2025-2026 Grand Prix Final Standings

Final Standings
Events Included: Mountaineer Open, Action Championship, Fairmont DAC Open, Thomas Bergquist Memorial

 1. Gallagher Kelsch         80.92  $160
 2. Lewis F Sanders          50.83  $80
 3. Anatoly Boshkin          36.87  $40
 4. Skyler Anthony Blatt     31.00
 5. James A Fuller II        25.95
 6. Markle W Butcher         23.58
 7. Benjamin M Good          22.70
 8. Elijah David Schultz     19.75
 9. Siddhartha S Bora        18.45
10. Ethan Walker Trent       16.50
11. James Crump              12.95
12. David F Hines            12.00
13. Nathaniel Des Ruisseau   11.50
15. Lane Higgins Moore       11.20
16. Lawrence L Douglas       11.00
    John Vallelonga          11.00
18. Alex LeCloux             10.00
    Ryan Wager               10.00
20. Zachary Valen Nelson      9.75
21. John Everett Roush        9.50
22. Joseph Baker              8.75
    Pushkal Solanki           8.75
24. Lee Owen Gustafson        7.50
25. Charles Alexander Kayuha  7.20
    Julian Schmidt            7.20
    Justice Garn Sever        7.20
28. Tina Statts               6.50
29. Harrison Stone            6.00
    Andrew M Thomas           6.00
    James D Olson             6.00
32. Anurag K Srivastava       5.17
    Bryson Michael Connolly   5.17
    Larry K Graham            5.17
35. Edward A Garner           5.00
    Clinton Lemasters         5.00
    Ronald Maddalena          5.00
    Maddox Andriotto          5.00
    Christopher Leach         5.00
40. Donald Joseph King        4.33
41. David Lee Bruner          4.00
42. Paul George Rebelo        3.50
    Ray Hadsel Richards       3.50
    Robert Allan Wells        3.50
45. David Wayne Hundley       3.00
    Charles T M Smith         3.00
    Ali Mahmoud Ali Ali       3.00

87th Thomas Bergquist Memorial

30 players competed in the annual Thomas Bergquist Memorial State Championship, held September 19-20 in Clarksburg. And for the second time in WVCA history, we have a 12-year-old State Champion.

Day One:
Gallagher Kelsch and Lewis Sanders were the only two players with perfect scores at the end of day one. Ben Good and Jimmy Fuller were at 2.5 after their round 2 draw and winning in round 3. John Roush had a round 2 draw and a 1/2-point bye to remain at 2-1 with several others.

Day Two:
In round 4, Gallagher beat Lewis and John Roush beat Ben Good. Jimmy Fuller won his game against Ed Garner to move to 3.5 and have a chance against Gallagher in round 5. Gallagher won somewhat quickly, though, to secure his first state championship. On board two, Lewis and John Roush were both at 3-1 and could take clear second with a victory. Five other players joined Jimmy Fuller at 3.5. Depending on the result of board two, 3.5 would either be third or second place. John had been up a pawn for the entire game after Lewis’s Wing Gambit, but the position remained tense. John, down to about 1 minute, found himself down a piece, then a rook, and resigned. Lewis then took clear second.

The final game was between John Vallelonga and Ronald Maddalena, both at 2-2. A win for either would give them clear first in the Under 1300. John navigated a tricky rook and opposite color bishop endgame and nabbed a couple of pawns before Ronald lost his rook and resigned.

Final Results:
1st – Gallagher Kelsch 5.0
2nd – Lewis Sanders 4.0
3rd – Ben Good, Jimmy Fuller, Anatoly Boshkin, Elijah Schultz, Siddhartha Bora, Lane Moore 3.5
U1600 – Elijah Schultz 3.5
U1300 – John Vallelonga 3.0
Upset Prize – Alex LeCloux (655) for his victory over David Bruner (1500)

USCF Crosstable

  • 1st Under 1300 - John Vallelonga

WV Italian Heritage Festival Open

17 players competed in the 2026 WV Italian Heritage Festival chess tournament, held on August 29, 2026 at the Harrison County Senior Center in Clarksburg. John Roush and Ben Good shared 1st-2nd with 3.5/4. Hans Wikle took 1st U1500 with 2.5/4 and 2nd was split between Mathew Johnson, Evan Pugh, and Maddox Andriotto who had 2.0/4.

USCF Crosstable

WVCA Chessable Authors

We have two young authors in our midst. Amber Arora and Anika Arora have both authored courses on Chessable. They became the youngest authors on Chessable in 2020 after creating the Master Checkmates course in response to Chessable’s Create Your Own Course Challenge. They have since added the Prodigy Checkmates course.

You can find them here:

Suncrest Spring Fling

31 players competed in the rated sections of the Suncrest Spring Fling event, held on May 23, 2026 at Suncrest Middle School in Morgantown.

Results:
6-12 – Cole Harris 4.0, five players tied for second at 3.0; Team – East Fairmont HS
K-5 – Manvith Maheshkumar 3.5, Henry Esguerra 3.0; Team – Taylor County MS
Open – Benjamin Good 2.5, Jimmy Fuller 2.0

USCF Crosstable

WV Scholastic Championship Results

69 players competed in the WV Scholastic Championship held in Clarksburg on March 21.

Individual Winners:
K-12: Nathaniel Des Ruisseau 5/5
K-8: Gallagher Kelsch 4/4
K-5: Aadhavan Thangasamy 4/4
K-3: Julian Schmidt, Nikil Mathew (VA) 4.5/5

Team Winners:
K-12: Berkeley Springs High School
K-8: John Adams Middle School
K-5: Weberwood Elementary School
K-3: MMS Knights

USCF Crosstable