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

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.

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

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

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.

USCF Crosstable

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.

USCF Crosstable

Benjamin Good won the Clarksburg Open with a score of 3.5/4.

USCF Crosstable

Hardy Gu, fresh off his second place finish at the K-3 National Championship, beat all comers to win the WV Action Championship with a perfect 6-0 score. Lewis Sanders was second at 4.5-1.5.

USCF Crosstable

The WV Scholastic Championship was held March 16, 2024, in Clarksburg. 84 players competed in four sections: K-12, K-8, K-5, and K-3.

The winners were:
K-12 – Tristan Johnston (4/4)
K-8 – Lance Pitrolo (5/5)
K-5 – Hardy Gu (4/4)
K-3 – Julian Schmidt (4/4)

Congratulations to all and we are looking forward to seeing you represent West Virginia in the national events later this year!

Full Standings
USCF Crosstable

The Team portion of the WV Scholastic Chess league is complete. Weberwood Kings took first over Kelsch Budwany on tiebreaks in the K-5 section. The Camden Crusaders dominated the MS/HS section (four of them scored a perfect 6-0!). The USCF crosstable can be found here.

Pictured is the MS/HS winning team, the Camden Crusaders.