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NM Mike Sailer 2026 Club Champion!
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Congratulations to our 2026 Columbia Chess Club Champion, NM Mike Sailer. Mike finished tied for first with Erik Walker at 4.5/5 and secured the title after a hard-fought set of four blitz tiebreak games. This year’s championship featured 49 players competing over five rounds, producing an exciting and competitive event from start to finish.
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Player Choice Award Winners!
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We’re proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of our members this year. These awards reflect the votes of our community; recognizing dedication, growth, and excellence both on and off the board.
Congratulations to all of our 2026 winners:
- Most Improved Player: Logan Santos
- Honorable Mention: Chace Nguyen
- Junior Player of the Year: Aarush Panda
- Honorable Mention: Alvin Jordan
- Player of the Year: Arnav Singh
- Honorable Mention: Charlotte Jordan
- Coach of the Year: Sean Miller
- Tournament Director of the Year: James Brandmair
Your hard work, sportsmanship, and passion for chess continue to make the Columbia Chess Club a stronger and more vibrant community. We’re excited to see what the next year brings; congratulations again to all!
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5:15 p.m. Developmental Class K-8 (register)
6:15 p.m. Developmental Class HS-Adult (register) |
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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+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! |
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5:15 p.m. Developmental Class K-8 (register)
6:15 p.m. Advanced Class (register) |
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5:30 p.m. Hand & Brain: A team of two where the brain player names the type of piece, and the hand player makes the move. On-site registration only.
6:30 p.m. FIDE Classical Month Week 1: This month's classical tournament will be FIDE Rated in the upper section, 4-round G/60+15, requiring a FIDE ID (free)! Lower section USCF rated as G/45+5. Miss any week, join any week! |
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Kid's Night:
Congratulations to Shanaya Panda and Charlotte Jordan for winning medals in their respective sections for our kids night tournament!
Kid's Night Rating Report
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Quad Night:Congratulations to Tyler Murrah for scoring a flawless victory in our super quad night!
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Thursday Main Meeting:
Congratulations to Thomas Kemp Jr. on taking first place in our 3+2 blitz tournament! Jason Cheng followed with a strong performance to secure second place.
A special shoutout to Chace Nguyen for an incredible 444-point upset victory over a National Master—an outstanding achievement!
Recognition also goes to Shanaya Panda for battling to a draw against an opponent rated 804 points higher, Juelz Segundo for earning a win against a player 348 points above his rating, and Jack Bontrager for grinding out a victory against a 153-point stronger opponent.
Blitz Rating ReportClub Championship Rating Report
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The club had 122 players compete in classical this month with 10 of them competing in their first ever classical tournament. Tai Xue had the most rating gain in classical after a 345 point upset at 2026 SC Scholastic Chess Finals and winning Tunnelvision XLIII (Under 1600) for a total of 286 points. Harrison Walsh had the second most rating gain in classical after a 671 point
upset at 2026 April 21st Quad Night and winning 2026 April 21st Quad Night for a total of 193 points. Ishita Mishra had the 3rd most rating gain in classical for a total of 191 points. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Joshua Wilson who earned a rating of 1588. Honorable Mentions to others who gained over 100 points: Ajahni Dean, Juelz Segundo, Shikhar Haldia.
The club had 115 players compete in quick this month with 6 of them competing in their first ever quick tournament. Keshav Aggarwal had the most rating gain in quick after a 353 point upset at 2026 April 7th Kid's Night and winning 2026 April 7th Kid's Night (Rated Section) for a total of 268 points. Tai Xue had the second most rating gain in quick after winning Tunnelvision
XLIII (Under 1600) for a total of 247 points. Tucker Miller had the 3rd most rating gain in quick after a 337 point upset at 2026 April 21st Quad Night and winning 2026 April 21st Quad Night (Bouncing Bunnies) for a total of 232 points. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Joshua Wilson who earned a rating of 1591. Honorable Mentions to others who gained over
100 points: Harrison Walsh, Aaden McAbee, Max Kohn, Alvin Jordan, Ajahni Dean, Eli Adams, Elizabeth Jordan, Jalen Griffin, Adela Chojnowski, Edward Gize, Sakthi Rajasekar, Owen Meacham.
The club had 34 players compete in blitz this month with 5 of them competing in their first ever blitz tournament. Alvin Jordan had the most rating gain in blitz after a 296 point upset at 2026 April 2nd Blitz 3+2 for a total of 163 points. Shanaya Panda had the second most rating gain in blitz after a 741 point upset at 2026 April 2nd Blitz 3+2 for a total of 121 points. Logan Santos had the 3rd most rating gain in blitz after a 385 point upset at 2026 April 30th Blitz 3+2 for a total of 74 points. The biggest breakout performance by an unrated was Nathan Cline who earned a rating of 1298. |
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| Coach Sean offers up a fun puzzle on his quest to conquer ChessTempo: |
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| Answer at the end of the newsletter.... |
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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 - SOLD OUT
- Monday, June 22, 2026 - Friday, June 26, 2026 - 1 Seat Remaining
- Monday, July 20, 2026 - Friday, July 24, 2026 - 3 Seats Remaining
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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| Puzzle answer: 1. g4 KxR 2. Nf2+ Kxf4 3. Rg1!! with Bd2# incoming. If 3...e4 Nh3#! |
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