John Boylin, Gagana Sadineni, and James Fuller represented WV in the 2022 Barber (Middle School Champions), Rockefeller (Elementary Champions), and Irwin (Senior Champions). Facing very stiff competition from across the US, each represented us well. John finished with 3/6 in the Barber tournament, while Gagana and James each had 2/6 in their events.
Tim Goan has passed away at the age of 62. The obituary can be found here.
14 students, ages 12-17, from WV and the tri-state area participated in the first ever chess camp in WV. Organized by the Huntington YMCA Chess Club, and sponsored by HIMG, Camden Park, Delta Hotels, Paris Signs, and Dan O’Hanlon, Chess Fundamentals was taught by St. Louis and CA-based GM Dariusz Swiercz.
Three days of intense instruction, games, puzzles, simuls, a mini tournament, lots of snacks and a pizza party left the participants tired, happy, and full of new chess skills and strategies. As one camper stated, “I did not think it would be this much fun!”
GM Swiercz loved Huntington and enjoyed working with the students. The Huntington YMCA Chess club hopes this will be an annual event.
Standings after 5 Events
Events Included: WV Action Championship, YMCA Fall Open, YMCA Winter Open, Greater Beckley Open, Clarksburg Open
1. Lewis F Sanders 88.33
2. Sam Timmons 52.92
3. Markle W Butcher 41.17
4. James A Fuller II 40.02
5. Elijah David Schultz 38.07
6. John Boylin IV 29.33
7. John Everett Roush 23.08
8. Ryan Ward 20.87
9. Malachi Hunter Bowen 18.83
10. Gary Denver Cummings 17.42
11. Ryan T VanBibber 14.75
12. James Daniel Preece 14.40
13. Steven Aguilar 13.00
14. Katherine Ellen King 11.75
15. Benjamin M Good 11.70
16. Edward A Garner 11.58
17. James William Sutherland 11.00
Joseph Baker 11.00
19. Robert Canary 10.90
20. Gagana Sadineni 10.83
21. David Wayne Hundley 10.50
22. Mike D Price 10.17
23. Max Aiden Aguilar 8.92
24. Cortland Nesley 8.83
25. Allen D Farley 8.25
26. Richard Allen Marker 8.00
27. David F Hines 7.25
Michael Felton 7.25
28. John G Sefton 6.00
Noah Alexander Stafford 6.00
30. Shrihan Acharya Malkaram 5.75
Sohan Kukkillaya 5.75
32. James Reszler 4.50
33. Bryon Boltz 4.33
Logan Wotring 4.33
35. Richard Keith Lilly 3.50
Winfield Scott Thompson 3.50
37. Dustin Lynn Coffman 2.67
38. Levi Micah Durfee 2.25
Josh Rubino 2.25
Lewis Sanders won the Clarksburg Open with a perfect 4-0 score. Five players tied for second at 3-1. Max Aguilar won the scholastic section with a 3-0 score.
22 players competed in the ’22 WV Action Championship, held in Huntington on June 11. Lewis Sanders and John Boylin share the Action Championship, each scoring 5-1. 6 players tied for 3rd, including Sam Timmons, Ryan Ward, and Elijah Schultz who took home the U1700 prizes. Ryan VanBibber and Max Aguilar were 1st-2nd in the U1100 class.
Lewis has extended his lead in the Grand Prix and can likely only be caught by going into hiding and Sam Timmons winning the State Championship.
25 players competed in the Greater Beckley Open, held on April 9, 2022. Harold Mitchell and Sam Timmons tied for 1st with 3.5/4.
USCF Crosstable
Chess Camp with GM Dariusz Świercz
The Huntington-YMCA Chess Club announces Chess Fundamentals with GM Dariusz Świercz
This is a 3-day chess camp with study of strategy, calculations, endgames, and more! June 27, 28, and 29th at the Phil Cline YMCA, 917 Ninth St., Huntington, WV 25701 for the first 20 young people age 12-18. Fee: $100 per student, non-refundable
Registration and Payment or Inquiries: HuntingtonChess@gmail.com
GM Dariusz Świercz (FIDE 2664) is a Polish-American chess Grandmaster. In 2011, Świercz won the World Junior Chess Championship. In 2016 he won the 3rd Millionaire Chess tournament. In 2019 he represented the United States in World Team Championships. He also earned a wildcard spot in the prestigious 2021 Sinquefield Cup.
After a 2 year hiatus, the WV Scholastic Championship returned on April 2 in Clarksburg. 63 players competed in 4 sections (K-12, K-8, K-5, K-3). The winners are:
K-12: Shrihan Malkaram
K-8: John Boylin
K-5: Gagana Sadineni
K-3: Alexandrea VanMeter
Congratulations to the winners. We wish you luck at the national invitational events!
40 players competed in the Harrison County Open and Scholastic on March 5 in Bridgeport. John Roush won the open with a perfect 4-0 and Pushkal Solanki also had a perfect 4-0 in the scholastic section.