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![[MU Chess Club Logo]](muchess.gif)
Anyone is welcome at these events. There is a wide range of skill levels in Columbia, from beginners to chess masters, and it is our goal to meet the needs of all. Membership is open to members of the Columbia community in addition to students, faculty and staff.
Chess Club members (dues: $5/semester) receive a spiffy membership card and may play in club tournaments. To become a member, please contact an officer or the club advisor. Voting members must meet UMC eligibility requirements.
Because the club is a U.S. Chess Federation affiliate club members may purchase individual USCF memberships through the club. Club members should contact Charlie Ward regarding joining the USCF or renewing your membership. A small discount on USCF membership is available to members under age 25 due to the club being a USCF affiliate.
The UMC Chess Club meets every Monday night at 7pm. During the school year the meetings are in the MU Memorial Union, room N208 (second floor, north side), 516 S. Hitt Street, Columbia. Between mid-May and mid-August, and during semester breaks or university holidays when the university meeting rooms are closed, club members meet informally at 7pm on Mondays at Lakota's Coffee, 24 S. Ninth Street in downtown Columbia (on evenings when Lakota's is open).
Speed Chess Tournaments -- Speed chess tournaments are held each month, with the exception of no tournament in December. Time limits are G/5. Each round consists of two games between paired opponents, one as White, one as Black. Normally 5 rounds are played.
Here are the winners in the monthly club speed chess tournaments during the 2007 Fall semester:
August 27: 1st place: Jeremy Volkmann; 2nd place Javier Cepeda.
September 24: 1st place: Javier Cepeda; 2nd place Michael Esposito.
October 30: 1st place: Javier Cepeda; 2nd place Konstantin Koroliak.
November 26: 1st place: Konstantin Koroliak; 2nd place Michael Esposito.
Here are the winners in the monthly club speed chess tournaments during the 2008 Winter semester:
January 28: 1st place: Javier Cepeda; 2nd place Konstantin Koroliak.
February 25: 1st place: Konstantin Koroliak; 2nd place Nasyr Ulmasov.
March 31: 1st place: Jeremy Volkmann; 2nd place Konstantin Koroliak and Patrick Anderson (tie).
Club Ladder -- Club members can compete with each other on our chess ladder. Games can be played at any time and place agreeable to the opponents, but typically they are played at the Monday night club meetings. The default time limit for these games is Game/60 minutes per player.
Club Tournaments -- These tournaments are played at the Monday night club meetings, one round per week. They are not USCF rated. Prizes in the form of credits toward purchase of chess equipment or books are awarded.
The 2007 fall tournament was played during October 2007 in two sections, one for experienced players and one for new players. Both tournaments were 3 rounds with a time control of Game/75. Prize winners were:
Experienced Player section (21 players): First prize: Javier Cepeda; best score middle third: Ed Hollander; best score lower third: Brayt Madenwald. New Player section (4 players): First Prize: Leevon Sperry.
Club Championship -- Justin Hull was the winner of the 2008 club championship with a perfect 4-0 record and received the championship trophy. Other prize winners were: Ellis Smith, with the best score in the middle-ranked third of the field, and Aaron Riffie with the best score in the lower-ranked third. Both Ellis and Aaron had 3-1 records in the tournament. The tournament was held on Monday nights during February and March and consisted of 4 rounds with a time control of Game/75. There were 25 players in the tournament.
Club Simuls -- The club sponsored two simultaneous exhibitions during 2007-2008, where a strong player takes on all comers. The first simul of the school year was given on November 5, 2007 by USCF senior master and club advisor Neil Fox. There were 17 participants; Neil won 13 games, drew 2 and conceded 2 losses. Players defeating Neil were Damiano Fulghesu and Maria Mahoney. Achieving draws were Steve Brietzke and Charlie Ward. A second simul given by Neil was played on April 14, 2008. Facing 12 strong opponents, Neil won 10 games while losing 2; winners were Jeremy Volkmann and Steve Brietzke.
Club-Sponsored USCF Tournaments -- The club will sponsor several one-day US Chess Federation-rated open tournaments in Columbia during the 2007-2008 school year. These events give club members experience in playing against USCF-rated players from a wider area than just the Columbia community. USCF membership is required for participants and can be purchased at the events.
The Reuben Fine Open (honoring a famous American chess player of the 1930's and 1940's who was invited to play in the 1948 world's championship tournament) was played on Saturday, August 18, 2007. There were 24 players; Kevin Johnson, a USCF expert from St. Charles, MO, was the winner with a perfect 3-0 score. Click here for the complete results.
The Bobby Fischer Open (honoring the former American world champion) was played on Saturday, October 13, 2007. There were 17 players; Nathan Swinger of the UMC Chess Club was the winner with a perfect 3-0 score. Click here for the complete results.
The George Koltanowski Open (honoring the all-time master of blindfold simultaneous exhibitions) was played on Saturday, January 2008. There were 24 players; Tony Dutiel of Kansas City and Nathaniel Fast of Jefferson City were the winners with perfect scores of 3-0. Click here for the complete results.
The 2008 Mizzou Quads were played on Saturday, January 2008. There were 20 players, divided into five four-player quads. Club champion Justin Hull and 2008 club president Brayt Madenwald each won their quads outright. Club member Shan Siddiqi tied for the top score in his quad. Click here for the complete results.
Future USCF-rated tournaments during the remainder of 2008 are scheduled for June 14, August 23 and October 18.
Future Missouri Chess Events
For information on tournaments scheduled in the next 3-4 months, visit the Missouri Chess Association Web site; otherwise see the Tournament Life section of the U.S. Chess Federation's Chess Life magazine.
For tournaments further in the future, browse the USCF Tournament Clearing House calendar for Missouri.
Mailing List
Our electronic mailing list MUCHESS-L is used mostly for announcements of interest to local chessplayers. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@lists.missouri.edu. Leave the Subject line blank. In the body of the message, type:
SUBSCRIBE MUCHESS-L Yourfirstname Yourlastname
You should receive a confirmation message within a few minutes.
If you are already subcribed to MUCHESS-L and would like to UNsubscribe, send the one-line message UNSUBSCRIBE MUCHESS-L to the same address. (SIGNOFF MUCHESS-L also works.)
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