Kid's Night:
Congratulations to Charlie Jordan for winning the medal in the top section! Ellie Jordan won the medal on tie breaks against Leo Cepeda, while Owen Meacham won a membership to US Chess as our unrated winner. Thank you Coaches James, Sean, and Brandon for hosting the event.
Kid's Night Rating Report
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Quad Night:Congratulations to Logan Santos for winning his quad! And special shoutout to Chace Nguyen for winning his quad and crossing over the 1700 rating wall in the process!
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Thursday Main Meeting:
We had an exhilarating opening to our Club Championship Which has two Masters in the mix! Additionally heaps of voting has accrued with our Player Awards. Shoutout to NM Mike Sailer for winning our Blitz Tournament.
Blitz Rating Report
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Player of the Month: Thomas Thorla
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We’re proud to spotlight Thomas Thorla as our April Player of the Month! Since joining the Columbia Chess Club in October 2021, Thomas has become a familiar and respected face in our community: competing in nearly 200 events and continuing to grow his impact both on and off the board.
Not only has he recently achieved a major milestone by reaching a 1600 classical OTB rating, but Thomas is also making waves as a rising tournament director with Senior Level experience. His leadership extends even further as the current President of the South Carolina Chess Association, where he helps shape the future of chess across the state.
Outside of chess, Thomas enjoys reading and traveling; always bringing curiosity and perspective back to the game we all love.
Be sure to check out his full interview to learn more about his journey, insights, and what’s next!
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The club had 251 players compete in classical this month with 46 of them competing in their first ever classical tournament. Luke Coppola had the most rating gain in classical after a 838 point upset at 2026 SC Scholastic Chess Championship for a total of 363 points. Logan Santos had the second most rating gain in classical after winning 2026 March 31st Quad Night (Larry's Orchestra) for a total of 254 points. Juelz Segundo had the 3rd most rating gain in classical after winning Tunnelvision XLII (Under 1000 / Unrated) for a total of 242 points. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Maksym Gromov who earned a rating of 1643. Honorable Mentions to others who gained over 100 points: Chace Nguyen, Arijith Venkat, Evan Godinich, Shaun Jason, Russell Bryant, Tanner Dagostino, Adonis Francis, Aarush Panda, Larry Feng, Nathaniel Zhang, Mayank Arvin Gummeneni, Bryan Zheng, James Andrew Frassica, Goutham Adireddygari, Aadvika Mugunthan, Benjamin Black, Winston Wan, Brannen Vaughters, Lydia Nimmich, Stepan Nikonov.
The club had 285 players compete in quick this month with 36 of them competing in their first ever quick tournament. Landon Peeples had the most rating gain in quick after a 613 point upset at Mar '26, Palmetto Scholastic Chess for a total of 324 points. Theodore Nimmich had the second most rating gain in quick after winning 2026 March 24th Kid's Night (B Rated Section) for a total of 319 points. Joseph Sorenson had the 3rd most rating gain in quick for a total of 308 points. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Maksym Gromov who earned a rating of 1619. Honorable Mentions to others who gained over 100 points: Fermin Cepeda, Evan Godinich, Srithan Kota, Luke Alexander Coppola, Skylar Harmon, Chace Nguyen, Keshav Aggarwal, Max Kohn, Juelz Segundo, Russell Bryant, Aaden McAbee, Aadvika Mugunthan, James Andrew Frassica, Shaun Jason, Benjamin Black, Arijith Venkat, Larry Feng, Nathaniel Zhang, Sahanvika Koka, Rivers Hughes, Josh Pruce, Tai Xue, Akilan Karthick, Evelyn Gloria Ganss, Goutham Adireddygari, Lydia Nimmich, Bryan Zheng, Logan Santos.
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Player Award Voting Open!
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| Vote in person during events at the Columbia Chess Club in the month of April! |
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NM Mike Sailer's Advanced Class Syllabus for April
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Join the 2026 Travel Team!
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| 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. |
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| If you're interested in joining the Travel Team, see full details at https://columbiachess.org/travel-team |
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Register for 2026 Intermediate & Foundations Summer Camps!
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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 - 2 seats remaining
- 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
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Become a Member / Get an Icon / Sponsor a Table / Support Us Free!
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| Get an Icon: Get your portrait added to the Columbia Chess Club stream - be sure to upload before your next event! |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Join our Discord to be part of our community chat. |
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| Larry continues to single-handedly carry the "some chess content" portion of the newsletter, with his puzzle of the day #13: |
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| Answer at the end of the newsletter... |
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| Saturday, April 11, 2026: |
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| Saturday, April 18, 2026: |
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| Puzzle answer provided by Coach Brandon: |
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