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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, CCC meetings have been suspended until further notice. This crisis has had a major impact on chess activity, but has probably increased the amount of online play. If you have not experienced online play, it is a good time to give it a try. We will post any news about meetings resuming as soon as possible.
Jim Bickley has announced that a new venue for the CCC has been procured with a new meeting night on Monday’s. The weekly meetings starting February 24 will be on Monday nights (7:00pm) at the education building of Bethel United Methodist Church in downtown Charleston. Bethel is located at the intersection of Calhoun and Pitt Streets, not far from the College of Charleston. This venue has twenty-five free parking spaces. The last meeting at the Church of the Holy Cross will be on Wednesday, February 12, with the last tournament at that site on Saturday, February 15. See the announcements elsewhere on this site for the tournament details. We thank all at the Church of the Holy Cross for allowing us to utilize the church facilities.
