Ripley Chess Club Meeting

The Ripley Chess Club had their first meeting last night, with a lot of interest from the scholastic chess community. Check out their blog for pictures from the event.

Homecoming Tournament Cross Table

The cross table for the Homecoming Tournament has been posted on the USCF website.

USCF Adult Membership Dues Change

The USCF announced today that the regular adult membership rate will increase from $29 to $34 effective December 1, 2009.

Homecoming Tournament Winners

The 17th Annual Parkersburg Homecoming Chess Tournament was held on Sunday, August 23rd at the Parkersburg Municipal Building. The Tournament consisted of two sections and 40 participants from West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The Homecoming has become the final tune-up for players who will be participating in the WV and OH State Championships, both held on Labor Day Weekend.

The Nationally Rated Section had the following winners:

First Place - Thomas Magar, North Versailles, PA & David Hines, Ridgeley, WV

Both players finished the 4 rounds with 3 wins and 1 draw. Thomas Magar was awarded the Championship Trophy based on tie break formulas.

The following players won prizes for finishing first in their respective rating classes:

Sidhartha Parhi, Morgantown, WV
Terry Wassell, Morgantown, WV
Berty Ruan, Pittsburgh, PA

The Non-Rated Section had the following winners:

First Place - Jeff Johnson, Mineral Wells, WV
Jeff finished the 3 rounds with 3 wins and was awarded the 1st Place Trophy.

Second Place - Connor Hall, Mineral Wells, WV
Connor finished the 3 rounds with 2 wins and was awarded the 2nd Place Trophy

Sponsors of the Chess Tournament:

City of Parkersburg
Emerson Bowling Lanes Trophy Shop
Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club
Panera Bread

Pictures from the event can be found in our photo gallery. Thanks to everyone who helped make this event such a success!

Chess Club Websites

I've added the Ripley Chess Club and Ohio University Chess Club websites to our links. Check them out when you get a chance!

The Newspaper, Chess, and H. G. Wells

The Parkersburg News & Sentinel has printed an article on the upcoming Homecoming Tournament. Check it out for my weak attempt to explain the allure of chess. Perhaps I should have referred the reporter to H. G. Wells' essay on the subject, which begins like so:

The passion for playing chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world. It slaps the theory of natural selection in the face. It is the most absorbing of occupations, the least satisfying of desires, an aimless excrescence upon life. It annihilates a man.

-- H.G. Wells, "Concerning Chess" 1898

The essay ends "And yet I have played many games."

Homecoming Tournament Players

The following players have tentatively scheduled to play in the Parkersburg Homecoming Tournament.

Thomas P. Magar 2200
Benjamin Good 2067
David Hines 1975
Markus Boettcher 1931
Jeff Hohn 1843
Mike Richardson 1785
Dave Rutherford 1774
Ack Morgan 1734
Aaron Richardson 1662
Reggie Best 1655
Terry Wassell 1579
Jordan Whistler 1579/5
James C. Fields 1539
Robert L. Greer 1246
Lunaris Ruan 1223
James T. Wassell 1197
Berty Ruan 1172
Matt Richardson 1167
Victoria Zhang 1042
Hao-Yu Li 979
Charles McCallister 943
Robert V. Greer 717
Brandon Baylor Unr
Jeffrey Fields Unr

Of these players, 18 have already registered. This is shaping up to be one of our best-attended tournaments ever! If you haven't made up your mind about the tournament yet, I would encourage you to come take part in this event.

New Chess Club in Ripley

The Ripley Chess Club will have its first meeting Thursday, August 27, 2009 at the Jackson County Public Library located at 208 North Church Street Ripley, WV from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.

Inquiries should be directed to charles669@hughes.net.

2009 Athens Summer Tournament

The 2009 Athens Summer Tournament was held last Saturday at the Ohio University campus. Congratulations to Markus Boettcher who won the tournament with four victories. It's great to see that chess is alive and well in Athens. I hope that the OU Chess Club and CATTA will continue to promote chess in our region.

An Interesting Position

I just finished watching Waldemar Moes' latest Chess Video Snack. I found the following position from this study very interesting:


What is the best move for White in this position?

If you've never heard of Chess Video Snacks, I recommend that you check out Waldemar's site at chessedelic.com.

CATTA Tournament

Rhe Chess Association for Tactics, Training and Analysis (CATTA) is now an official USCF affiliate and will be holding their first tournament this Saturday at 11 AM. Registration begins at 10 AM. The entry fee is $5. First prize is petty cash, and you must be a USCF member to play.

Weekly Chess Puzzle

Here's a puzzle in a similar vein to last week's. It's White's move. Can White queen either of his pawns, or will Black's strong rook stop him?