News Ticker Archives

2010

Nov 5	Announcing the MCC 5th Anniversary Quads. The activity calendar is updated. The Past Events page is updated. A new page with Articles & Games has been added. Feel free to send me your comments, suggestions, corrections or impressions here .
Oct 27	See the games of the 12th Mountaineer Open in this game viewer
Oct 17	Congratulations to Tom Magar - winner of the 12th Mountaineer Open. The USCF results are available here. More details to follow. The results of the MCC Club Championship are also posted to the USCF website here.
Oct 8	The deadline for mailing advance entry for the Mountaineer Open is this Saturday Oct 9. Here is the early list of pre-registered players. Announcement for the 2010 Annual General Meeting on Oct. 21 has been posted. The MCC Club Championship is underway with a small field this year, but there are sure to be some interesting games!
July 28	We're getting ready for the October 16 12th Mountaineer Open. The USCF has determined that this tournament qualifies as a Chess Magnet School Junior Grand Prix event. Mark your calendars for October 16. Junior Grand Prix players - We welcome your participation.
May 10	Congratulations to Kevin Mo winner of the May Day Tournament. The USCF results are available here. Thanks to Bill Austin for being the TD for this event.
April 18	Congratulations to Caleb Aites who is the winner of the WV State Action Championship with an impressive 6.0 score. See all the full results here. Sid Parhi and Simba Nkomo also won cash prizes. Thanks to Matt Richardson for being the TD for this event held in Parkersburg.
April 1	MCC will NOT meet Thursday evening April 1. Starting April 8, MCC will be holding the April Fools IV tournament (3-SS, G/45). See the updated Club Calendar.
Mar 25	MCC will meet this evening. The plan is to have some G/10 competition. We will have an informal unrated tournament with as many games as we can manage. I'll bring a radio to listen to the basketball game.
Mar 16	Schedule change. MCC will meet on March 25, but not on April 1. The church has a scheduled activity April 1. See the games of the Morgantown Spring Open with this game viewer. The list is incomplete and please send any changes, corrections or additions toTerry Wassell.
Mar 11	It's March Madness II. Several members have expressed a desire for shorter time games, so MCC is offering Quick Chess G/29 for March Madness II. It's two rounds on two Thursday nights in March. This does not affect your regular USCF rating, only USCF Quick Chess rating. USCF membership required. UPDATE: the group decided to go with an unrated tournament. Seven players started and played 2 rounds. The tournament will conclude March 18.
Mar 7	The 2010 MCC Spring Open results have been posted to the USCF Website. Check here. Congratulations to Joe Busche with a perfect score of 4.0 took first. Ben Good took second with 3.0. 17 players in all, made for great tournament.
Feb 16	Round 3 pairings for the Deep Freeze tournament are posted. Check Ongoing Events.
Jan 21	Congratulations to Vince and Nelson who both had "wins" in their first rated tournament in the second round of the MCC Deep Freeze tournament. Round 2 updated results are posted. Check Ongoing Events.
Jan 14	After a winter storm delay, the Deep Freeze tournament is off to a great start. Eight players joined and held the first round this week. Welcome to Vince and Nelson who are playing in their first USCF rated tournament. The first round results are posted and there are no upsets so far. Caleb takes his first shot as tournament director.
Jan 7	Tonight's meeting is cancelled due to the winter storm. The Deep Freeze tournament will begin next week - please notify Terry Wassell if you plan to play in this tournament.
Jan 6	Happy New Year ! MCC starts off the year with the fourth annual Deep Freeze tournament. Also, note that the Club Calendar has been updated. News Ticker entries for 2009 have been moved to the News Ticker archives. Feel free to send your comments or corrections to Terry Wassell.

2009

Dec 20	The MCC 4th Anniversary Quads came to an interesting finale with a draw between Shih-Houng and Terry. Sid won first place and gained 17 rating points, despite losing in the final round to Caleb. Caleb and Terry tied for second place. Complete results can be viewed on the USCF crosstable.
Nov 25	Some of the games from the 2009 MCC Championship have been posted to this website. You can see 15 of the 17 games here game viewer. Anyone who wants to include comments and annotate their game is welcome to contact Terry Wassell.
Nov 19	Congratulations to Ben Good on winning the 2009 WVU Russian Club Charity Tournament! Check out MCC's tournament summary and a nice article of the event by the Daily Athenaeum, WVU's student newspaper. Thanks to everyone who helped make this fundraiser a success!
Nov 10	The inaugural meeting of the WVU Chess Club was a resounding success! Fifteen players advanced pieces across the checkered tables amidst the bustle of the Mountainlair. With a handful of onlookers and mingling fast food aromas in the background, it was an enjoyable evening of chess. Hats off to Phil DiSalvo for a great start. Join the fun Mondays at 6:00 p.m.!
Nov 8	With a proud tradition, the West Virginia University Chess Club relaunches Monday, November 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Mountainlair food court. All are welcome to participate. Experienced or novice, stop by for a game around the 64 squares! Contact Phil DiSalvo at wvuchess@gmail.com to learn more! Take a look back at the 1986 Mountaineer Open hosted by the WVU Chess Club.
Nov 6	Congratulations to Bill Austin for winning the MCC Club Championship with a 3.5 score. Shih-Houng Young took second with a 3.0 score. Next week starts the Anniversary Quads.
Nov 4	The WVU Russian Club announces a charity chess tournament on November 18 to benefit orphanages in St. Petersburg and Siberia. We hope you will consider supporting a worthy cause and help repeat last year's success!
Nov 1	Congratulations to Terry S. Wassell for a perfect score in the 2009 PA State Championship Reserve (U1700) this weekend. Awesome performance: 5 wins in 5 games.
Oct 29	Round 4 pairings are up for the MCC Club Championship scheduled for November 5. Results have been updated.
Oct 22	See the minutes of the Annual General Meeting, October 15, 2009. Congratulation to the new Officers. Caleb Aites was elected Vice-President. Dave Iorio was elected Treasurer and Bill Austin was elected Member-At-Large.
Oct 20	Congratulations to NM Tom Magar of Pittsburgh who won clear first in the 2009 Mountaineer Open with 3.5 points. Dave Iorio took second with 3.0. Martin Montero Kuscevic, Shih-Houng Young and Markle Butcher turned in strong performances of 2.5 points each with Messrs Young and Butcher splitting the U2000 and U1800 class prizes. David Donohoe defeated John Sefton in round 4 to pull equal with the Kentuckian and share first in the Reserve section (U1600) at 3.0 points apiece. Mike Price (2.0) and Matt Richardson (1.5) garnered U1400 and U1200 honors, respectively. Complete results can be viewed on the USCF crosstable. Eighteen players battled fiercely in the 11th Mountaineer Open, oblivious to the overcast weather which grounded Morgantown's hot air balloon festival. MCC would like to thank all participants for creating a competitive and enjoyable atmosphere. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon!
Oct 6	Here is a list of pre-registrants for this Saturday's Mountaineer Open. Join the fun, register on-site starting 9 AM Saturday. If you are planning to play, please send a courtesy email to the TD to let him know your plans (so he can work on the pairing software in advance). We're looking forward to a great tournament. Thanks.
Oct 1	Announcing the 2009 MCC Annual General Meeting . Be sure to attend on Oct. 15 for this important Club Meeting including election of a new Vice-President, Treasurer and Member-at-Large. Send agenda items to the secretary.
Sept 11	Results of the first round and second round pairings are up for the MCC Club Championship. No upsets to report so far.
Sept 9	MCC was well represented at the 71st WV State Championship tournament over the Labor Day weekend. Mike Baker (3.0), Mike Felton (4.0), Dave Iorio (3.0), Sid Parhi (4.5), Terry S. Wassell (4.5), J. T. Wassell (2.0) and Shih-Houng Young (3.0) all played. Check out the complete results at the USCF crosstable. John Roush (5.0) and Ben Good (5.0) shared the top spot. Congratulations to Terry and Sid for their fine performances.
Aug 29	Who will be the next champion of the Morgantown Chess Club? Starting this Thursday, the MCC Club Championship Tournament will determine the answer. Join up for our G/90 USCF rated tournament - $5 entry fee. All Thursday evenings - Sept. 3, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, and Oct. 15. Alternate playing dates: Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Oct. 22. Full details here: MCC Club Championship.
Aug 14	The Final Results of the Grand Prix are now available. Check out the final results Summer Grand Prix. Fourteen people participated and that includes 4 new members.
Aug 10	Congratulations to Sid Parhi who scored an impressive 3 points out of 6 in the 2009 Denker Tournament of High School Champions! This ties for the best performance by a West Virginia player since the Denker's origin in 1984 (as far as we know about, anyway). Jason Young managed the feat twice -- in 2005 and 2006! Check out the Denker crosstable where Sid registered three upsets against Class A/Expert players. He is entering his Sophomore year at University High School and has a bright future ahead! Way to step up and make yourself and West Virginia proud, Sid!!
Aug 7	The third round of the Grand Prix was a lot of fun. Check out the latest results Ongoing Events. Welcome to 3 new players!
July 30	The MCC hit the road and traveled to Bridgeport for a team match. Check out the photo slide show and all the details: MCC vs. Harrison County CC. Thanks to Dave Iorio for organizing this event and for the write-up.
July 23	The Summer Grand Prix is going great. Check out the latest results Ongoing Events. Dave Iorio leads with 26 points. On Aug. 6 we will try the King's Gambit accepted. Everybody is invited to join in the fun in this unrated event. Just show up and play chess!
July 18	We are the champions! The Morgantown Chess Club is the proud winner of the First Place Team trophy from the Pennsylvania Action Championship with team score of 10.5 points. MCC was represented by Shih-Houng Young (3.0), Sid Parhi (3.0), Terry S. Wassell (2.5) and J. Terry Wassell (2.0).
July 3	Congratulation to Steve Malutich who is the clear winner in the MCC Almost Summer IV tournament and gained 128 rating points. What a great return to OTB chess! Caleb Aites placed second and gained 59 rating points. The Summer Grand Prix event is off to a great start with the Benko gambit. Nine players had a 4 round tournament and Shih-Houng is in the lead. Click the link to see the results of the first part. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join the next event - featuring the Grunfeld defense on July 23. The 11th Mountaineer Open date has been confirmed for October 10. Please tell your friends and plan to participate.
June 23	The Club Calendar has been updated through September.  We are having our unrated Grand Prix event - 4 Thursday evenings of short G/20 4 rounds SS thematic tournaments - on your favorite openings! Information on the 11th Mountaineer Open has been added.  Also note that September brings our Club Championship.  If you're not a member, join our club - play interesting chess and learn more, improve your game.
May 28	The MCC Library Books list has been added. John Roush has Generously Donated more than 300 chess books from his personal library to the Morgantown Chess Club!! It's an incredible collection with coverage of just about every topic by many leading chess authors! Contact Dave Iorio to arrange to borrow a book.
May 16	The Almost Summer IV tournament is off to a good start with 6 players. Check out the results as the tournament progresses (click on the above link or on the Ongoing Events link).
May 13	The MCC announces the Almost Summer IV (click here). We have 6 people interested in playing so far. Join the "Almost" Summertime fun. The Club Calendar is updated to show new dates for the Almost Summer IV tournament. The April Fools tournament page has been updated and includes the crosstable and final results.
May 5	Looking for the results of the Morgantown May Day tournament? Take a look HERE.
April 28	Who has pre-registered for the Morgantown May Day tournament? Take a look at the pre-registration list HERE. This is list is constantly updated - there are 21 players pre-registered as of Monday evening.
April 19	What was the Morgantown May Day tournament like last year? Check out the slide show Photo Slide Show. Check out the Crosstable at USCF website.
April 19	The WV Action Championship results have been posted to the USCF website. Congratulations to Adonis Turner, 1st place winner. Ben Good sucessfully defended his title as WV Action Champion. Caleb Aites takes the #1 WV Junior trophy. More details and pictures forthcoming.
April 7	The April Fools tournament page (or the Ongoing Events page) has been updated and includes the crosstable and pairings for all rounds. Check the page if you're wondering who's winning and who you will play next.
April 7	See the Pre-registration List for the 2009 WV Action Championship. Be sure to send your entry fee this week. Postmark by Saturday April 11 for the early registration discount.
April 1	The April Fools tournament starts this week.
March 29	Check out the slide show from the 2008 WV Action Championship. Photo Slide Show. Also note that the Past Events page has been updated to include all MCC tournaments to date.
March 25	Club Calendar has been updated for April to June 2009. Please note that club will not meet on Apr 9 but will meet on Apr 30.
March 8	The results of the 3rd Morgantown Spring Open have been submitted to the USCF and all the results may be seen here: Results 3rd Morgantown Spring Open Congratulations to Joe Elsleger who earned a score of 3.5 to take first place. Six people scored 3.0. Congrats to Sid Parhi who gained 97 rating points. A total of 27 players competed and had a great time. As your TD, I want to express my appreciation to everybody who played and demonstrated great sportmanship throughout. The level of competition is astounding to me, we really have something special happening with chess in Morgantown.
Feb 28	Next Saturday is the 3rd Morgantown Spring Open We have 21 players pre-registered. Just show up next Saturday morning and pay on-site to play. The prize fund is $400/b20 and there is also a scholastic prize. The competition will be good.
Jan 19	2009 MCC Deep Freeze III has gotten off to a good start. This year, with 4 players, the tournament is a single Quad, where everybody plays everybody. It's the high rated (Martin Montero and Shih-Houng Young) vs. the up-and-coming (Caleb Aites and Terry S. Wassell). Round 1 ended with wins by Martin Montero and Shih-Houng Young. Regular rounds: Jan 22, Feb 12. Alternate play date: Feb. 5 & 19 Prizes: Section winners receive free entry for upcoming April Fool’s tournament. Please remember to pay club dues. note: last years newsticker items have been moved to the archives. Notices for upcoming tournaments have been added.

2008

Dec 19	2009 MCC Deep Freeze III, Format: 3-round Swiss or Quads by rating depending on the number of players. G/90. Schedule: All rounds start at 7:30pm Regular rounds: Jan 8, Jan 22, Feb 12. Alternate play date: Jan. 15, Feb. 5 & 19 Entry Fee: $5 ($10 for non-members of MCC). USCF membership required. MCC Club membership recommended: $20 regular, $10 junior/student (< 19), $10 Seniors (> 65) Prizes: Section winners receive free entry for upcoming April Fool’s tournament. There still time to join Deep Freeze, please send e-mail to Terry.
Dec 10	Club calendar has been updated for Dec 2008 to March 2009. If you want to join Deep Freeze, please send e-mail to Terry or come to club to sign up.
Oct 27	Club calendar has been updated for Oct to Dec 2008. If you want to join MCC 3rd Anniversary Quads, please send e-mail to Terry or come to club to sign up on Nov 6.
Oct 22	16 players have pre-registered for this year's 10th Mountaineer Open.OPEN 1. Griffith, Donald W 2034; 2. Hines, David F 1963; 3. Young, Shih-Houng 1920; 4. Davis, Paul W 1824; 5. Waruszewski, Bob C 1756; 6. Felton, Michael B 1714; 7. Baker, Joseph Mich 1614; 8. Wassell, Terry S 1539; 9. Aites, Caleb I 1536; RESERVE 1. Wassell, James T 1199; 2. Sun, Yipeng 1113; 3. Vater, Carl A 1101; 4. Dommalapati, Abhin 839; 5. Maher, Kathleen S 753; 6. Davis II, Thomas J.; 7. Sherbondy, Martin .
Oct 17	The MCC Annual General Meeting was held Oct. 16, 2008. Elections were held and MCC welcomes the new president Terry Wassell and Secretary Shih-Houng Young for 2008-2010. Caleb Aites was re-elected as Member-at-large for 2008-2009. Mike Baker will be assistant TD for organizing tournaments. If you have any suggestions, please contact any of the board members. MCC looks forward to another chess madness year. After the 10th Mountaineer Open on Oct. 25, we plan to have the Anniversary Quads Tournament. We are also planning lots of activity for next year (the Deep Freeze Tournament, The April Fool's Tournament, The Spring Open, The May Day Tournament and more). Check this site often for updates and info and support the Morgantown Chess Club. Play Chess or be square! .
Oct 2	Call for the 2008 Morgantown Chess Club Annual General Meeting, The MCC Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held two weeks from the date of this announcement on Oct. 16, 2008 The meeting will begin promptly at 7:30 PM at the regular meeting place in the basement of the First Christian Church, 100 Cobun Ave, Morgantown, WV. In accordance with the MCC Constitution, the AGM agenda will include, but is not limited to, the following items: (i) Minutes of previous General Meeting, (ii) President's Report, (iii) Treasurer's Report, (iv) Election of Club Officers (see Article 9), and (v) Determination of next year’s Membership fee. Notice of Motions for changes and/or amendments to the MCC Constitution must be submitted to the Secretary (Terry Wassell, k3jt@westco.net) one week prior to the General Meeting (see Club Constitution Article 11.2). Club Officers are elected for two-year terms at the Annual General Meeting. The elections for President and Secretary will be held at this meeting. Any member in good standing may nominate eligible candidates for open Board positions. Nominations may be submitted in advance by email to the Secretary or nominations made from the floor of the meeting on Oct. 16. Please see the MCC Constitution for other information related to the AGM, agenda, elections or other procedures. .
Augest 25	2008 Morgantown Chess Club Championship, Format: 4-rounds Swiss (one section), G/90 Schedule: All rounds start at 7:30pm, Thursday evenings. Regular rounds: All Thursday evenings - September 4, September 18, October 2, and October 16. Alternate playing dates: September 11, October 9, October 23 Registration: Onsite September 4, 6:45-7:20pm. USCF membership required. MCC membership required: Half-year memberships available after Aug. 31: Regular $10, Junior (19 & under) / Student $5, Senior (65 & over) $5. Beginners and all playing levels welcome. Entry Fee: $5 - Five Dollars. Entries: Morgantown Chess Club, c/o Terry Wassell, 104 Dustin Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501-2332. (Checks payable to Morgantown Chess Club). Info: Email: k3jt@westco.net, http://morgantownchess.org Misc.: No Smoking, No Computers, Wheel Chair Accessible. USCF membership required (available onsite). Sponsored & Organized by Morgantown Chess Club. Prizes: Winner receives a free MCC membership for 2009.
Augest 11	Club calendar has been updated for October. Email Terry to register for the 2008 Mountaineer Open.
June 23	Club calendar has been updated for July to September. If you want to join Summer Grand Prix, please send e-mail to Jason or come to club to sign up.
June 23	MCC's member performed very well in 2008 PA State Game/45 Championship. Shih-Houng won the U2000 prize, Caleb won the U1800 prize, they both have 3-1. Caleb is representing WV for this year's Denker tournament in TX.
May 12	It's almost summer and it's almost time for the MCC's 3rd Almost Summer Tournament. Format: 4-round Swiss, G/90 Schedule: All rounds start at 7:30pm Regular rounds: May-15, May-22, June-12 and June-19. Alternate playing dates: June-5 and July-3 Registration: Email Terry Wassell,( k3jt@westco.net ) in advance. Pay entry fee onsite May 15th, 6:45-7:15pm. USCF membership required. Entry Fee: $2 for MCC members, $5 for non-members If you have not done so, please renew your MCC membership. Regular is $20.00 -- $10.00 Junior (19 & under)/Student and Senior (65 & over). Prizes: Free 2009 club membership to winner, Book prize for biggest rating gain.
May 6	The results of the May 3, 2008 tournament have been posted to the USCF website. The MCC was pleased to host 29 players from 5 states. Congratulations to Tom Magar, who won 1st Place in the open. John Roush (WV state champion) and Alan Kobernat (visiting from California) tied for 2nd place in the Open. In the reserve section, the St. Vincent Chess Club made quite a showing. Michael Rumpf took 1st, with a score of 4.0 and gained 85 rating points. Carl Vater and Nathan Hoxie (both from St. Vincent), along Gilbert Stone shared a 3-way tie for the U1300 prize. 2nd place in the reserve went to Kent Weber, who gained 54 rating points with 3 hard fought wins. Caleb Phillips, a talented scholastic player from Charleston won the U1100 prize - watch for him in the Scholastic Championship. Thanks to everyone who participated and made this a very competitive tournament. Watch for the next big tournament announcement from the MCC -- the 10th Mountaineer Open in October.
April 14	We're into round 2 of the April Fools Tournament, no foolin'. Click here for results.
April 14	Several of our younger members played in the state championships earlier this month. Caleb Aites came in second in his class. Say congrats to all of the participants!
April 29	Thanks to all 14 players who participated in the Action Championship. Congratulations to Ben Good who won the WV Action Championship Trophy and Plaque and to Tom Magar from PA who shared top place with a 5.5 score. The top U1600 award went to Casey Western who played in his first rated tournament ever! It was an action packed 7 rounds of G/30 chess. The results (with new ratings) are posted on the USCF website.
March 29	Celebrate spring with the May Day tournament coming May 3. Click here for more information.
March 29	It's time to get geared up for the 2008 Action Championship. Join the action April 12. Click here for more information.
March 25	In honor of WVU basketball team playing in NCAA basketball championship game on March 27, MCC March Madness will be postponed to April. The new April Fools tournament will be on April 3 and 10. Anyone interested in join, please send Terry an e-mail or show up in the club night to enter. This will be a good practice for WV Action tournament on April 12.
March 24	The details of WV Action tournament has been posted on the up-coming tournament events.
January 18	The club is deep in the middle of Deep Freeze II. Check out the standings for the first tournament of the season.
January 18	Shih-Houng Young writes: Jens is leaving us in February 2008, returning to Denmark. We will have a pot luck party in his honor on Jan 24, 2008 in the usual club meeting place. If you can not bring food, please donate $5 for share the cost for cups, napkins, and drinks. Jens is giving a simul with 20 players after dinner. He said that he is not giving away any point this time. You can even team up against him if necessary. So come to beat him up one last time!
January 17	Adjustments to the club calendar for the first quarter of 2008. The Deep Freeze tournament will be reduced to a 3-round Swiss. A list of registered players is forthcoming!

2007

December 19	The club calendar was updated for the first quarter of 2008. Join us this week for a chess book auction and Santa Chess. Shih-Houng Young and Mike Baker wins the two Anniversary Quad sections.
December 2	After gathering just three board points in three lost matches, the MCC team in the Pittsburgh Chess League finally had some luck and won a 3-1 match against the top-seeded Phalanx team, which did not use their top players.
November 30	Round Two results from the Second Anniversary Quads now available
November 15	The Second Anniversary Quads is now under way. Take a look at the pairings and first round results!
October 29	26 players gathered for the 9th Mountaineer Open. Alexander Heimann coasted to victory in the Open section, while Juan Ayala and Jay Mankey shared first place in the Reserve section. Check out results at the USCF webpages.
October 20	We currently have 13 advance entries for the Mountaineer Open next weekend.
October 16	Our team in the Pittsburgh Chess League suffered a 0.5-3.5 loss against the CMU Tartans on sunday. Dave Hines scored the lone draw on board two.
October 12	Jens Madsen defended his club title, while the 2006 co-champ Shih-Houng Young came second. Caleb Aites takes unshared third place and continues to impress! See the tournament results.
October 10	Check out the tournament calendar for a couple of November tournaments organized in Paden City by Jeff Hohn. The Dominion Post covered the State Championship in a series of articles that are now available here: 1, 2a, 2b, 3.
October 5	Pairings ready for next week's final round of the Club Championship. Also, check out the call and agenda for the Annual Genreral Meeting on October 18th.
September 24	Invitation for the 9th Mountaineer Open on October-27 was posted.
September 21	In the PCL, our team suffered a tolerable 1.5-2.5 defeat at the hands of the defending champs from Rocky's Rooks. Mike Felton (win) and Jeff Hohn (draw) scored the points. In the club championship tournament, Jens Madsen has secured at least a share of the title with one round to go.
September 13	Third round pairings for the 2007 Club Championship were posted. Round is scheduled for next week. This weekend, the Morgantown CC begins its second season in the Pittsburgh Chess League. We expect to be seeded into the top division once more, and will try to improve our 7th place finish from last year.
September 7	Second round results from Club Championship available. There is one postponed game, and new pairings will not be posted until that has been played next week.
September 2	With two rounds left in the State Championship, Ben Good leads with 3.5 points. He is chased by six players at 3 points: David Hines, Tom Magar, John Roush, Shih-Houng Young, Jens Madsen, and Donald Griffith.
September 1	After Day One of the State Championships, four players share the lead with maximum 2 points: Tom Magar, Jens Madsen, Don Griffith, and Ben Good. Check out results and pairings for Round 3 tomorrow afternoon. 27 players are participating.
August 29	Special thanks to local Artist and Designer Justin Jenkins for sponsoring a Special Prize for the Winner of the upcoming State Championship. Read all about it here.
August 28	First round results and second round pairings from Club Championship were posted. There are 17 current advance entries for the WV State Championship. Projected total participation of approximately 25.
August 17	Next thursday, the second MCC Club Championship tournament starts. Check out advance entries here. The defending co-champions Shih-Houng Young and Jens Madsen are both ready to defend their title.
August 11	In three weeks the West Virginia State Championship is hosted by Morgantown Chess Club. Check the current list of entries and send in your advance entry now!
August 10	Shih-Houng Young wins the 2007 Summer Grand Prix cycle after solid performances in all four events. Shih-Houng did not win a single event, but never finished outside of the top-4 places. A total of 24 players participated, which was more than twice as many as in 2006. The member list was updated. With 26 current members, the club is appraoching its growth goal of reaching 30 members by the end of this year.
August 8	After a quiet vacation period, we are back with periodic updates to the website. First, two more installments of the Summer Grand Prix cycle were played. The second GP tournament was won by Craig Lewis, a visitor from New Mexico, while the third installment saw Jason Young and Jimmy Yuan tied for first. Check out the crosstables and GP standings. The final GP tournament is played tomorrow - notice GP points are doubled for this event. A handful of players are still in the race for the overall Grand Prix win.
July 15	A team of players from Morgantown Chess Club took second in the PA State Action Championship. Check out individual results here.
July 13	The Summer Grand Prix kicked off with a blast as 18 players competed in the first event. Jason Young won and leads the overall GP standings. The second GP tournament is played next thursday.
July 10	The 2007 Summer Grand Prix cycle starts this week. Follow the link for an introduction to the rules and point system of the Summer Grand Prix. The cycle is made up of four thematic tournaments in July and August.
July 6	The club calendar for the remainder of 2007 has been posted.
May 24	Some results from Almost Summer Round 2 available. All postponed games are scheduled for June-7. GM Alexander Shabalov, who lives in Pittsburgh, is the new U.S. champion. Congratulations!
May 23	Second round pairings for Almost Summer II tournament.
May 22	The Almost Summer II wallchart has been posted. There is an odd number of particpants, so we are looking for an extra player. Second round pairings will be posted tomorrow (wednesday).
May 17	This evening, the Almost Summer II tournament starts. There are 10 advance entries (follow link), but a few extra people probably will show up.
May 11	Sign up for the Almost Summer II tournament that kicks off next thursday.
May 7	Dave Hines won the May Day tournament with a perfect 4-0 score. Six players followed with a 3-1 score: Tom Magar, Jens Madsen, Joe Busche, Ben Good, Joe Elsleger, and Mike Felton. Without having done the stats, it was my impression that this was our strongest event organized so far. Check out the results.
May 4	There are 19 advance entries for the May Day tournament. Walk-in registrations are accepted from 9 to 9:45am saturday morning. Jens Madsen defended his MCC Blitz Championship with Mike Felton as the runner-up. Available for download: PGN file containing games from the 2nd Morgantown Spring Open.
May 3	We had 35 participants in our scholastic tournament this weekend. Winners were Irina Crihalmeanu (K-5) and Jim Eakins (6-12). The wallcharts will be posted soon.
April 24	This saturday, Morgantown CC organizes a scholastic chess tournament open to grades K-12. See the detailed announcement here.
April 20	A record 15 players participated in the April Fools tournament, which was won by Jens Madsen with the maximum score of 4 points. Second place was shared between Caleb Aites and Shih-Houng Young. Caleb (rated 1370) showed lots of potential by beating two Class A players. However, the prize for the biggest upset went to Srikanth Raghavan (for his win against John W. Malutich).
April 13	Many big upsets and lots of intense games as the April Fools' tournament kicked off yesterday. Check out the wallchart including pairings for the third round.
April 9	A dozen advance entries so far for the April Fools' tournament, which is played over the two next thursdays.
April 4	The advance registration for the 2007 May Day tournament is opened. We hope to gather our biggest, strongest playing field yet for this event.
April 2	A Morgantown CC team visited Cumberland (MD) on friday to play a six-board match over two games. After losing the first round by a narrow margin (3.5-2.5), we were pulverized in the second round (6-0). The Morgantown points were scored by Srikanth Raghavan, Jens Madsen, and Shih-Houng Young (draw). A return-match is planned for later this year.
March 30	The recently formed Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club invites for an open tournament on June 2nd in Parkersburg. West Virginia tournament activity is definitely on the rise. A couple of postponements: Minutes from 2006 General meeting and January board meeting are now available at the Club Administration page.
March 26	Saturday April 28th, Morgantown Chess Club (in collaboration with the Morgantown Fun Factory) are hosting a scholastic chess tournament at the Mountaineer Mall on Greenbag Road. The tournament is open to all players in grades K-12. Please help us spread the word by means of this tournament flyer.
March 23	Sign up for our next thursday night tournament: The April Fools played in mid-April.
March 20	Memberlist has been updated. Also, check the West Virginia Top-50 list.
March 19	Congratulations to Arpan Prabhu, who wins the Middle School section of the 2007 State Scholastic Championship. Under Articles & Games (left menubar), you can find the tournament report on the 8th Mountaineer Open, which appeared in the latest issue of the WVCA Buleltin (better late than never).
March 16	Deep Freeze tournament finished and rated. Congratulation to the group winners: Shih-Houng Young, Jeff Reynolds, and Musat Crihalmeanu. The next thursday night tournament is the April Fools (4-rd Swiss, G/45) played on April-12 and April-19.
March 13	Several updates to the calendar of upcoming events.
March 12	Corrected some errors in the Morgantown Spring Open crosstable and added new USCF ratings.
March 11	Morgantown Spring Open had a good turnout with 26 players. Outright winner with maximum points was Joe Busche. See the crosstable.
March 9	Morgantown Spring Open has 21 advance entries. Walk-in registrations are accepted from 9 to 9:45am saturday morning. Also, updated results from Deep Freeze tournament.
March 2	Deep Freeze results update, Crihalmeanu, Musat- Webb, Theodore 1-0.
March 1	MCC members' March rating has been updated.
February 26	Morgantown CC ties Pitt II in the Pittsburgh Chess League and occupies shared 5th/6th rank before final round (March 25).
February 23	Second round results from Deep Freeze tournament available.
February 17	The Club Calendar has been updated and now includes activities until June.
February 14	SNOW CANCELLATION - No Chess Club tomorrow. We will be open next week instead. Please check the club calendar.
February 13	Advance registration for the 2nd Morgantown Spring Open is opened. Download the registration form here. Also check the updated list of upcoming events.
February 2	Wallcharts and first round results from Deep Freeze Quads. Games from 8th Mountaineer Open, which took place in October, are available for download.
January 30	The player count for the Deep Freeze tournament currently stands at 12.
January 29	Morgantown CC tied Washington CC in the fifth round of the Pittsburgh Chess League. Dave Hines scored our only win in the 2-2 match.
January 26	Next thursday, the appropriately named Deep Freeze tournament starts. Check out the list of registered players.
January 15	Mark your calendars! MCC proudly presents the following two spring events: The 2nd Morgantown Spring Open and the 2007 May Day tournament.
January 10	Be aware that there has been some near-term changes made to the club calendar. In particular, the start of our next thusday tournament - The Deep Freeze - has been moved back to February 1
January 2	The Morgantown Scholastic Championship was mentioned in the Dominion Post last week. View the article by following the link.

2006

December 29	The Morgantown Scholastic Chess Championship took place yesterday with 20 young participants. We had two sections: in the rated Championship section, Caleb Aites from East Fairmont HS made his tournament debut with a perfect 4-0 score, with our very own Sid parhi as the runner-up. Irina Crihalmeanu won the unrated Premier section, giving up a single draw in five rounds. Congratulations to the winners! We hope to organize another scholastic tournament in April or May. More on this later.
December 22	Anniversary Quad tables were updated with new USCF ratings. Remarkable rating gains by Jeff Reynolds (+137), Xiaowen Wu (+78), and Mike Felton (+43).
December 18	The club calendar has been updated with our schedule until April.
December 15	Morgantown CC are proud to organize the 2006 Morgantown Scholastic Chess Championship on December 28th. This is the second year that we organize a scholastic event over the holiday break.
December 14	Apart from one postponed game, the Anniversary Quads finished yesterday. Congratulations to the three section winners: Jens Madsen, Jeff Reynolds, and Xiaowen Wu.
December 5	The wall-charts for the Anniversary Quads were updated.
November 28	Notice that this month MCC has shifted around its week off, so that there is a regular club meeting on November 30.
November 17	Results from second round of Anniversary Quads were posted. Postponed games are played on November 30th. The memberlist was updated with new members and official USCF ratings from the December list.
November 10	The First Anniversary Quads started yesterday with three full Quad sections. There were lots of fierce games, and the only draw of the night came about when only kings were left on the board. Let us hope this fighting spirit prevails when we continue with Round Two next week. By following the link above you can see the wallchart.
November 7	There are currently 11 players signed up for the Anniversary Quads that start this thursday. The final sections will not be known until a few minutes before start of Round One (7:30pm). At this time, we will be drawing lots to determine round pairings.
November 6	Yesterday, our team in the Pittsburgh Chess League was swiped 0-4 by the top-seeded team Pitt I. The defeat was fully deserved, although it always takes a little bad luck to loose by this much .....
November 3	Around one dozen members attended the November chess lecture. Next week, the First Anniversary Quads start. You can sign up to play in either a rated or an unrated section.
October 23	The 8th Mountaineer Open had a modest turnout of 17. The winners were Tom Magar with 3.5/4 in the Open section, and Jay Mankey with 4/4 in the Reserve section. Wallcharts with new ratings have been posted.
October 20	If you missed out on yesterday's Annual General Meeting, you can read the President's Report here. Also check out the "new" composition of the Club Board.
October 17	Last game of the Club Championship tournament was played. Shih-Houng won and ended up with 4-1 in shared first with Jens Madsen. Congratulations to both on sharing our first club championship. Prizes will be handed out during the Annual General Meeting on thursday.
October 13	The Club Championship tournament is (almost) done. Results from the final round were posted. Jens Madsen leads with 4/5, but Shih-Houng Young can become co-champion by winning his remaining game with Martin Harper.
October 11	The agenda for our Annual General Meeting on October 19 has been posted.
October 8	The second round in the Pittsburgh Chess League once more confirmed that we can compete even against the very best! This time we played against the second-seeds (Rocky's Rooks) and in spite of a 200 point rating deficit on all boards, only lost by the slimmest margin 1½-2½. The Morgantown points were scored by our two mercenaries: Dave Hines from Ridgeley (win on top board!) and Mike Baker from Clarksburg (draw).
October 7	Pairings for the fifth and last round of the Club Championship were posted. This round is played on thursday, October 12.
October 6	Fourth round results from Club Championship tournament available.
October 2	Pictures and board results from the match last week in Washington.
September 29	For the second time this year, we played and lost a team match (two games, nine boards) against the Washington CC. The match score was 11-7. More information to follow!
September 28	Top encounter in the fourth round of Club Championship tournament was played ahead. Many additions to tournament calendar. Picture gallery from May Day tournament uploaded.
September 26	The frontpage has been spiced up using a selection of pictures taken at MCC. Every time you enter our page you will get a new picture chosen at random. I guess the webmaster got bored....
September 22	Complete results and fourth-round pairings for the Club Championship available
September 20	Moving Day! Almost one year after going online, our web pages have found a more permanent home at the address morgantownchess.org
September 18	Morgantown CC made a succesful debut in Division I of the Pittsburgh Chess League with a 3-1 win over the third-seeded team Triple Threat.
September 15	We had a good turnout in spite of the football game at Mountaineer Field. A few third Round results of the Club Championship are available. Remaining games from this round are played next week.
September 5	At the annual business meeting of the West Virginia Chess Association, Morgantown was selected as the playing site for the 2007 State Championships. The state tournament was last played here 20 years ago in 1987. We hope that many new and old faces will join us over Labor Day weekend next year. The 2006 state champion is Donald Grifftith from Charleston, who scored 5 from 6 (two draws). Second place went to Jens Madsen from Morgantown with a score of 4.5 (three draws). It was Donald's twelfth title - congratulations from here! You can see event crosstables and photos at the WVCA website.
August 25	Lots of exciting games in the second round of our Club Championship tournament. Results and pairings for Round Three have been posted.
August 23	The club championship wallchart and pairings for Round 2 are available here
August 22	Various updates. The member list was brought up-to-date with the latest official ratings. Also, the activity calendar was extended for the remainder of this year.
August 15	Posted invitation for 8th Mountaineer Open, which we are hosting on October 21st. Many other additions under Upcoming Events.
August 14	Denker Watch: Jason Young is playing in the Denker tournament of High School Champions, which takes place in Chicago. His final score was 3 out of 6 (two wins, two losses, and two draws). Round summaries and games for download.
August 7	Invitation to our first Club Championship tournament. First round played August 17.
August 7	Congratulations to Jason Young, who won our first Summer Grand Prix series convincingly (he won 3 out of 4 tournaments). Grand Prix points were doubled for the fourth event, which caused some drastic changes in the overall overall standings.
July 21	Jason Young gets his second win in the Grand Prix series and now holds the overall lead ahead of Jens Madsen and Sid Parhi.
July 14	As expected, an evening with the swashbuckling Orangutang opening lead to lots of imaginative chess! Jason Young won the second Grand Prix tournament. Halfway through the series, Sid Parhi maintains his overall lead in the Grand Prix standings.
July 7	On a night where Mike Felton discovered that "there are other openings than 1.c4", Jens Madsen had the requisite luck to win the first installment of the Summer Grand Prix. The overall Grand Prix standings are lead by Sid Parhi.
July 6	Tonight the MCC Summer Grand Prix kicks off. This is a series of four thematic tournaments. Also check updated USCF ratings after the Almost Summer tournament.
June 30	Final standings for the Almost Summer tournament. David Iorio wins with maximum score.
June 18	Pairings for the final round of the Almost Summer tournament.
June 11	Major updates to calendars on the website. See club calendar and Upcoming tournaments. Also, the Almost Summer crosstables were updated.
June 2	Third round results from Almost Summer tournament. Next thursday is make-up date for postponed games.
May 24	Third round pairings from Almost Summer tournament. This round is played on June 1.
May 19	Results from second round of Almost Summer tournament. Shih-Houng Young and David Iorio both undefeated so far.
May 17	See the crosstable and round 2 pairings for Almost Summer tournament. Also, May Day tournament rating report can be found here. Look forward to our next event in August.
May 10	The USCF are still not updating their online database with new tournament results, but the May Day tournament has been submitted for rating and should appear online tomorrow. Meanwhile, Ben Good has calculated estimated ratings for the event at the excellent WV Chess Association website.
May 9	Don Griffith and Thomas Magar shared victory in the May Day tournament on May 6th. Winner of the Reserve section was Benjamin Cowley from Bridgeport. The tournament set a new attendance record with 27 players. The tournament has not been rated yet, due to a hardware failure at the USCF offices in Crossville (TN).
May 5	Number of players pre-registered for the Morgantown May Day tournament is 21.
April 24	The Morgantown May Day tournament is approaching fast now, and pre-registrations are beginning to arrive. Check the list of participants here.
April 21	Seven players took part in the Official MCC Blitz Championship. It was an evening with lots of action-packed chess, unsubstantiated sacrifices, and blunders galore. Jens Madsen was the winner with 6/7 after drawing with Jason Young (2nd with 5.5/7) and Jim Eakins (3rd with 4.5/7). Probably the biggest drama of the night was the second-round game Madsen-Eakins. Up queen, rook, and some loose change, Jens desperately tried to mate Jim on the g4-square as the players had "agreed" before the game. The game ended in a stalemate, which occured at the same time that Jens' flag fell. Don't believe those that claim chess is not suited for television!
April 19	We are announcing the Almost Summer tournament, played over four club nights in May and June. Also remember the MCC Official Blitz Championship tomorrow night (April 20).
April 7	Details on the match against Washington CC were posted. We are now taking pre-registrations for the May Day tournament on May 6th.
March 29	In what promises to be the beginning of a nice tradition, MCC proved to be perfect hosts when Washington Chess Club beat us 6-4 in a two-round match over five boards. Pictures and individual scores will be posted later.
March 20	Two members of the Morgantown Chess Club were succesful at the WV State Scholastic Championship in Charleston. Jason Young defended his state championship in the High School section, and Jimmy Yuan won the Elementary School (K-6) section. Congratulations to both!
March 20	Updated member list with new official ratings from the USCF April supplement.
March 17	March Madness was won by Jens Madsen ahead of Shih-Houng Young. Morgantown Chess Club invites for May Day tournament.
March 13	Charleston (WV) will be hosting the US Amateur South tournament over Memorial Day weekend. It is good to see this major National USCF tournament return to the Mountain State. Multiple updates to the club calendar.
March 10	View collection of photos from the Morgantown Spring Open.
March 6	See the third round pairings and crosstable for the ongoing March Madness tournament.
March 5	Sixteen players from three states attended our first saturday tournament, the Morgantown Spring Open. It was a great competition, and Ben Good from Beckley was the last man stading with an impressive winning score of 4/4.
March 1	Busy week at MCC. Tomorrow night first half of the March Madness (a G/45 tournament) is played, and then this saturday we host the Morgantown Spring Open. There is already more than 10 players pre-registered for the latter event.
February 22	Some updates to the tournament calendar.
February 17	Ten players took part in yesterday's simul, which resulted in 13 wins and 4 losses for Jens Madsen. The winners were: Shih-Houng Young (twice!!), Phil Nicoletti, and David Iorio. The page with annotated games from the MCC Inaugural was updated with the game Jason Young-Felton from Round three
February 16	Download the complete collection of games from the MCC Inaugural tournament.
February 8	New tournament announcements! MCC hosts two USCF-rated tournaments in March: March Madness, which is a G/45 tournament held on two thursday evenings, and Morgantown Spring Open, which is 4 rounds of G/75 on March-4.
February 6	This past weekend a team representing Morgantown CC came third overall in the 2006 Western Pennsylvania Open Team Championships. Our team, consisting of Mike Felton, Jason Young, Shih-Houng Young, and Jim Eakins won the U2000 prize.
February 3	Final crosstables and new post-tournament ratings for The Inaugural. Also updates to the January Round Robin.
February 1	Member list is updated with USCF February ratings. Some updates to upcoming tournaments. Also available (under About MCC) are meeting minutes from board meeting in January.
January 27	The club calendar has been updated for the months to come. Also, the file containing all games (rounds 1-3) from The Inaugural has been updated (Download)
January 14	Crosstable for January Round Robin (unrated G/30) is now available. This section continues on thursday 1/19.
January 12	Lots of upsets in the third round of the Inaugural tournament. Shih-Houng Young leads the tournament with maximum 3points before the final round. Results and Round 4 pairings have been uploaded here. The January Round Robin has kicked off with six players. Details to follow shortly!
January 5	PGN file with games from Inaugural tournament was updated to include Round Two games. Download it here

2005

December 30	Annotated game Jens Madsen-Jason Young from the second round of the Inaugural tournament.
December 30	Do you want want to play in a small rated (U1400) or unrated tournament next month? See announcement below (registration closed).
December 30	Yesterday's Scholastic Event had 10 players from 5 local schools. The first tournament was won quite convincingly by Stuart Christie while Tudor Crihalmeanu finished second (both attend Suncrest Middle School). Tudor won the second event after a hair-raising last round game where he was handed a draw by Arpan Prabhu (also Suncrest Mid). Yipeng Sun (University HS) came second after beating out Jonathan Hensel (Suncrest Mid) on tie-breaks. Most importantly we all had fun, so we will definitely do this again later!
December 19	Download Round One games from The Inaugural tournament from the tournament page. Jason Young annotates his win against Martin Harper.
December 16	Results from Round Two and Round Three pairings from the Inaugural tournament are posted.
December 14	Why be bored when school is out? We are organizing a scholastic chess tournament on December 29th. See the invitation here.
December 12	The Inaugural tournament has grown to eight players. Pairings for round two have been posted.
December 9	First round of Inaugural tournament completed. Round two pairings will be posted monday (12/12) evening. We will also post all the games from the tournament.
December 2	The Inaugural tournament started with six players. Check results here. Late registration closes on 12/12 at noon!
November 29	The webpages were offline for more than 24 hours due to a problem with our webhost. In the meantime there are six players signed up for our Inaugural tournament, which looks very strong. Registration closes this Thursday at 7:30pm when Round One begins.
November 22	Added a page on becoming a member of Morgantown Chess Club.
November 18	Morgantown Chess Club was officially founded yesterday. View the new Board members and access the meeting minutes from this page. Now is the time to register for The Inaugural tournament. Finally, under Upcoming Events you may find dates of two more Pittsburgh tournaments in April.
November 11	Founding Meeting agenda and invitation for "The Inaugural" were posted.
November 10	Added directions to club meeting site. Upcoming Events was updated with Pittsburgh CC tournaments in early 2006.
October 24	Tentative activity calendar added.
October 20	Morgantown Chess Club website is launched.

Join us

Club meets Thursday evenings from 7 to 11pm at First Christian Church (basement) in Morgantown (directions). The club is closed the last Thursday of every month.

March 11
2012 Notre Dame Almost Spring

March 23-25
Pittsburgh Open

The WVU Chess Club meets Mondays at 6 PM in the Mountainlair food court.