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Columbia Chess Club Newsletter 3/23/2026

Columbia Chess Club Newsletter 3/23/2026

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Columbia Chess Club Newsletter

In This Issue:
  • 2026 SC Scholastic Championship Results!
  • This Week's Club Events
  • Weekly Results Corner
  • Join the Columbia Chess Club Travel Team!
  • Register for Summer Chess Camps!
  • Become a Member / Get an Icon / Sponsor a Table / Support Us Free
  • From the Discord
  • Some Chess Content
  • On the Horizon Schedule
View the Club Calendar >
2026 SC Scholastic Championship Results!
The 2026 SC Scholastic State Championship is in the books, new reigning champion schools have been crowned, and 32 players have a golden ticket to the State Finals on April 4, 2026 at the Columbia Chess Club, where three more rounds of chess will determine which players will represent the State of South Carolina in their sections at nationals and earn the title of State Champion!

High School Teams:
State Champion: River Bluff High School
2nd Place: Governor's School for Science and Math
3rd Place: Carolina Forest High School

High School Finals Qualifiers
1st Qualifier: Will Snyder
2nd Qualifier: Benjamin Webb
3rd Qualifier: William Howard
4th Qualifier: Liam Amos
5th Qualifier: Caton Tsao
6th Qualifier: Shikhar Haldia
7th Qualifier: Samuel Paukovitz
8th Qualifier: Adrian Wilder

Middle School Teams:
State Champion: Dutch Fork Middle School
2nd Place: Lakeside Middle School
3rd Place: Indian Land Middle School

Middle School Finals Qualifiers:
1st Qualifier: Arnav Singh
2nd Qualifier: Jason Marshal
3rd Qualifier: Aaryav Saha
4th Qualifier: Saharsh Koka
5th Qualifier: Dane Stevens
6th Qualifier: Thomas Kemp Jr.
7th Qualifier: Sanjay Allu
8th Qualifier: Aarush Panda

Elementary School Teams:
State Champion: Gold Hill Elementary School
2nd Place: Flint Hill Elementary School
3rd Place: Harrisburg Elementary School

Elementary School Finals Qualifiers (K-5):
1st Qualifier: Tanay Sanghani
2nd Qualifier: Diya Balamurugan
3rd Qualifier: Aayansh Bhakta
4th Qualifier: Crixus Pantaleon
5th Qualifier: Advaith Balaji
6th Qualifier: Evelyn Ganss
7th Qualifier: Tai Xue
8th Qualifier: Maria Jayabarath

Primary School Finals Qualifiers (K-3):
1st Qualifier: Johann Jayabarath
2nd Qualifier: Jayaditya Pittu
3rd Qualifier: Winston Wan
4th Qualifier: Druv Balamurugan
5th Qualifier: Mukund Kalavagunta
6th Qualifier: Sav Strickland
7th Qualifier: Abhiraj Saha
8th Qualifier: Sakthi Rajasekar


Main Event USCF Rating Report

Main Event Final Standings

Main Event Photo Gallery

DGT Archive

Chess.com Archive

YouTube Archive
This Week's Club Events
5:15 p.m. Developmental Class K-8 (register)
6:15 p.m. Developmental Class HS-Adult (register)
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.
Kid's Night Registration
6:30 p.m.: Quad Night! G/25+5. 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!
Quad Night Registration
5:15 p.m. Developmental Class K-8 (register)
6:15 p.m. Advanced Class (register)
5:30 p.m. Quick 10+1: 3 Rounds of Quick G/10;+1!
6:30 p.m. March Classical Month Round 4: the final round of our month-long tournament. Upper section G/60+15, U1200 Section G/45+5 (meaning play is over by 8pm in lower section). Join any week, miss any week!
Main Meeting Registration
Weekly Results Corner
Kid's Night: 
Congratulations to Rio Saha who won the medal on tiebreaks against Charlie Jordan in the top section! Shoutout to Alvin Jordan who won the medal in the lower section! Thank you to coaches Sean, Brandon, and James for hosting the event and leading our future chess masters.
 
Kid's Night Rating Report
Quad Night: 
Congratulations to Chace Nguyen, Thomas Kemp Jr., and Neil Noronha for winning their quads!

Quad Night Rating Report
Thursday Main Meeting: 
Congratulations to Arnav Singh for winning the blitz tournament! Chace Nguyen and Aarush Panda are leading the top section with 2.5 points going into the last round of classical, along with Juelz Segundo and Evan Godnich both with 2.5 leading the lower section.
 
Blitz Rating Report
Join the 2026 Travel Team!
The Columbia Chess Club travel team is available to all ages, without a rating requirement, provided the player has demonstrated themselves as committed to chess improvement and will be able to attend four of the travel tournaments on the schedule and represent the Club in a positive manner.

If you're interested in joining the Travel Team, see full details at https://columbiachess.org/travel-team
Register for 2026 Intermediate & Foundations Summer Camps!
In addition to our Foundations Summer Camp for newer players, we've added an Intermediate Camp on June 22-26, 2026 for players with tournament experience rated under 1200. Our camps are limited to 12 kids, so register early if you want to be assured of a spot: https://columbiachess.org/camps

2026 Foundations Summer Camp dates (9am-12pm):
  • Monday, June 8, 2026 - Friday, June 12, 2026
  • Monday, June 22, 2026 - Friday, June 26, 2026
  • Monday, July 20, 2026 - Friday, July 24, 2026
2026 Intermediate Summer Camp Dates (1pm-4pm):
  • Monday, June 22, 2026 - Friday, June 26, 2026
Become a Member / Get an Icon / Sponsor a Table / Support Us Free!
Become a Member: Help support the Club and take advantage of special pricing and exclusive perks!
Get an Icon: Get your portrait added to the Columbia Chess Club stream - be sure to upload before your next event!
Sponsor a Table: Have a brass plaque with custom engraving permanently installed on the edge of one of our tournament tables. (6 remain)
Donate to the Club: The Club remains volunteer operated and is bolstered by generous donations from the community. Consider donating and check out our Donor List recognizing those who have given to support the club's mission to grow chess in the midlands and throughout South Carolina.
Support the Club for Free: Consider one of the many ways to support the Club for free by patronizing our affiliate sponsors when you buy chess equipment, premium Chess.com accounts, and support us on social media.
From the Discord
Join our Discord to be part of our community chat.
Some Chess Content
Larry reliably providing yet another weekly puzzle for our consumption! Answer at the end of the newsletter...
On the Horizon
Saturday, April 4, 2026:
Saturday, April 11, 2026:
Friday, April 17, 2026:
Saturday, April 18, 2026:
See Club Calendar for Full List of Upcoming Events
Puzzle answer provided by Coach Sean:

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