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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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State Champions Honored by House Resolution
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The Columbia Chess Club is honored to receive a framed resolution from Rep. Jay Kilmartin at the Columbia Chess Club recognizing our Organizing of the 2025 SC Scholastic Chess Championship and celebrating champions Samuel Paukovitz, Jason Marshal, Tanay Sanghani, and Diya Balamurugan! Thank you to the SC House of Representatives for supporting chess in the Palmetto State!
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Kid's Night: We had 18 young players compete in this week’s kids tournament! Coaches Brandon, Nick, and Sean stayed busy guiding a room full of future masters. Vivaan edged out Rio on a blitz tiebreak to win the A section medal, Jackson took top honors in the B section, and Van earned a US Chess membership by winning the Unrated section.
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Classical Quad Night: We had 11 competitors at the Columbia Chess Club for Quad Night! In the B Quad, Sean Miller and Aarush Panda tied for first. The A Quad ended in a thrilling three-way tie between Tamaghna Roy, Aaryav Saha, and Dylan Wong. Great games all around!Quad Night Rating Report
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Thursday Main Meeting: Thursday Blitz saw 19 players battle it out! NM Mike Sailer took 1st, with strong finishes from Nicholas Ciriello, Aaryav Saha, and both Thomas Kemp Jr. & Sr. Big upsets: Charlie Jordan (+800), Chase Norton (+600), and Carson Norton with two upsets over +300!Blitz Rating Report
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Sunday Diamond Swiss
Congratulations to ChessPlant300, the winner of this week's Diamond Swiss. 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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In classical this month we had a total of 93 players in 4 events with 8 unrated players playing their first event! Isaac Nielsen had the largest gain after going a perfect 4/4 in the U1600 section at Tunnelvision to win the tournament and gain 164 rating points! Payton Carter gained 154 after playing up into the U1600 section at Tunnelvision and pulling off not one but two 400+ point upsets! And Brandon Wenner came in 3rd with 110 points after going 3/4 in the same event with a 300+ point upset. The biggest break out was Jonah Mast with a 1604 rating after going 4/4 in a shockingly competitive U1000 section at Tunnelvision. Honorable mention shout outs to Ricky Panda and Logan Santos for also gaining 100+ points.
In Rapid this month we had 109 players 11 events with 9 unrated players playing in their first event! Anaya Rai and Kosti Holtzclaw tied for first with 187 points gained! Anaya had a big performance at the last kid’s night of the month with two upsets against opponents rated 300+ points higher. And Kostiwon the B section of kids night in the first week of the month. Oliver Lonecame in third with 163 points gained from scoring 2.5/3 at the kid’s night on the 20th. Jonah Mast was the biggest break performance with a rating of 1639 after winning the U1000 section at Tunnelvision. There were an incredible 10 other players who gained 100+ points so honorable mention shoutouts to Jackson Tucker, Isaac Nielson, Payton Carter, Ricky Panda, Jared Hagerty, Xavier Tucker, Thomas Kemp Jr, Vivaan Biswal, Raymond Herndon and Aaron Ding!
In blitz we had 34 players in just 2 events with 3 unrated players competing in their first blitz event. Carson Norton had the biggest rating jump with 130 points from the 5-minute event where he upset an opponent 400 point higher rated and drew another opponent almost 600 points higher rated. Thomas Kemp Sr went 6/8 across both the 3|2 and 5 blitz events to gain 125 points. And Anaya Rai gained 77 points after pulling a 300+ point upset at the 3|2 event. Khalil Warfield had the biggest breakout with a rating of 1675. It was his first blitz event even though he is an accomplished classical player.
Paul Copeland
Number Nerd and Club Champion
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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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Peter James Walker
(1885-1951)
1932 South Carolina Chess Champion
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| Peter James Walker won the South Carolina State Chess Championship held on July 18-21, 1932, at the annual tournament held in Charleston. Eight competitors participated in a single-round format, with each player facing seven others, and Walker emerged victorious by winning all seven of his games, securing the title with a perfect score. This victory followed his earlier success in winning the championship of the Southeastern Chess Association three times (including in 1923 at the second annual tournament of the Georgia-Florida Chess Association which later became the Southeastern Chess Association). Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Walker later settled in Varnville, South Carolina, where he worked as a hardware salesman in Beaufort for many years. He was a veteran of World War I, having served in the served in the Field Artillery unit of the 29th Division during World War I. He was actively involved in community efforts, serving as a member of the American Legion and state USO committee, and contributing to Varnville’s successful USO fund drive in Hampton County. Walker married Virginia Miller in 1930, and the couple was noted for their participation in chess circles, with Virginia accompanying him during tournaments. Peter James Walker passed away on September 27, 1951, at the age of 65, at the Beaufort Naval Hospital after a brief illness. He is buried at Varnville Cemetery, in Varnville, SC. |
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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 - 2 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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| 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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