The Clarksburg Open has been moved to Bridgeport! The event will be held at the Benedum Civic Center. Entry through the back door only. There will be one section, limited to 24 participants. Bring masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves.
WV Action Championship CANCELLED
The WV Action Championship on May 2 has been cancelled. We are looking at options for hosting the event at a later date.
State Scholastic Tournament Update
WV Governor Justice has strongly urged groups to cancel events that involve large gatherings. He aimed this comment initially at extra-curricular activities and Friday, March 13 closed secondary schools indefinitely. Subsequently the State Superintendent of Schools banned all scholastic extra-curricular activity until at least April 10.
Therefore, I am postponing the 51st WV State Scholastic Chess Championship that was scheduled for March 28 in Bridgeport, WV. Here is the contingency plan:
(1) If able, we will reschedule by May.
(2) If we cannot hold the event, we will consider holding it in conjunction with the Clarksburg Open on June 6.
(3) If that is not possible, we will hold an invitational event with the top-rated players for each section, K-12, K-8, and K-5.
(4) If that is not possible, we will select participants based on rating and number of events participated in this year to determine the invites to the US Chess invitationals (Denker, Barber, Haring, and Rockefeller) in August.
I am sorry for the inconvenience, but the safety and health of our youth chess players is important. Those who have registered will remain registered, if you would like to withdraw and reregister later please email the TD (greerlaw@aol.com) and request your refund of the entry fee.
Bob Greer
Harrison County Open and Scholastic
34 players competed in the 2020 Harrison County Open and Scholastic. Bob Canary won the open with a perfect 4-0 score. Matthew Ellis won the K-12, Sohan Kukkillaya won the K-8, and Gagana Sadineni won the K-5.
USCF Crosstable
2019-2020 Grand Prix Standings
Standings after 3 Events
Events Included: 20th Mountaineer Open, 3rd Concord Southern Open, 2020 Winter Open
1. Robert Canary 37.90
2. Sam Timmons 32.40
3. Joseph Michael Baker 21.25
4. David F Hines 19.75
5. James Reszler 18.00
6. Brian Lucas 16.25
7. John Parks Boylin IV 15.25
8. Markle W Butcher 14.75
9. David Lee Bruner 8.25
10. David M Iorio 7.25
John G Sefton 7.25
12. Michael Felton 6.50
13. Rodney R Adkins 6.00
14. Richard Keith Lilly 4.75
15. Aidan A Rogers 3.50
16. Lawrence Iorio 1.00
20th Mountaineer Open
22 players competed in the open section of the 20th Mountaineer Open tournament. David Hines won the event with a 3.5/4 score.
USCF Crosstable
2020 KVSCL
The 2020 Kanawha Valley Scholastic Chess League will take place on February 15 at John Adams Middle School.
Event Details
Thomas O. Bergquist 1928-2019
It is with sadness that I announce Tom Bergquist, Secretary-Treasurer of the WVCA for 53 years, passed away early last year. Tom was first elected President of the WVCA in 1959. He moved to the Secretary-Treasurer position in 1960, which he held until 2013. Tom was 90 years old.
Tom, fourth from left, at a reunion dinner in 1996.
2020 Winter Open
Robert Canary won the 2020 Winter Open, held in St. Albans, on January 18, 2020. 25 players competed in the 4-round open event.
Bridgeport Library #15
A record crowd was in attendance for the 15th Bridgeport Library tournament on an extremely warm day for January. 28 players competed in the open and under 1000 sections. Ben Good and Robert Canary tied for 1st in the open section with 2.5/3. Connon McCauley won the under 1000 with a perfect 3-0.