At the October 2nd meeting of the Charleston Chess Club, GM Elshan Moradiabadi will be our special guest and will play a simultaneous chess exhibition in the Bethel UM Church Education Building’s Fellowship Hall, 57 Pitt St, downtown Charleston, 7pm, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. The fee will be $10 per board and proceeds will go to the club to purchase needed chess clocks. We hope you can join us for this fun special event!
The Thunderstorm Tournament held on August 26, 2023, was a great success with 65 players participating. Jeffrey Rhinesmith won the championship section with a 3.5-.5 score. Daniel Kubrynski and Terry Chester tied for the U1500 section 4-0 scores. Cornell White organized and directed the event. Bethel United Methodist Church permitted the Charleston Chess Club to use its Education Building for the tournament.
Click here for the USCF crosstable.
Bethel United Methodist Church, 57 Pitt Street, Charleston, SC 29401
G45, d5, 4 Round Swiss Championship
Sections: 1500+, U1500
Round Times: 9:30am, 11:30am, 2:30pm, 4:30pm
Onsite Registration: 8:00am – 9:30am
Early Entry Fee – $30, $40 at site
** Active USCF Membership Required**
One 1/2 point bye available
$1,000 Prize Pool based on 35 players
For online registration, go to –https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/2892
PLEASE BRING A CHESS SET AND CLOCK (if you have one)
The 48th Annual Snowstorm Tournament was successful with 74 participants, which was the highest number for any Snowstorm Chess tournament. Chess players were divided into two sections: individuals rated USCF1,500 and above, and competitors rated below USCF1,500. Matthew Rogers won the Top Section, and Corey Burton won the lower section.
Cornell White was instrumental in organizing and directing the tournament. On the day of the tournament, two other trained tournament directors, Corey Burton and Clayton Hansen, provided invaluable service in managing the tournament. The Charleston Chess Club appreciates the use of the Education Building of Bethel United Methodist Church.
James M. Bickley
President, Charleston Chess Club
US Chess MSA – Cross Table for 48TH ANNUAL SNOWSTORM TOURNAMENT (Event 202302045102)
This is actually the 50th year since the first tournament back in 1973 when it was held as the S.C. Junior Championship during the 1973 snowstorm weather event in Charleston. In 1974, it was held as an annual tournament commemorating the previous year’s event and only two years were missed due to lack of organizers. Though it was a weekend five round for many years, organizers found it easier to have as a one-day event, which actually increased the turnout. Let’s keep up the support for one of the South’s oldest tournaments outside of state championships.
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More Info: The tournament will be played in the Education Building, which is located next to Bethel United Methodist Church. Free all-day parking is available behind the Education Building and Bethel Church. Chess players and their guests will enter the Education Building through the door on the south side of the building nearest to Pitt Street, which will be indicated by signs. On the first floor, players will compete in the Fellowship Hall. Guests may stay in a small chapel during play. Bathrooms and a water fountain are nearby. Additional bathrooms are on the second floor at the top of the steps
Jim Bickley
President, CCC
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On Monday, November 7, 2022, the Charleston Chess Club held a simultaneous exhibition by Grandmaster Elshan Moradi Abadi. He won all nineteen games. GM Moradi Abadi recently won the 2022 U.S. Chess Open and has a rating of 2627.
On Saturday, February 19, 2022, the 47th Snowstorm Special Chess Tournament was held in the Education Building of the Bethel United Methodist Church in downtown Charleston. The tournament was successful with sixty-one players competing. This was the highest number of players of any Snowstorm tournament. Mike Sailer was first on tiebreak, Jacob Allyn was second, and M. Ledford Duncan was third. These three players were the only ones to win all four of their games. Eighteen players were unrated by the USCF, thus becoming new tournament players.
This USCF rated tournament was jointly sponsored by the Beaufort and Charleston Chess clubs. Corey Burton and Cornell White from the Beaufort Chess Club organized and managed the tournament. Their experience and expertise were invaluable to the success of the tournament. The Charleston Chess Club (CCC) provided the venue. The large Fellowship Hall in Bethel’s Education Building was able to accommodate the high turnout of players and the nearby chapel in the Education Building was used by guests and players to who had finished their games.
Thanks for all the support,
James M. Bickley
President
Charleston Chess Club
The Charleston Chess Club (CCC) meets every Monday at 7:00pm in the education building of Bethel United Methodist Church. The Bethel Church is located at the corner of Calhoun and Pitt Streets in downtown Charleston, SC. The address is 57 Pitt Street. The education building is next to the sanctuary. There are twenty-five free parking spaces on Monday nights behind or beside the education building. Most of these spaces are on gravel, but some are paved with white lines. No paved parking spaces marked with yellow lines are available, and Palmetto Parking may boot any vehicle using them since these spaces are leased from Bethel Church. In the education building, the CCC meets in a small chapel on the first floor. Bathrooms and drinking fountain are near the chapel. Chess players enter in the two doors nearest to Pitt Street.
The CCC is open to all ages including children. Attendance at meetings has ranged from nine to fifteen in recent weeks. In the past, the CCC has had several children attend its meetings, but none in recent months. Some players are just learning the game, but most players have extensive experience. James Bickley is president of the CCC and Gary Firestone is vice-president. Both are retirees.
James (Jim) M. Bickley
Due to email outages of web editor, information is limited. See earlier posts for time and place of meetings at the new downtown location. We will update as soon as email is re-established.
