News – San Gabriel Valley Chess Club

2024 Calendar

Following is a list of our recent and upcoming tournaments:

The New Year Swiss
1/9/24 – 2/6/24

We get 2024 started on January 9 with a five round event that concludes February 6. There are two sections and the time control is G/90 with 5 second delay.

Standings here

Eaton Canyon Open
2/13/24 – 3/12/24

This is a 5-round event in two sections (over 1400 and under 1400). Most recent “live” US Chess regular ratings used for all sections. You must play in the section determined by that rating. There is one round each Tuesday night and games start at 6:45 pm. The Club opens at 6:00 pm. Time control is Game/90 minutes with 5 second delay. Two 1/2 point byes are available. Last round byes must be requested before the start of Round 4. The entry fee is $35 and should be paid online. Advance registration is strongly advised.

Standings here

Play in the Club Championship
3/19/24 – 4/30/24

One Champion to rule them all! We start our 2024 Club Championship tournament on March 19. It’s seven rounds over seven Tuesday evenings in one big Open section. The winner will be Club Champion and have their name engraved on the SGVCC Champions Cup trophy. We will also give out engraved Best-in-Rating-Class plaques and have a $550 prize fund.

Standings here

Mount Wilson Challenge
5/7/24 – 6/4/24

We start the Mount Wilson Challenge on May 7, a five round event in two sections that concludes June 4th.

Standings here

Summer Fun 3
6/11/24 – 7/16/24

This is a 6-round event in two sections (over 1400 and under 1400). Most recent “live” US Chess regular ratings used for all sections to ensure close match-ups. You must play in the section determined by that rating. There is one round each Tuesday night and games start at 6:45 pm. The Club opens at 6:00. Time control is Game/90 min. with 5 second delay. Two 1/2 point byes are available. Last round byes must be requested before the start of Round 4. Total prize fund is $600 with prizes awarded to the top three in each section.

Standings here

The Hogwarts Swiss
07/23/24 – 08/27/24

Cast a spell on your opponents! A six-round event in three Wizarding sections: Harry’s Over 1600, Hermione’s Under 1600, and Ron’s Under 1000. It starts July 23 and ends August 27 with two half-point byes available. Most recent “live” US Chess regular ratings used for all sections to ensure close match-ups. You must play in the section determined by that rating. There is one round each Tuesday night and games start at 6:45 pm. The Club opens at 6:00 pm. Time control is Game/90 min. with 5 second delay. Total prize fund to be determined based on entries. Registration closes at 6:30 pm. All players must be SGVCC members and have current USCF memberships.

Standings here

Mount Lowe Swiss
09/10/24 – 10/02/24

We kick off September with a four round Swiss in three sections. It starts September 10 and ends October 2.

Standings here

4th Altadena Swiss
10/8/24 – 10/29/24

This is a four round event in three sections. It starts October 8 and ends October 29. Total prize fund to be determined based on entries. One half-point bye is available and any additional byes will be 0 point byes. Either the September Supplement or a player’s most recent “live” regular rating will be used at the TD’s discretion. There is one round each Tuesday night and games start at 6:45 pm. The Club opens at 6:00 pm. Time control is Game/90 minutes with a five second delay. The entry fee is $30 and should be paid online. Advance registration is required. If you have trouble registering online contact us and we can register you. Advance registration closes at 5:00 pm on October 8. All players must be SGVCC members and have current USCF memberships. You can join our renew your SGVCC dues online at our website or in person. You can join after the first round has started but you must contact the TD per below. You can renew or join the USCF at our registration link. We meet at Altadena Community Church in Heicher Hall, located at 943 East Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91101. For more information contact TD John Wright at 626/864-5744 or at wright.john82@yahoo.com.

Register here.

Standings here.

SGVCC will be closed November 5 in observance of Election Day.

Holiday Swiss
11/12/24 – 12/10/24

This is a five round event in three sections. It starts November 12 and ends December 10. Two half-point byes are available. Either the November Supplement or a players most recent “live” regular rating will be used at the TD’s discretion. There is one round each Tuesday night and games start at 6:45 pm. The Club opens at 6:00 pm. Time control is Game/90 minutes with a five second delay. The entry fee is $35 and should be paid online. Total prize fund to be determined based on entries. Advance registration is required. If you have trouble registering online contact us and we can register you. Advance registration closes at 5:00 pm on November 12. All players must be SGVCC members and have current USCF memberships. You can join our renew your SGVCC dues online at our website or in person. You can join after the first round has started but you must contact the TD per below. You can renew or join the USCF at our registration link. We meet at Altadena Community Church in Heicher Hall, located at 943 East Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91101. For more information contact TD John Wright at 626/864-5744 or at wright.john82@yahoo.com.

Register here.

Standings here.

December 17 Blitz event
12/17/24

Details to follow. For more information contact TD John Wright at 626/864-5744 or at wright.john82@yahoo.com.

Register here (Under construction).

Standings here (Under construction).

SGVCC will be closed December 24 and 31.

SGVCC will re-open with the New Year Swiss on Jan. 7, details to follow.

Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Chess Tournaments

4th Altadena Swiss

This is a four round event in three sections. It starts October 8 and ends October 29. Total prize fund to be determined based on entries. One half-point bye is available and any additional byes will be 0 point byes. Either the September Supplement or a player’s most recent “live” regular rating will be used at the TD’s discretion. There is one round each Tuesday night and games start at 6:45 pm. The Club opens at 6:00 pm. Time control is Game/90 minutes with a five second delay. The entry fee is $30 and should be paid online. Advance registration is required. If you have trouble registering online contact us and we can register you. Advance registration closes at 5:00 pm on October 8. All players must be SGVCC members and have current USCF memberships. You can join our renew your SGVCC dues online at our website or in person. You can join after the first round has started but you must contact the TD per below. You can renew or join the USCF at our registration link. We meet at Altadena Community Church in Heicher Hall, located at 943 East Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91101. For more information contact TD John Wright at 626/864-5744 or at wright.john82@yahoo.com.

Register here.

Standings here.

SGVCC will be closed November 5 in observance of Election Day.

Chess Tournaments

Hogwarts Comes to SGVCC

Hogwarts Comes to SGVCC

With a surprise visit from Professor Dumbledore (Tim Thompson), the Hogwarts Swiss saw magic and good competition by all 67 participating wizards. The six round event in three sections with a $900 prize fund concluded on August 27, 2024. In Harry’s Over 1600, Ethan Hsiao and Warren Zhang shared first place with scores of 4.5-1.5. It all came down to the last round, with the outcome depending on the results of the top three boards. Zhang and top rated Axel Muller had a hard fought draw on Board 1. This gave Hsiao, who had lost to Zhang in Round 5, a chance to share first with his win over the always tough Amin Zoghlami. Muller, Mladin Kolar, and Andersen Yang shared third place at 4-2.

The Hermione Under 1600 section saw some impressive rating gains by the top finishers. Renton Chandler took clear first with an impressive 5.5-0.5 score and raised his rating from 1266 to 1533. Roberto Argueta and Ryan Lu shared second at 4.5-1.5. Roberto raised his rating from 1030 to 1324 and Ryan went from 1322 to 1455. That’s nearly 700 rating points among the three of them and quite a magical potion we’d all love to discover! In the Ron Under 1000 section, Aron Rivin scored an outstanding 5.5-.5, especially considering this was his first USCF rated event. Alejandro Lopez and Dave Best shared second place with scores of 4-2.

We start the Mount Lowe Swiss on September 10. Sign up by going to our Calendar.

Chess Tournaments

Mount Lowe Swiss

We kick off September with a four round Swiss in three sections. It starts September 10 and ends October 2.

Register here.

Standings here.

And don’t forget we will be closed September 3 in observance of Labor Day.

Chess Club News Chess Tournaments

Closed for Labor Day

Just a reminder that SGVCC will be closed September 3 in observance of Labor Day.

Chess Tournaments

A Hogwarts Swiss Starts July 23!

Cast a spell on your opponents! A six-round event in three Wizarding sections. It starts July 23 and ends August 27 with two half point byes available. There is one round each Tuesday night and games start at 6:45 pm. The Club opens at 6:00 pm. Time control is Game/90 min. with 5 second delay. The entry fee is $40 and should be paid online. Total prize fund to be determined based on entries. Advance registration is strongly advised. If you have trouble registering online contact us and we can register you. Registration closes at 6:30 pm. All players must be SGVCC members and have current USCF memberships. You can join or renew your SGVCC dues online at our website or in person. You can renew or join the USCF here. We meet at Altadena Community Church in Heicher Hall, located at 943 East Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91101 For more information contact John Wright at (626) 864-5744 or at wright.john82@yahoo.com

Three Wizard sections! Register here

Standings here

Chess Club News Chess Tournaments

Getting Started with Chess Tournaments

When you first open our Webpage you will see a reference to “Your home for tournament rated games.” So what does that mean? In general this refers to any tournament sanctioned by U.S. Chess, the national organization in the United States with over one hundred thousand members. The term “rated” means that the results of the tournament are submitted to U.S. Chess. San Gabriel Valley Chess Club (SGVCC) is an affiliate of U.S. Chess and authorized to hold such tournaments. Everyone who plays in their first such event is considered unrated. Once you have completed your first tournament you get a “rating.” It is a 3 or 4 digit number that reflects how you have performed in rated tournaments and is used to match you against players of similar strength. One of the big differences between a rated event and a non-rated one is that you use a chess clock and also must write down your moves using what is called chess notation. But wait before you say this is not the Club for me!

One of our goals at SGVCC is to help those who have never played in a rated tournament get started. This includes showing you how to join U.S. Chess, use a chess clock, and learn chess notation. We have a playing area where we can help you practice before jumping into a tournament. Joining U.S. Chess and playing in your first event places you in a very special class of chess players. It shows that you want to make the move from casual or online player to more serious chess and it is a step worth taking!

Our Calendar feature has a list of our upcoming tournaments and events. Here’s a short guide on how to better understand it. You will see that most of our tournaments are over a five or six week period and say, for example, “Six Rounds.” A round refers to a game and we play one round (or game) each Tuesday evening. Players do not have to play every week and can usually miss two rounds or weeks if their schedule requires. Also, rated games are slower than what you are likely used to and can last from one to three hours. Kids and adults play in the same tournament and many of the kids at our Club are among our strongest players. Each tournament listed also has a registration link. If you have already played in rated tournaments then registering should be familiar to you. But, if this is your first time considering joining a tournament and you have more questions please reach out to us through our Contact Us tab. Remember, all of us here at SGVCC were once just starting out too. So, drop us a line or just come by the Club to check it out!

Chess Tournaments

Mount Wilson Draws 62 Players

Mount Wilson Draws 62 Players

The Mount Wilson Challenge concluded June 4, 2024, with tough competition in both sections. Rohan Daftuar and Axel Muller tied for first place with 4-1 in the over 1400 section. Five players tied for third place, including Mladen Kolar, Forest Sherwood, Kevin Ludwig, Kaiwin Yu and Haig Amloyan. Renton Chandler was clear first in the under 1400 section with a score of 4.5 out of 5. Haoxuan Huang took second at 4-1. And, just like in the top section, another five-way tie for third place with Andrew Chang, Leya Daftuar, Annie Liu, Lawrence Preciado and Daylen Riggs sharing the honors. Congrats to all!

We start Summer Fun 3, a six round tournament, on June 11. See our Calendar for a registration link.

Chess Tournaments

Leo Wang Wins Club Championship

Expert Leo Wang went 6-1 to become the 2024 SGVCC Champion. The annual seven round event concluded April 30 and drew 62 players. It all came down to Round 7, when Wang faced top seeded Axel Muller (2141). They were both tied at 5 points and a draw would have resulted in a four way tie. It was a worthy final game and both players showed their competitive spirit. Muller played the Dubov Gambit with White, a sharp line in the Giuoco Piano. Leo’s response was not to be found in the opening books but he’s shown a tenacity for defending tough positions. As the clock became a factor for both players Wang found his way through the complications and earned a hard fought victory.

Leo is now our second Club Champ and has his name engraved on the Club’s Perpetual Trophy, just below last year’s winner NM Karl Tolentino. Second place was shared by Expert Mladen Kolar and Craig Vieregg, who also won the Best Class A plaque. Other Best in Class winners were Gary Tao (Class B), Michael Colangelo (Class C), Garik Yegoryan (Class D), Haoxuan Huang (Class E) and Ethan Kinoshita (Best under 1000).

In addition to the trophy and plaques there was also a $605 cash prize fund, courtesy of the Arcadia Chess Club. Arcadia Chess Club ran rated events for over 40 years, meeting on Monday nights at the Senior Center in Santa Anita Park. Additional cash prize winners were Amin Zoghlami, Davit Bakhtaryan, Leya Daftuar and Lawrence Preciado.

As often occurs with a one Open Section event, upsets are bound to happen and we included an upset prize for best single game rating difference. Veteran players will tell you that lower rated players are much stronger than in the “good old days,” when you just waited for a blunder. And this event proved the point. In Round 1 alone Briana L (1387) beat a 1900 player, Aaron Bosch (780) beat a 1557 player and Paul Longstaffe (837) bested a 1614 opponent. And as if that wasn’t enough, Round 2 saw young Albert Bao (866) beat a 1900 player, a difference of 1034 points! It was widely thought he had the upset prize in the bag. But it didn’t last long as Thomas Pehlivanos (365) beat a player 1249 points higher the very next round and secured the upset prize. Now we know why our higher rated players are relieved when we have a two section event, these lower rated players have no fear!

This year’s Club Championship was certainly a success but it takes a team of people to make that happen. So thanks go to Senior TD Phil Chase, Club VP Axel Muller, Board Member and NTD Randall Hough, Facilities Manager Gary Schenk, Club Webmaster Chris Roberts and Vina Awards of San Gabriel. Thanks as well to all of our players and parents who help each week with set up and take down of all the tables and chairs. It really takes a collective effort and is truly one o the great things about SGVCC.