The Jingle Bell Open and Scholastic was held on December 6 in Bridgeport. The Open Section was won by Gallagher Kelsch with 3.5/4. The Middle/High School was won by Cole Harris with 4/4. The Elementary was won by Zekun Chen with 4/4.

This entry was posted in Results on December 14, 2025 by wvchess.

14 players competed in the 11th Annual WV Senior Championship, held in Bridgeport. Anatoly Boshkin and Marco Wotschka (OH) tied for first with 4.5/5 points. However, due to a lapse in WVCA membership, the Senior Champion title again goes to James Fuller, who finished with 3.5/5. Jimmy will be offered a spot in the Irwin National Tournament of Senior State Champions in 2026.

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14 players competed in the Thomas Bergquist Memorial 86th WV State Championship, held on September 13-14, 2025 in Huntington. No one escaped unscathed among the small field, and when the dust settled, Lewis Sanders won his third State Championship title.

As the tournament was nearing a close, Gallagher Kelsch and Markle Butcher had already finished their games and had 3.5 points. Lewis was playing Harrison Stone on board one, each having 3 points. A win would mean clear first, and a draw would mean a four-way tie for first. Lewis with the white pieces had been down a pawn most of the game. The players traded down into an opposite color bishop endgame, which are notorious for being drawn and this one was no exception. However, as the time pressure ensued, Harrison slipped and allowed Lewis to push his pawn with discovered check and promote to a queen. Lewis won and became our champion with 4 points out of 5.

Gallagher Kelsch won the Junior Champion title with his second place score of 3.5.
Ed Garner, Vishwadhipa Voore, and Harrison Stone shared the U1900 and U1600 prizes with 3 points.
Vishwadhipa Voore, who started with 3 straight wins, took the upset trophy with his win over Lewis Sanders in round 3.
David Comer and Tina Statts shared the U1300 prize with 2 points each.

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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.

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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.

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

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.

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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.

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Lewis Sanders and Ed Garner are the 2024 WV Senior Champions. They each finished with 3 out of 4 at the WV Senior Championship, held on October 19 in Bridgeport. FM Karl Dehmelt of Pennsylvania took first place overall with 3.5 out of 4. Lewis Sanders will represent WV in the Irvin Tournament of State Senior Champions next year.

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Ed Garner of Pennsboro has won the 2024 Thomas Bergquist Memorial WV State Championship. Ed scored 4 straight wins and a last-round draw with the 2023 champion, John Boylin IV. Ed was previously state champion in 1984, 1986, and 2014. John Boylin finished second, while Charles Adams and Tristan Johnston shared third place. 24 players competed in the event, held September 14-15 in Clarksburg.

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