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2025-2026 Scholastic Season Announced
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The Scholastic Season for the next school year is now set—get ready!
The Columbia Chess Club has officially been approved by the South Carolina Chess Association to host the 2026 South Carolina Scholastic Chess Championship at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center! |
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2025 Champion River Bluff High School Chess Team Honored at State House
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On March 22, 2025 the River Bluff chess team was honored at the State House for being the first high school from the Midlands to win the state title! The resolution, sponsored by house representative Chris Wooten will be on display at the club until next school year!
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Kid's Night: We had 18 competitors in action while many others learned from Coaches Brandon, Sean, and Nick. Coach James ran the event, where Alex Cox edged out Xavier Tucker on tiebreaks to win the A Section medal. Jackson Tucker took clear 1st in the B Section. Ripley Burnette earned a free US Chess membership as our newest competitor—welcome aboard!
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Thursday Main Meeting: We had 26 players in the Rapid Event—Tyler Murrah, Aarush Panda, and Thomas Kemp Jr. all finished with a perfect 3/3!Rapid Rating Report
In the Club Championship, 45 players are now competing. Paul Copeland leads with 3.5 going into the final round. Close behind are Tamaghna Roy, Dylan Wong, and Sean Miller, all at 3 points. Honorable mentions to Erik Murrah and Tyler Murrah, both at 3.5 and 3 respectively, though neither will be present next week.
Player Awards voting is now closed—winners will be announced and recognized next Thursday!
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Sunday Diamond Swiss
Congratulations to our winners of this week's Diamond Swiss, including statics2. U1400 was taken by RSLawrence and U1000 was taken by MonzurRumon! Congrats to all our winners of a free month of chess.com diamond!
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Hall of S.C. State Champions
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To promote this year's State Chess Championship being held at the Columbia Chess Club on Oct. 3-5, 2025 with a $6000 prize pool, we are highlighting state champions in chronological order each week. For more details about the state championship, visit www.scchampionship.com.
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Edward Lawrence Dashiell
(1881-1949)
1931 and 1933 South Carolina Chess Champion
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| Edward Lawrence Dashiell won the South Carolina State Chess Championship in 1931, the sixth annual event, held on July 20-23, 1931, on the upper floor of the Coca Cola Bottling Co. Building in Greenville, South Carolina. Dashiell emerged as the champion, scoring 6½ points, with second place scoring 4½ points among the five contestants. Dashiell went on to win the state championship again in 1933, held in Spartanburg from July 3-6, 1933, narrowly defeating former champion Benjamin O. Johnson and thereby becoming the first two-time state champion. Dashiell also served for multiple years as the Vice-President of the South Carolina Chess Association. Born in 1881 in Richmond, Virginia, Dashiell later moved to Spartanburg. He served as head of the shipping department at Clifton Manufacturing Company during World War I, when he was drafted at age 36. He was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the South Carolina Reserve Militia on May 26, 1919, later merging into the South Carolina National Guard. Dashiell is believed to have worked in accountancy after the war. Dashiell passed away on November 16, 1949 and is buried at the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg. |
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Columbia Chess Club's Foundations Chess Camps Open for Registration!
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Foundations Chess Camp is designed for students just starting out in chess, or those with limited knowledge beyond the basics. Camp sizes are limited to 12 students, so please act quickly if you are interested in attending.
For:
- Complete beginners
- Students who have only played chess at home
- Students who have not competed in a formal tournament
- Students with limited tournament experience (have played in US Chess in-person tournament but have a rating under 600)
- Children between the ages of 5-12
Instruction
The Chess Foundations camp is taught by Coach Brandon Jordan and other Columbia Chess Club coaches, with a class size limited to 12 students. The goal is to learn the rules, basic strategy, and beginner tactics and compete in a tournament setting.
Schedule
8:45 - 9:00 Drop Off
9:00 - 12:00 Instruction / Play
12:00 - 12:15 Pick Up
Where
Columbia Chess Club
6169 St. Andrews Road
Columbia, SC 29212
Dates
Monday, June 9, 2025 - Friday, June 13, 2025 - SOLD OUT
Monday, June 23, 2025 - Friday, June 27, 2025 - 3 Slots Remaining
Monday, July 21, 2025 - Friday, July 25, 2025 - 5 Slots Remaining
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Governor's School Chess Camp
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| If you are aged out of our Foundations Summer Camp, the Governor's School has a summer camp for rising 8th-10th graders intended for new to U1000-level players! You can get more information on their website, including how to apply. |
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Corny Jokes from the SCCA Archives
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Paul Copeland reports on his Round 4 game in the 2025 Columbia Chess Club Championship that now has him a half-point ahead of the field going into the last round.
See Full Commentary |
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| Join our Discord to be part of our community chat. |
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Free Ways to Support the Club
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| The Columbia Chess Club is an affiliate of major chess retailers, like House of Staunton and others, and using our affiliate links can earn us a commission that helps us continue our efforts to enrich and grow the chess community in South Carolina! We also sell our own line of parody scorebooks, if you're looking to buy a notation book. You could also follow us on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media--the Club earns partnership revenue from streaming services, so your viewership helps the club too. Consider also leaving us a Google business review! |
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| Thank you for all the support! Only 8 tables remain available for sponsorship. If you would like to sponsor a table, you can do so on our website. |
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| Every Thursday at 7pm in May, 2025: |
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