5:15 p.m. Developmental Class (Sign Up) [K-8]
6:15 p.m. Developmental Class (Sign Up) [HS-Adult]
Developmental classes are suited for new players and players rated under 1000. |
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4:45 p.m. Kid's Night
Suited for K-12 players who are new or rated under 1000, we offer a rated tournament with a medal to the winner, an unrated tournament for new players with a USCF membership to the winner, and free casual play. |
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| 6:30 p.m.: Quad Night! G/25+10. Quads place you in a group of four players as closely rated to you as possible, with three rounds to determine the winner. $20 Entry fee can win $40 ($45 for a perfect score). You must be registered by 6:20 p.m. to participate, so don't wait until it's too late! |
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| 6:00 p.m.: Adults-Only Class (Sign Up). |
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| 7:00 p.m.: Advanced Class (Sign Up) |
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Main Meeting
- 5 p.m. Casual Play
- 6 p.m. Hand & Brain; 2-player teams are formed where one player states the type of piece to be moved (brain) and the other player moves the piece (hand). In-person registration only.
- 7 p.m. Classical Month, Week 1. One round of G/60+30, join any week
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2025 SC Senior Championship - Register.
- 7:30 p.m.: Round 1 (3-day) (G/75;+15).
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2025 SC Senior Championship (Cont'd) - Register.
- 10:00 a.m. Round 1 (2-Day) (G/45+5), Round 2 (3-Day) (G/75;+15)
- 1:00 p.m. Round 2 (2-Day) (G/45+5)
- 3:30 p.m. Round 3 (Merged) (G/75;+15)
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2025 SC Senior Championship (Cont'd) - Register.
- 10:00 a.m. Round 4 (G/75;+15)
- 3:30 p.m. Round 5 (G/75;+15)
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Nov. Palmetto Scholastic Chess League Results!
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| The scholastic chess season is heating up with 62 players competing at this month's edition of the Palmetto Scholastic Chess League. Congratulations to all our winners: |
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Elementary School:
1st Place: Sav Strickland
2nd Place: Ishita Mishra
3rd Place: Lydia Nimmich
4th Place: Mukhil Raja
5th Place: Grayson Thomason
1st Place Team: Heathwood Hall
2nd Place Team: Lake Murray Elementary (Chapin)
Middle School:
1st Place: Arnav Singh
2nd Place: Oliver Su
3rd Place: Thomas Kemp Jr.
4th Place: Lawrence Feng
5th Place: Charlotte Jordan
1st Place Team: Dutch Fork Middle School
2nd Place Team: Irmo Middle School
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High School:
1st Place: Tyler Murrah
2nd Place: Bruhath Bodla
3rd Place: Rushaan Sotimagar
4th Place: Myles Dennis
5th Place: Rishabh Reshamwala
1st Place Team: River Bluff High School
2nd Place Team: Spring Valley High School
USCF Rating Report (Pending)
Final Standings
Photo Album
YouTube Archive
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Kid's Night:
We had 15 students at the Columbia Chess Club’s Kids Night Tournament hosted by Coach James, while Coach Brandon inspired our next generation of players with their first chess lessons. We also celebrated Alice Young’s birthday! 
Winners:
• Top Section: Malai Voravudhi
• B Section: Shanaya Panda
Kid's Night Rating Report
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Quad Night:
Congratulations to James MacDougall and James Brandmair for winning their quads this evening!
Quad Night Rating Report
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Thursday Main Meeting:
We had 15 players compete in this week’s Dual Action event!
In the Top Section, Arnav Singh and Thomas Kemp Jr. shared 1st & 2nd, while Jason Cheng took 3rd place.
In the Lower Section, Brian Chiozzi claimed 1st, followed by Vivaan Biswal in 2nd, and Logan Santos in 3rd.
Dual Action Rating Report
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Meet Arnav Singh, November Player of the Month
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We’re proud to recognize Arnav Singh as the Columbia Chess Club’s Player of the Month! A student member from Dutch Fork Middle School, Arnav first joined us in June 2023 with a starting classical rating of 474. In just over 200 tournaments, he’s become a central figure of the club community—reaching an impressive peak rating of 1772. Beyond his results, Arnav stands out for his sportsmanship, curiosity, and friendship—always encouraging others to improve and enjoy the finer points of the game. 🎥 Watch our interview with Arnav to hear his thoughts on improvement, motivation, and what keeps him passionate about chess.
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The club had 109 players compete in classical this month at the club with 5 of them competing in their first ever classical tournament. William Moss had the most rating gained in classical after pulling a 700 point upset at the state championships and following that up by winning the U1000 section at Tunnelvision for a total of 238 points. Carson Norton was second in points after a 500 point upset at the state championships and then going 2/4 in his first time playing up in the U1600 section at Tunnelvision finishing with 234 points. Brian Chiozzi had the 3rd most after a 900 point upset at quads on the 21st and then winning the lower section of the Dual Action at the end of the month for a total of 208. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Marc Allouard who earned a rating of 1787. This was Marc’s first USCF tournament although he has been playing for a while in France. Honorable Mentions to others who gained over 100 points: Lincoln Boucher, Sav Strickland, David Chandler, Oliver Su, Larry Feng, Gordon Miller, Ely Alexander, Jason Cheng.
The club had 76 players compete in rapid this month at the club with 4 of them competing in their first ever rapid tournament. Brian Chiozzi had the most points gained after a 900 point upset at quads on the 21st and then winning the lower section of the Dual Action at the end of the month for a total of 286. Sav Strickland had the 2nd most points gained with 194 after coming in second in the U1000 at Tunnelvision with a 3/4 score. Lincoln Boucher had the 3rd most rapid points gained after winning the top section of Tunnelvision when he upset a national master earring 184 points. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Emmett Gonzalez who won the lower section of Kid’s Night on the 14th in his first ever rapid event earning a rating of 938. Honorable Mentions to others who gained over 100 points: Malai Voravudhi, David Chandler, Rio Saha, Keller Wiggins, William Moss, Gordon Miller, Jonathan Newton, Shanaya Panda, Carson Norton, Oliver Lone.
The club had 52 players compete in blitz this month at the club with 7 of them competing in their first ever blitz tournament. Logan Santos after a 900 point upset at the blitz championships to gain 177 points. Chace Nguyen had the second most after winning the blitz tournament at the end of the month to earn 154 points. Jonathan Gao had the third most points gained after going 4/6 at the blitz championships where he only lost to two masters. He finished with 152 points gained. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Bahar Hallayeva who tied for first in the blitz championships. She is already an accomplished WFM but this was her first USCF blitz tournament and she earned a rating of 2193. Honorable Mentions to others who gained over 100 points: Will Snyder, Carson Norton, Rio Saha.
Paul Copeland
Number Nerd |
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| Get your icon before you join our event so we have time to add it to our system. The Columbia Chess Club's next generation of streaming setup is live, and you can create your own personal icon to have displayed during our events. Follow the link to submit us your photo. |
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| Join our Discord to be part of our community chat. |
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| James encounters a "Woodpecker Method" puzzle in the wild on ChessTempo: |
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| Answer at the end of the newsletter . . . |
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| Friday-Sunday, November 7-9, 2025: |
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| Tuesday, November 11, 2025: |
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| Friday, November 14, 2025: |
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| Saturday, November 15, 2025: |
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| Saturday, December 6, 2025: |
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| Saturday, December 6, 2025: |
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| Answer for the incredulous discord crowd: |
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