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Anyone is welcome at these events. There is a wide range of skill levels in Columbia, from beginners to chess masters, and it is our goal to meet the needs of all. Membership is open to members of the Columbia community in addition to students, faculty and staff.
Chess Club members (dues: $5/semester) receive a spiffy membership card and may play in club tournaments. To become a member, please contact an officer or the club advisor. Voting members must meet UMC eligibility requirements.
Because the club is a U.S. Chess Federation affiliate club members may purchase individual USCF memberships through the club. Club members should contact Charlie Ward regarding joining the USCF or renewing your membership. A discount on USCF membership is available to members under age 25 due to the club being a USCF affiliate.
During the school year the UMC Chess Club meets every Monday night at 7pm in the MU Memorial Union, room S203 (second floor, south side), 518 S. Hitt Street, Columbia. The first meeting of the Fall semester 2011 will be on Monday, August 22, 2011.
Speed Chess Tournaments -- Speed chess tournaments are held each month, with the exception of no tournament in December. Time limits are G/5. Each round consists of two games between paired opponents, one as White, one as Black. Normally 5 rounds are played.
Here are the winners in the speed chess tournaments during the Spring 2011 semester:
February 7: 1st place: Frank Calixto; 2nd place: Konstantin Koroliak.
February 28: 1st place: Tamas Mizik; 2nd place: Alex Esposito.
March 21: 1st place: Barry Manthe; 2nd place: Tamas Mizik.
April 25: 1st place: Tamas Mizik and Barry Manthe (tie); 3rd place: Alex Esposito.
Here are the winners in the speed chess tournaments during the Fall 2011 semester:
August 29: 1st place: Konstantin Koroliak; 2nd place: Mark Johnson.
September 27: 1st place: Konstantin Koroliak and Mark Johnson (tie). Mark was the winner based on his head-to-head result vs. Konstantin.
October 31: 1st place: Barry Manthe and Daniel Hawley (tie). Barry was the winner based on his head-to-head result vs. Daniel.
November 28: 1st place: Alex Esposito; 2nd place: Igor Verbitsky.
Club Tournaments -- These tournaments are played at the Monday night club meetings, one round per week. They are not USCF rated. Small cash prizes good toward the purchase of chess books or equipment are awarded.
A Fall tournament, consisting of 3 rounds with a time control of Game/75 minutes, was played during October 2011. Players had the option of playing in a section with new/less experienced players or in one with experienced club members. The experienced player section was won by Barry Manthe with a perfect 3-0 score. Mark Johnson and Dung Vu tied for the prize for best score in the lower-ranked half of the field; their playoff game ended in a draw and they agreed to split the prize. The new/less experienced player section was won by Brian McCoskrie with a perfect 3-0 score, while four players tied for second prize in the section. A round-robin playoff for the prize came down to a key game between Lucas Kapp and Chris Eli. Their game ended in a draw and they likewise agreed to split the prize.
Club Championship -- A 4-round club championship tournament will be played at Monday night club meetings during February and March 2012 with a time control of Game/75 minutes per player. The winner of the 2011 club championship was Tamas Mizik. Tamas finished the tournament tied with Steve Brietzke with 3.5 points for each player; Tamas and Steve drew their individual game. Rather than play a tie-break game, Steve conceded the title and trophy to Tamas. Tamas thus received the prize for the best score in the top-ranked third of the field. Nasyr Ulmasov won the prize for the best score in the middle-ranked third and Daniel Hawley won the prize for the best score in the lower-ranked third.
Club Simuls -- The club will sponsor two simultaneous exhibitions during the 2011-2012 school year, where a strong player takes on all comers. All chess players in the Columbia area are invited to attend and participate.
The Fall 2011 semester simul was given by USCF senior master and club faculty advisor Neil Fox at the November 7 club meeting. It drew a turnout of 15 players; Neil did not lose a game but conceded draws to Brett Koonce, Ed Hollander and Vikram Arun. The Spring 2012 semester simul is planned for a club meeting in April.
Club-Sponsored USCF Tournaments -- The club will sponsor several one-day US Chess Federation-rated open tournaments in Columbia during the 2011-2012 school year . These events give club members experience in playing against USCF-rated players from a wider area than just the Columbia community. USCF membership is required for participants and and can be purchased at the events. The events normally consist of three rounds with a time control of Game/75 minutes for each player. Here are the results of tournaments during the 2011 school year:
The Mikhail Tal Open was held on January 23, 2011. The tournament was divided into two sections, one with 12 players and one with 11, with equivalent ratings distributions. The winner of section A was 2010 club champion Barry Manthe and the winner of Section B was Frank Smith of Kansas City; both players had perfect 3-0 scores. Click here for the complete results.
The Mizzou Quads were held on March 12, 2011. There were 22 players; six were current club members, although none of them won a prize in any of the five sections. Click here for the complete results.
The Tigran Petrosian Open was held on June 11, 2011. The tournament was divided into two sections with equivalent ratings distributions, each with 12 players. The winner of section A was former Missouri state champion champion Ron Luther and the winner of Section B was Bob Holliman from the Kansas City area; both players had perfect 3-0 scores. Click here for the complete results.
The Boris Spassky Open was held on August 27, 2011. There was a smaller than normal turnout of 14 players, so only a single section was played. Club members Alex Esposito and Barry Manthe took clear first and second places, with 3-0 and 2.5-0.5 scores, respectively. Click here for the complete results.
The following future tournaments are scheduled:
Community Service -- Several current and past club members were involved in running the annual Columbia Scholastic Chess Tournament on February 19, 2011 at Lange Middle School. The tournament attracted a record 118 players in grades K through 7. Charles Ward was the tournament director, and Daniel Hawley and Ashwath Kumar served as referees helping the student players as needed. Faculty family member Jeremy Zhang was the winner of the Grades 4-5 section with a perfect 4-0 record. The tournament was featured in an article in the Columbia Missourian.
Future Missouri Chess Events
For information on tournaments scheduled in the next 3-4 months, visit the Missouri Chess Association Web site; otherwise see the Tournament Life section of the U.S. Chess Federation's Chess Life magazine.
For tournaments further in the future, browse the USCF Tournament Clearing House calendar for Missouri.
Mailing List
Our electronic mailing list MUCHESS-L is used for notices of upcoming club meetings and occasional other announcements of interest to local chessplayers. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@lists.missouri.edu. Leave the Subject line blank. In the body of the message, type:
SUBSCRIBE MUCHESS-L Yourfirstname Yourlastname
You should receive a confirmation message within a few minutes.
If you are already subcribed to MUCHESS-L and would like to UNsubscribe, send the one-line message UNSUBSCRIBE MUCHESS-L to the same address. (SIGNOFF MUCHESS-L also works.)
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