Let's sound off: Which WV county are you located? Hopefully we all live close to someone else in the club!
drax946: Logan
Local Connections for playing Over The Board (OTB)?
Sort:
Logan
Raleigh
MichaelTErwin wrote:
Cabell
There is a chess club in Huntington, I'll see if I can get more info
Joonch wrote:
Raleigh
There's a chess club in Beckley, but I'll have to email a guy to get more info.
Kanawha
mtnrunr wrote:
Kanawha
Wow! Another chess club in that area too! Will start trying to get some info for everyone.
Charleston Chess Club Update
The Charleston Chess Club will resume weekly meetings on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 6pm-9pm. Meeting location is Dunbar City Hall at 210 12th Street, Dunbar, WV 25064.
NM John Roush has operated this club for many years, as well as being active in the West Virginia Chess Association. If you are interested in more information John's email is johnroush@frontier.com
Concord University Beckley Chess Club Update
The Concord University Beckley Chess Club meets every Thursday from 4-8 PM at the Erma Byrd Center in Beaver, WV. The club is open to the public and welcomes players of all levels. People wanting to learn how to play chess are especially encouraged to come by. There are no current Covid restrictions. For more information contact Keith Lilly at rklilly@concord.edu.
I live in Pocahontas County but I've visited the Elkins chess club in Randolph quite a lot. They haven't had chess club since COVID.
Thank you for the update! They are one of the chess clubs that haven't responded to my emails. I hope all is well with them and they begin having meetings again soon.
2022 West Virginia Action Championship
(A West Virginia Chess Association Grand Prix Event)
The West Virginia Action Championship will be held on June 11, 2022 at the Huntington YMCA, 917 9th Street, Huntington, WV 25701. The format of the tournament will be 6 round Swiss System with each player getting 30 minutes for the complete game (Game/30). Registration is from 9am until 9:45am with rounds beginning at approximately: 10am, 11:15am, 1pm, 2:15pm, 3:30pm, and 4:45pm. These start times may change based on tournament progress or number of players, and these will be announced on site. The entry fee is $30 if paid by May 20th, or $40 afterwards or on site.
All prizes are based on 20 entries: 1st $150, 2nd $100, u1800 $75, u1500 $50, u1100/unrated $30.
Entries can be submitted online at chessregister.com or mail -- WVSCA c/o Craig Timmons, 811 Hughes Drive, St Albans, WV 25177. Make checks payable to WVSCA.
Contact Craig Timmons, craigtimmons@gmail.com or 304-415-2119
No smoking, US Chess Federation membership required (available onsite). Top WV resident and WVCA member will be the 2022 WV Action Champion. WVCA membership must be purchased before play begins to be eligible.
Note: The last tournament I attended at this site was on the second floor. I know there has to be an elevator somewhere, but unfortunately I wasn't able to locate it.
July 16 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Date: July 16, 2022
Site: St. Francis of Assisi – 1023 6th Ave, St. Albans
Format: Quads (4 player Round Robin groups), G/60 d5
Registration: 9-9:45
Rounds: 10-1-3 (may play sooner if games are complete)
Entry Fee: $20
Prizes: $40 to winner of each quad, $10 bonus for 3-0 score
Advance Entries: Online at chessregister.com or email Summer Quad Entry Form to Craig Timmons - craig@wvsca.com
From Craig Timmons, West Virginia Chess Association Tournament Director:
Hi everyone,
I just heard from Gerry Stover that he is starting a chess club that will meet in Putnam Co on the 2nd and 4th Thursday. The first meeting is Sep 8th at 5pm across from Cake and Cafe at the Putnam Park (aka Wave Pool). They are asking for a $5 donation.
Also, I've reached out to some of the organizers about upcoming events. Here are the ones I know about. There are still some details to be worked out.
1. Sept 10/11 - WV State Chess Championships. This will be at Huntington YMCA in their gym area (same place as the Action tournament). I hope to see some middle school/High School players there as well as many of the regular adult players.
2. Oct 8 - Chess day - Clarksburg/Harrison Co. Senior Center.
3. Oct 22 - Senior Championship - St. Albans/St. Francis Parish Center. Details to follow.
4. Jan 28, Feb 4, Feb 18 - Scholastic Chess League.
5. March ? Scholastic Chess Championship (Kanawha Valley - Details to follow).
Thanks!
--
=====================
Craig Timmons
If I haven’t played in an OTB tournament since 1998, can I enter the tourney Saturday?
US Chess membership is required, but other than that, sure!
So great to see @cvlrymedic at the WV State Championship this past weekend! I went 1.5 out of 5 games, but had fun seeing old friends and meeting new ones!
It was great to get back OTB after so many years away. I went 1 out of 5 but had a great time, met multiple people with an impressive breadth of knowledge and gave me a lot of wisdom and advice on how to improve. Not for a second did I feel like an outsider. Thank you all for welcoming me into the WV chess family.
I remember what it's like to play chess. I mean real chess with real pieces and a board. Closing my eyes I can almost hear the press of the clock buttons as the moves were made. Oh to feel the Queen in my fingers as she slides into place for checkmate! Years ago I could only find that at tournaments a few hours drive away. I was a chess player, all alone.
Fortunately, it did not stay that way. A local club was formed by like minded players, and boy did we have fun!
Maybe you are as I was, and online games are the only option available, but what if it wasn't...
Some have mentioned a desire to connect with local players to play for enjoyment. It's hard to make that connection without knowing who or even where a meeting is happening!
If you would like to once again unpack your pieces and prepare for a friendly battle with another local player, please use the comments to inquire as to area and days for a possible meet up. We are interested in any outcomes or meet ups, so let us know! Please follow COVID protocols. Remember to respect each other, and we all enjoy the games!