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    Chess Tournaments
    Making Chess a Family Affair

    Making Chess a Family Affair

    If you’ve played at San Gabriel Valley Chess Club (SGVCC) it’s very likely you have played a member of the Daftuar family. First, there’s 10 year old Rohan, rated 1867, his eight year old sister Leya, rated 1357, and also dad Sumit, who only started playing last June and has a respectable 1200 rating. Mom Lilyn is part of the team too, helping with much needed transportation and sometimes getting the kids back home early when dad has a long game. It has become quite common to look at the pairings chart and see that all three won their games on a given night. In fact, at the Mount Lowe Swiss in October of 2023 this trio all won prize money. And don’t look now, but little brother Ojas has just started playing rated events.

    This ability for everyone in a family to engage in the same activity is truly one of the unique aspects of chess. Unlike other sports or activities, age, gender, or size matter not. You don’t have to be the fastest or the strongest, just play good chess moves! At SGVCC we are pleased to have quite a few chess playing families. Plus, we discount our club membership dues by offering a family membership plan. So as they say, if you’re looking for a night out the whole family can enjoy, SGVCC is your place!


    Chess Tournaments
    Follow the Club Championship

    It all comes down to the final round!  After six rounds we have three players tied for first at 5-1 and another group right on their heels at 4 1/2- 1 1/2. It’s been quite a tournament, with upsets every round.  In addition to crowning a new Club Champ, there are Best in Class plaques as well. You’ll  be able to check out final standings on May 1st. And spectators are welcome if you’d like to drop by!

    Register here

    Standings here

     
     
    Chess Tournaments
    New Year Swiss Draws a Record 66 Players

    New Year Swiss Draws a Record 66 Players

    We got 2024 off to a great start with a record number of players at our first event this year! There was some great chess too, with battles in the last round to see who would prevail. Top seed Axel Muller won his first 4 games and then had to concede a draw against the very talented Ararat Bagdasarian, who defended a tough position. Although just ten years old, Bagdasarian is making a strong impression with a rating of 1946. He tied for second with veteran Arturo Armagnac, both scoring 4-1. It was Muller’s second straight clear first place finish. A National Master, he seems to be regaining his old form.

    The under 1400 section saw the youngsters having their way. Garik Yegoryan (also 10!) posted an impressive 5-0 to take clear first. There was a log jam for second with four players going 4-1, which included Leya Daftuar and Ryan Lu (both age 8) Evan “Jet” Lew ( the “old guy” at age 13 ) and Patrick Harrigan of the CSU Northridge college team. The total prize fund was $600 and shared by the winners in both sections.

    We start the Eaton Canyon Open, another 5 rounder in two sections, on February 13. And stay tuned for our Club Championship, a 7 round tournament with one Open section, starting March 19.



    Chess Tournaments
    Play in the Eaton Canyon Open

    This is a 5-round event in two sections (over 1400 and under 1400). Most recent “live” US Chess regular ratings used. 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.

    Register here

    Standings here

    We continue our tradition of recognizing local landmarks near SGVCC. Eaton Canyon is a picturesque hiking trail well worth a visit.

    Chess Club News Chess Tournaments
    Altadena Swiss Draws 55 Players

    Altadena Swiss Draws 55 Players

    With an undefeated score of 4.5-0.5, Axel Muller won clear first place in the upper section of the 3rd Altadena Swiss. After beating Expert Will Webster in Round 3, Muller delivered a lethal mating attack from an exchange down position in Round 4 against top rated Julian Colville. The 5-round event ended November 28, 2023. Runners-up at 4-1 were Darren Wang and Derek Li. Li was fresh off his undefeated 8-0 performance in the under 2000 section of the American Open. In the under 1200 section there was a 3-way tie between Miller Brown, Timothy Everett and Renton Chandler, who all won decisive games in the final round. Congrats to all!


    Chess Club News Chess Tournaments
    December Rapid Chess

    Think you’re the fastest? Join us in December for Rapid chess! This is a 4-round event in 3 sections, with Rounds 1 and 2 on December 5 and Rounds 3 and 4 on December 12.  The time control is Game 40 with 5 second delay in all sections. The sections are over 1700, under 1700 and under 1200.  You play two games each night against different opponents. The rounds starts at 6:45 and the next round starts immediately after all games are finished. All games will finish by 10:00 pm.

     

    The entry fee is $30 and should be paid online. No byes are allowed.

    Register here

     

    Chess Club News Chess Tournaments
    Julian Colville Wins Mount Lowe Swiss

    Julian Colville Wins Mount Lowe Swiss

    With an undefeated score of 5.5-0.5, top seed Julian Colville of Los Angeles won clear first place in the Mount Lowe  upper section. Julian is a rising local talent, having just turned 13 and already rated 2148. He plays an exciting brand of chess and his games always attract a crowd!  The 6 round event ended October 10, 2023 and drew 57 players with a prize fund of $750. Runner-up at 4.5-1.5 was Axel Muller. Frank Fan, Craig Vieregg and Rohan Daftuar shared third place/best under 1800 and David Peral was best under 1600. Andrew Chang won the under1400 section with a score of 5.5-0.5 and Sumit Daftuar was clear second at 5-1. Leya Daftuar and Ishan Pradbu shared third and Renton Chandler took best under 1000. 

    Congrats to all!

     

     
    Julian Colville
     
    Chess Club News
    SGVCC Adds New Online Sustaining Memberships

    We are pleased to announce that you can now join or renew your SGVCC membership online. As a recognized 501(c)(7) non-profit organization under the Internal Revenue Service, Club dues help us keep a small reserve as most of the entry fees we collect go towards our overhead costs and prize money. We are also offering a new discounted rate for those that elect to sign up for automatic membership renewal (see details on our Home Page). This will really benefit the Club and prevent us from having to send so many reminders. Since our opening in March of 2020 SGVCC has offered 9-10 rated events each year, rated blitz, and simuls by top players, all thanks to the support of our members.

    And we will still continue to accept memberships in person at the Club where you can pay by cash, check, or by using the new QR code on our application. Thank you for your support of San Gabriel Valley Chess Club!

    Chess Club News
    The Return of Annie Wang
    A view of the Simul from the catbird seat

    International Master Annie Wang took some time away from her studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to give a lecture and exhibition at San Gabriel Valley Chess Club (SGVCC) on May 30, 2023. A local chess prodigy who grew up in nearby La Canada, she took on a strong field of 30 players, winning all but one game. Before the games, Annie gave a lecture where she highlighted a win against a Grandmaster and offered some helpful practical advice on facing stronger opponents. She also provided an interesting insight into how chess can help other activities, noting that chess teaches you to sit and problem solve, which has been a helpful skill in her computer science studies at MIT.

    Lecture before the Simul

    Due to the large number of players, the action at the boards went late into the night. At about 11:15 p.m. there were still twelve players battling it out, including some youngsters who had school the next day! So, a decision was made to have Annie finish those games with a chess clock where each side would have one minute with a two second increment. The result was a rather exciting finale as the spectators followed her from board to board as she took on the remaining players.

    A Gripping Bullet Chess Finish!

    And so were we not only able to finish before midnight, but those remaining players can now say they played Annie Wang one-on-one in a blitz game! A nice memory and we hope it won’t be the last time we see Annie back at SGVCC. A special thanks as well to all who participated and helped organize this very special event.