowstorm Special will plod forward to determine prize winners by Sunday afternoon.  Representation by class “B” through Expert is average in numbers, but the lower classes, “E” through “C”, are slim.  Many of our lower rated players are missing out on the opportunity to win a class prize this year.  If you are reading this post and can arrive before the 2nd round begins, we will still enter you with a half-point bye in the first round and at the pre-entry fee of $70.  If you can’t play, but have some time this weekend, stop by and check out the chess books and equipment for sale, some at “rock-bottom” prices and even some free!  We still have some bags, boards and sets available, too.  Hope to see you here!

The 37th edition of the Snowstorm Special Open chess tournament begins Friday night, February 4th.  This USCF Hertiage event started in 1973 when the Charleston Chess Club held a junior championship during one of the heaviest snowstorms in Charleston history.  Still, young players from around the state showed up and vied for the title.  Due to the support in inclimate weather, Ernie and Joan Schlich, the club’s officers, decided to commemorate the event each year since with an open format tournament.  Though the tournament was not held in 2002 and 2003 due to lack of organizers, it was re-started in 2004 and has continued to be held ever since.  The list of champions for the event extends from  local favorites to state champions to International masters.  It is a tournament for all players since you are always competing for a prize either at the top or in your rating class.  It’s a great tournament to achieve your first “scalp” of a higher rated player since you can be paired against the top group of players, especially in the first round.  But don’t despair, since even a loss does not hurt you from competing against your own level players for the class prizes.  Many times, a 3-2 score wins or ties for the class prize and anything higher competes sometimes for a place prize. 

Check out the announcement on the main page, right column, under “Upcoming Tournaments”.  The last chance to register at the pre-entry rate is tonight at our club meeting.

Join us this weekend and support the Snowstorm Special!

Results of the latest Weekly Swiss tournament are posted and after the abbreviated rounds for each section, Stephen Welt took  first place in the Upper Section with three wins and a draw.  In the Lower Section, Gordon Miller turned in an impressive 3-0 score to take first place.  For the next weekly swiss, Stephen has proposed lengthening the time control to Game 75.  If you were hesitant to play Game 60 in the past, this should help those worried about time pressure.  Remember, the club championship is normally Game 90, so this is a good way to build up your game beforehand.  Check out the results by clicking “Weekly Swiss Results” on the right of the main page.