WV Scholastic League

The WV Scholastic Chess Association is pleased to announce the beginning of the newly-revised Scholastic Chess League for 2025-2026. The WVSCA will manage the league and the USCF will rate the games. The tournaments will be held at hte following locations:

September 20 – Suncrest Middle School, Morgantown
October 11 – Saint Francis Elementary School, Saint Albans
December 6 – Saint Francis Elementary School, Saint Albans
January TBD – John Adams Middle School, Charleston
February TBD – Saint Francis Elementary School, Saint Albans (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

WV Italian Heritage Festival Open and Scholastic

31 players competed in the WV Italian Heritage Festival Open and Scholastic event, held on August 23 at the Harrison County Senior Center in Clarksburg. Gallagher Kelsch showed no signs of slowing down his rating climb, reaching 1900+ after going 4-0 in the Open. Andrew Tichenor of Virginia took second with a perfect 3-0 before a 1/2 point bye in round 4.

The scholastic section was won by Aaron Ross with 4-0. Cheat Lake Elementary took the team trophy. Dominic Ashton and Ethan Rakes took home second place trophies, and Sarah Good won a trophy for the highest finishing girl.

USCF Crosstable

2024-2025 Grand Prix Standings

Standings after 5 Events
Events included: WV Italian Heritage Festival, 24th Mountaineer Open, WV Action Championship, Clarksburg Open, Mike Price Memorial

 1. Gallagher Kelsch           57.50
 2. Edward A Garner            54.42
 3. Anatoly Boshkin            43.00
 4. Lance Pitrolo              38.92
 5. Benjamin M Good            35.25
 6. Markle W Butcher           34.02
 7. David Wayne Hundley        19.35
 8. Lucas Marsh                17.50
 9. David Lee Bruner           17.35
10. Joseph Baker               16.60
    Tristan A Johnston         16.60
12. James Crump                14.00
13. Pushkal Solanki            10.10
14. John Everett Roush          9.50
15. Ack Morgan II               8.00
16. John Boylin IV              7.25
17. Aaron William Clarke        7.00
18. Tristan Marc Bly            6.00
    David F Hines               6.00
    James Daniel Preece         6.00
    David Comer                 6.00
22. Robert Allan Wells          2.25
23. Elijah David Schultz        1.00

Mike Price Memorial

12 players competed in the Mike Price Memorial on July 19 at the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg. A few others visited during the event, including Reggie Best and Pat Kelly. Mike’s parents and sister were present for the event as well. A large collection of books and some chess sets were donated and we will be offering those that remain at future events.

Benjamin Good and Gallagher Kelsch tied for first with 3.5/4 after their last round draw, the only draw of the event. Ed Garner and Lance Pitrolo finished with 3.0/4.

USCF Crosstable

Special thanks to Cindy and Paige from the Blennerhassett, Mike’s family, and all those who came to celebrate Mike.

Mike Price Memorial Hotel Rooms

A block of rooms is available at the Blennerhassett for $80/night for 7/18 or 7/19. Call 304-422-3131 and reserve with the group WV Chess Association, code 76748. Room rate available while rooms last or until 7/12.

WV Action Championship

Ed Garner has won yet another title, winning the Action Championship with a score of 4.5/5. Anatoly Boshkin took second place. Luca Giancola and Lance Pitrolo were the U1600 and U1300 winners. Lance won the upset prize for his victory over David Hines, and he nearly upset Ed in the last round.

In the non-rated section, Seth Margolis took first with 4.5/5 and Hans Wikle was second at 4/5.

USCF Crosstable

Mike Price Memorial Tournament

The WVCA has received several donations in memory of Mike Price. At the annual business meeting, we decided to hold a tournament in Mike’s memory sometime in the next year in the Parkersburg area. We will be using the donations towards costs for the playing site and towards the prize fund if there is a surplus.

Thank you to all those who have donated.

Update (March 24, 2025): We are tentatively planning for July 19 at the Blennerhasset, but are exploring other playing sites and dates as well.

24th Mountaineer Open

The 24th Mountaineer Open was held on February 15 at the Mountainlair. 31 players competed in the two rated sections. Swarom Kanitkar (pictured) won the Open with a 4-0 score, with several players tied for second at 3-1. Kaiden Hammer won the Collegiate/Scholastic section with a 4-0 score.

USCF Crosstable