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Tunnelvision XXXIV Results
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A full house of 74 players were in attendance at Tunnelvision XXXIV. Congratulations to all our winners:
Championship Section:
1st Place (tie): Jacob Stoll, Michael Sheaf, FM Kelvin Sanchez (3.5/4.0)
U1600 Section:
1st Place (tie): Jack Hannagan, Ryan Roberge, Srivatsa Gundumalla (3.5/4.0)
U1000 Section:
1st Place (tie): Mosiah Keels, Sheldon Sewell (4.0/4.0)
3rd Place (tie): Rio Saha, Aditya Nayak, Govind Kummari, Luke Bryant (3.0/4.0)
Final Results
Photo Gallery
USCF Rating Report
DGT LiveCloud Archive
Lichess Archive
Chess.com Archive
YouTube Archive
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2025-2026 Scholastic Chess Magazine
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| The Columbia Chess Club has published the 2025-2026 Scholastic Chess Magazine to help orient players and schools with the upcoming scholastic chess season. Please use this as a resource to orient potential players, coaches, and school administrators to competitive scholastic chess! |
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2025-2026 Scholastic Season
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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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Kid's Night: We had 20 competitors at Kids Night, hosted by Coach James, with a lobby full of eager learners keeping Coaches Tyler & Sean on their toes! Coach Brandon was on vacation this week — we missed you!
Kid's Night Rating Report
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Quad Night: A Super Quad brought the heat! 
1st Place: Tyler Murrah – a flawless performance to take clear first!
2nd–3rd Place (tie): Aarush Panda & James Brandmair – both fought hard and shared the podium!
Great games, great vibes, and great competition all around. See you at the next one.
Quad Night Rating Report
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Thursday Main Meeting: We had 22 competitors in the Club Thursday evening across both Rapid and Classical time controls!
In the Rapid, NM Mike Sailer and Aaryav Saha tied for 1st & 2nd, with an incredible 9-way tie for 3rd–11th!
Rapid Rating Report
In the Upper Classical Section, Sean Miller leads with a perfect 2/2, followed closely by Aaryav Saha, Tyler Murrah, and Aarush Panda with 1.5 points each. Notable upsets included a 142-point win for Ken Washington and a draw by James Brandmair against an opponent 300 points higher rated.
In the Lower Classical Section, Larry Feng is on fire with a perfect score of 2/2. Ethan Nesbitt, Rio Saha, and Vivaan Biswal trail just behind with 1.5 points each. Big upset wins came from Vivaan (+188) and Larry Feng, who stunned with a 598-point upset victory!
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Player of the Month: Aaryav Saha
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Meet Aaryav Saha — Columbia Chess Club’s rising star and our July Player of the Month! Aaryav has been steadily climbing the ranks since he began competing in 2021, and this summer he broke the 1800 rating mark — an incredible achievement for a middle schooler! With sharp calculation, calm under pressure, and a relentless drive to improve, Aaryav is now aiming for a 2000 rating by year’s end. Whether he’s leading a quad, dominating in classical, or holding his own against adult experts, Aaryav continues to inspire everyone around him with his focus and passion for the game. We’re proud to recognize Aaryav’s hard work, dedication, and competitive spirit. Keep going, champ!
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| The Columbia Chess Club's next generation of streaming setup is live, and you can create your own personal icon to have displayed during our events. Follow the link to submit us your photo. |
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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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Lanneau Lide Foster
(1908-1967)
1956 (co), 1960 (co), and 1962 South Carolina Chess Champion
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Lanneau Lide Foster won the South Carolina State Chess Championship as co-champion in 1956 and 1960, and as sole champion in 1962 where he was the only player to win all five games. He grew up in Marion, SC, and earned an AB degree from the University of South Carolina in 1929. After several years as a teacher and principal in Bennetsville, SC public schools, he moved to Columbia in 1934 and obtained a master's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina. He was one of the 11 original members of the Columbia Chess Club when it was re-organized in 1942 after a period of inactivity. Foster eventually became president of the successor Palmetto Chess Club when those two clubs merged in the early 1950s.
Foster also served as President of the South Carolina Chess Association for 15 years, was President of the Southern Chess Association, and was Regional Vice-President of the United States Chess Federation. A prolific chess patron, he won over 30 trophies, including several Columbia city-wide titles. Upon his passing, his memorial in the SCCA newsletter noted that he "had done more than any other South Carolinian to keep alive tournament activity, arrange inter-club and interstate matches and provide playing accommodations, enabling players to meet and thus improve playing ability."
Beyond chess, Foster was active in theater, art, psychology, air navigation, ballet, dance instruction, chess, tennis, and fencing. He founded the Foster School of Dance and the Carolina Ballet Co., establishing branches across the state and training students for major ballet corps. He held state ranking as a senior tennis player, was senior doubles co-champion, a squash player, and fencer, and was a charter member of Sherwood Tennis Club and a member of First Baptist Church of Marion. Foster’s legacy endures through his multifaceted contributions to South Carolina’s cultural and intellectual life.
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Corny Jokes from the SCCA Archives
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A puzzle appearing on the Discord. White to move.
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter. |
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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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| Saturday, August 16, 2025: |
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| Saturday, September 13, 2025: |
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| Saturday, September 20, 2025: |
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| Puzzle Answer: Rxc3 then Bxe8. Not Bxe8 right away because of black's discovered attack: Bxe8 Ne2+ and white's rook is hanging. |
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