16th Mountaineer Open

The 16th Mountaineer Open chess tournament will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2014.

Date:	October 25, 2014
Site:	Morgantown Chess Club, 100 Cobun Ave (Church basement), Morgantown WV 26501
Format:	4-SS G/75;d5
Registration:	9-9:45
Rounds:	10-1-4-7
Half-Point Byes:	Maximum one per player. Half-point bye requests for round 4 must be made before the start of round 3.
Entry Fee:	$35 on-site / $25 postmarked by Oct. 18, 2014
Prizes:	Two sections, $$500 b/28 (proportional payout common to both sections) Open: $120-80 U2000 $60 Reserve: U1800 $90-60 U1600 $50 U1300 $40 In the event of six or less players registering for either section, these will be combined (preserving overall prize fund).
Entries:	Morgantown Chess Club, Terry Wassell, 104 Dustin Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501. (Checks payable to Morgantown Chess Club).
Misc:	If available, a house player may be paired to avoid a bye. No Smoking, Wheel Chair Accessible. USCF membership required (available onsite). Sponsored & Organized by Morgantown Chess Club.

For more information about the tournament, please visit the Morgantown Chess Club website.

15th Mountaineer Open

The 15th Mountaineer Open will be held on October 26, 2013:

Date:	October 26, 2013
Site:	Morgantown Chess Club, 100 Cobun Ave (Church basement), Morgantown WV 26501
Format:	4-SS, G/75 (w/5 second delay)
Registration:	9-9:45 AM
Rounds:	10 AM – 1 PM – 4 PM – 7 PM
Byes:	Maximum one half-point bye per player. Bye requests for round 4 must be made before the start of round 3.
Entry Fee:	$25 postmarked by Oct. 19, $35 at site.
Prizes:	Two sections, $$500 b/28 (proportional payout common to both sections).
Sections:	Open: $120-80, U2000 $60, Reserve (under 1800): $90-60, U1600 $50 U1300 $40. In the event of six or less players registering for either section, these will be combined (preserving overall prize fund).
Entries:	Morgantown Chess Club, Terry Wassell, 104 Dustin Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501. (Checks payable to Morgantown Chess Club).
Email:	morgantownchess@gmail.com
	If available, A HOUSE player may be paired to avoid a bye. No Smoking, Wheel Chair Accessible. USCF membership required (available onsite). Sponsored & Organized by Morgantown Chess Club.

For a list of other upcoming tournaments in Morgantown , please visit the Morgantown Chess Club website.

Morgantown May Day Tournament

The 2011 May Day Tournament will be held on May 7, 2011 at 100 Cobun Ave, Morgantown WV. The format is 4-SS, G/75. Registration starts at 9 AM and rounds start at 10 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM, and 7 PM. The entry fee is $25 postmarked by 4/25 or $35 onsite. An entry form can be found here.

Four members of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club made the journey to Morgantown for the Spring Open to show our support for the Morgantown club, and we all had a great time.

Tournament Update

West Virginia State Championship and State Junior Championship

The 72nd Annual West Virginia State Championship will be held on Labor Day weekend at the Bridgeport Benedum Center, 164 W. Main Street in Bridgeport, WV. The format is a 6-round Swiss System 35/90, SD/60. The entry fee for the tournament is $40 if received by 8/28 or $50 on site. The annual WVCA business meeting will be held at 9 AM before the start of the tournament.

For more information, please visit the tournament page on the WVCA site. An entry form can be found here.

The West Virginia State Junior Championship will also be held in Bridgeport on September 5th at the same site. It is open to all USCF members under the age of 18. The format will be a 4-round Swiss System G/75. The entry fee will be $20 by 8/28 or $30 on site.

For more information, please visit the tournament page on the WVCA site. An entry form can be found here.

12th Mountaineer Open

The 12th Annual Mountaineer Open will be held on October 16, 2010 at the Morgantown Chess Club, 100 Cobun Avenue in Morgantown, WV. The format will be 4-round Swiss System G/75. There will be two sections: Open and Reserve (U1600). The entry fee will be $25 by 10/9 or $35 on-site.

For more information, please visit the tournament page at the Morgantown Chess Club site. An entry form can be found here.

St. Francis Fall Chess Tournament

The 5th Annual St. Francis Fall Chess Tournament will take place at St. Francis of Assisi in St. Albans, WV on October 30, 2010. There will be two themed Scholastic sections and one Open section.

There will be under 600 and 600+ Scholastic sections. Unrated middle or high school players should play in the 600+ section. Pre-registration for Scholastic is $5 or $10 on site. USCF memberships need to be valid through October 31, 2010. The under 600 section is G/30 and the over 600+ section is G/60. All players in the Scholastic section are required to use the Ruy Lopez opening.

The Open section is a WVCA Grand Prix event which will allow the participants to earn points towards the WVCA Grand Prix. In-state players must be members of the WVCA. The entry fees are $20 if paid by October 23, 2010 or $25 on-site. 70% of the registration fees collected will be paid in prizes (40%, 20%, 10%).

An entry form for the tournament can be found here.

Morgantown May Day Tournament

Congratulations to MOVCC member Mike Price on his recent performance at the May Day Tournament in Morgantown, WV. Unleashing his new weapon, the Nimzowitsch Defence, Mike went on to defeat two 1700-rated players to secure a respectable 2.0 score for the day, increasing his rating by 146 points!

Here is a link to the cross-table for the event.

Tournament Update

The Morgantown Chess Club will be holding the 2010 Morgantown Spring Open on March 6, 2010. The 2010 May Day Tournament will be held on May 1, 2010. For more details, visit their website.

Also, the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club will be hosting the 2010 West Virginia Action Championship this year on April 17, 2010 at the Judge Black Annex on Market Street in Parkersburg. The format will be 7SS G/30. The entry fee is $25 by 4/10 or $35 on site. The entry form can be downloaded here. Please send entries to Matt Richardson, 1225 20th St., Parkersburg, WV 26101. Come join us for the fastest seven rounds of the year!

WVU Russian Club Charity Chess Tournament

From David Iorio:

Congratulations to Ben Good who won the 2009 WVU Russian Club Charity Chess Tournament! A modest turnout of eighteen players delivered exciting games at the adopted G/15 time control. These included sudden death between Terry Wassell Sr. (0.5) and Caleb Aites (1.5) and a finely played rook and pawn ending by Dave Bruner, who visited from Elkins, against Lawrence Iorio.

Ben (WV Co-Champion) earned his place at the podium by taking out in succession Bill Austin (Morgantown Champion), Lawrence Iorio, Shih-Houng Young, and myself. Feeling that Ben's 270 rating point advantage was not enough, I (black) uncorked an opening "novelty" in the Vienna sacrificing a knight for pawn and phantom attack. It was a charity chess event! Ben reacted incredulously before calmly accepting the piece. Though the game later proved interesting, Ben's advantage was never in jeopardy as he proceeded to apply pressure on the kingside. White's threat of tripling rooks plus queen on the open f-file translated to a king and pawn ending where black was unable to avoid zugzwang.

The WVU Russian Club graciously hosted and provided a comfortable playing site. It was an excellent opportunity for Phil DiSalvo to promote the WVU Chess Club and the MCC was well-represented with seven participants. This was the tournament's third edition and they intend to keep it as an annual event. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a successful fundraiser for a great cause!

WVU Chess Club

From David Iorio:

Yesterday's 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 a mingling fast food aroma in the background, it was an enjoyable evening of chess. Hats off to Phil DiSalvo for a great start and thanks to the Morgantown Chess Club for lending sets. The club will continue meeting in the food court at 6:00 p.m. on Mondays. Stop by for a game and don't forget about the WVU Russian Club Charity Tournament on November 18. I will deliver to them an entry list on the registration deadline of November 16.

Spring Tournament

The Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club is tentatively planning a Spring Tournament for April 2010. I have recently received my club director certification from the USCF, and I am looking forward to directing a tournament. I will post more information as details are finalized.

Mountaineer Open

Four members of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club made the journey to Morgantown yesterday for the 11th Annual Mountaineer Open. It was a tough tournament, and none of us were very happy with our performances, but Mike Price and Matt Richardson took away the U1400 and U1200 class prizes.

Tournament Update

The 17th Annual Parkersburg Homecoming Chess Tournament will be held on Sunday, August 23rd at the Parkersburg Municipal Building, 2nd & Market Streets, Parkersburg, WV. This will be a four-round Swiss system event with a time control of G/60. There will be both rated and unrated sections. For more information, visit the event page on the WVCA website.

The 71st Annual West Virginia State Chess Championship will be held from Saturday, September 5th through Monday, September 7th at the Benedum Civic Center, 164 W. Main St., Bridgeport, WV. This will be a six-round Swiss system event with a time control of 35/90 SD/60. Quick (G/10) and Blitz (G/5) tournaments will also be held after Round 2 at the Microtel Inn. For more information, visit the event page on the WVCA website.

The Notre Dame High School Fall Chess Tournament will be held on Saturday, September 26th at Notre Dame High Scool in Clarksburg, WV. This will be a four-round Swiss system scholastic event. Time controls for the High School section are G/45 and for the Elementary section are G/30. There is also an Unrated section with no time controls. For more information, visit the event page on the WVSCA website.

The 11th Mountaineer Open is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 10th at the Morgantown Chess Club, 100 Cobun Ave., Morgantown WV. This will be a four-round Swiss system event with a time control of G/75. There will be both Open and Reserve (under 1800) sections. In the event of six or fewer players registering for either section, the sections will be combined. For more information, visit the event page on the Morgantown Chess Club website.