Cleveland Open Results

Cross Table


The WNY Chess Community was well represented in the Cleveland Open, August 3-5, sponsored by the Continental Chess Association. Congratulations to all who made the trek to Cleveland. Our own Candidate Master Sam Copeland finished in a very respectable 10th place in the Open Section, losing only one game to tournament winner GM Sergey Kudrin (2609). Eric Grabowski was close on Sam’s heels, finishing a very respectable 16th in the Open Section. Tom Warner finished 23rd in the U2000 Section, frustrating four opponents in a row with hard-fought draws. One of Tom’s dozen grandchildren, Ryan Madden, finished a strong 26th in the U2000 section. The “Tree Doctor” Brian Sayers also represented WNY – playing in both the U2000 and U1800 sections. The star of the Cleveland Open, however, has to be Kevin Roulhac, who went undefeated into the final round and lost a heart-breaker against a higher-rated opponent, who edged him out to take the U1800 crown on a tie-breaker. Join us in congratulating Kevin on another stellar performance in capturing second place in the U1800 section. Lucas Seybold also frustrated his opponents with his wild opening repertoire in the U1800 section (we actually have no idea what openings he played – we made this up based on his usual opening play!) Frank Grabowski, perennial strong finisher in the Buffalo Mayor’s Cup, also finished strong in Cleveland, taking 3rd place in the U1600 Section. In the U1300 Section, most of the participants wore “I am Tom Warner’s Grandson” T-shirts. Lead by Austin Kossow in 9th place (Austin increased his rating by 75 points!), other strong finishers included Ryan and Nathan Palmisano, Zachary Madden, and Lucas Grisanti. Congratulations to all who participated, and our apologies if you were there and we missed your name in the cross-table (please post a comment to correct any errors).

BUFFALO FIRE COMMISSIONER RESULTS

Crosstable
A very respectful thirty five chess players turned out for the Garnell W. Whitfield Jr. Chess Tournament on April 16, 2011, at Main Place Mall in Buffalo, NY.

The Buffalo Fire Commissioner got a chance to speak and shake hands with the parents, students in the Scholastic K-12 (Willie Mays#42 Section) and the Urban Queens - (Mary B. Talbert Section). He first applauded them for participating in the Royal game of Chess, encouraged them to continue to get better and to stay with the game. He also applauded the Buffalo Niagara Chess community for their active participation of working and being mentors for the scholastic players. Finally, the Commissioner took time to encourage and lift the spirits of the East High Dark Knights Chess team in their quest for a second national team trophy when they travel to Nashville, TN.

Pictured L-R front are Joshua Hampton, Jonathan Boone, James Hampton, Karl White and Justin Arrington, Back are Miles Glenn, Mc Duffie(Chess Ambassador), James Lyon, Ruby Soundant, Commissioner Whitfield, Jr., Isabelle Longfellow and Demetrius Jenkins. Not pictured but participated were Ariana Johnson and Imari Johnson.

WELCOME! TO The Buffalo Niagara Chess Community: Please welcome Ariana Johnson, Imari Johnson, Demetrius Jenkins, Miles Glenn, Brian Sayers, returning unrated players were Howard Patton, III and Nicole Capodagli.

The results of the Urban Queens - Mary B. Talbert Section, had 6 players participate. The Mary B. Talbert Champion - Ruby Z. Soudant, 2nd Place - Isabelle W. Longfellow, 3rd Place - Miles S. Glenn, 4th Place - Imari R. Johnson. Earning their first chess trophies were Isabelle, Miles and Imari, CONGRATULATIONS! Ruby Soudant and Isabelle Longfellow were members of the Buffalo Golden Knight Chess team who were 2011 K-12 Champions at the Fabius Pompey Upstate New York Scholastic Championships in Fabius New York earlier this month.

In the Urban Knights K-12, Willie Mays #42 Section had 6 players participate. The Willie Mays #42 Champion was Justin D. Arrington, earning his first personal trophy and is a member of the East High Dark Knights Chess team. 2nd Place - Jonathan J. Boone, 3rd Place - James W. Lyon, 4th Place - Joshua A. Hampton. Others were Karl D. White and James Hampton. James W. Lyon took 2nd place at the NYS Scholastic Championships in Saratoga Springs, NY and at the Fabius Pompey Upstate NY Scholastic K-6 section, also a member of the Buffalo Golden Knights Chess Team.

In the G.W. Whitfield Jr. U1500 Section had 9 players participate. Buffalo Fire Champion - James P. Davis, Esq., he has had a lock on the U1500 section for several months now. 2nd Place - Kevin N. Roulhac, a K-12 scholastic player who has earned a trophy in 3 of his last 4 tournaments and wanted to tests his talents in the higher bracket. Kevin was also a Buffalo Golden Knight Chess team member in Fabius, NY and he is the first Urban Knight Chess club member to arrive every wednesday night chess session at the Frank Merriweather Branch library. Congratulations Kevin!

In the U1500 Upset Leaderboard only had Kevin N. Roulhac (685) defeating Michael P. Skok(1162) for 477 points.

The G.W. Whitfield Jr. Open Section had an impressive 14 players. I was able to get in one game before the scholastic section started. Thanks for the new growth. Special Thanks to Mark Clark who drives to visit us and is a welcome member and friend from Jamestown, NY. Mark also host tournaments in the Jamestown area, if you get a chance drop down and "represent Buffalo. Welcome to the Open section for their first games are Justin Craddock, from the UB Chess Club which meets every thursday nights, Brian Sayers.

Back are the Open section Co-Champions - National Master Lionel L. Davis and National Master Barry Davis. We had the full complement of the Davis Chess team and none are related, Barry Davis, Charles L. Davis, Esq., James P. Davis, Esq. and Lionel L. Davis. The U1900 prize winners were Glenn Westcott and Harish Srinivasan.

Special thanks to Jethro Soudant, James J. Paul, OD., Diane Ruminski and Robert Simpson, Esq. for their continued support with hosting lunch, taking pictures and bringing healthy snacks.

Our next monthly tournament will be a "BON VOYAGE" Chess Party Tournament, Saturday, April 23, 2011. A USCF open rated tournament, Swiss, 3 Rounds, Game 60. Three sections of play are Open, U1500 and Unrated. The UNRATED section is for any chess player who wants to play but isnt a current member of the US Chess Federation. The entry fee is $10 and all the proceeds will go to the East High School Dark Knights Chess Team for Nashville, TN. There will be an Easter Basket Raffle and The Dark Knights $5.00 raffle available. We are accepting personal donations of $20 and Business donations of $100. Business donors of $100 or more will receive a quarter page ad in the souvenir journal of the 5th Annual Mayor's Cup FIDE International Chess Championships.
The 5th Annual Mayor's Cup FIDE International Chess Championships., June 3rd, 4th and 5th, 2011 held at Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo NY. This championships is FIDE and US Chess Federation rated. 30 Enhanced USCF Grand Prix points. The defending 2008 & 2010 Mayor's Cup Champion, International Master, Kenneth Regan, Ph.D has confirmed his entry and will be taking on all challengers. May the force be with you!

Those USCF rated U1500 (Jeff White Memorial Section), will play 5 rounds, Swiss, Game 90 only on Sat. June 4th and Sunday, June 5th, 2011. The Mayor's Cup Scholastic K-12 Championships will only be on Saturday, June 4, 2011, Swiss, 5 Rounds, Game 30. Chess teams of 3 players are also elgible to win a MAYOR'S CUP TEAM TROPHY!

Mayor's Cup 2011 FIDE Championship sponsors are Buffalo State College, Sudent Affairs Department, Simpson and Simpson, LLC., and Willie Hutch Jones Educational and Sports Clinics. Business sponsorship opportunities are limited but still available.

If you have any questions, please email arcangel8chess@yahoo.com. Check out our new FACEBOOK page for The Archangel 8 Chess Academy. Pictures and other highlights will be featured only to those who are Facebook Friends. So join us and stay in touch. Give us your thoughts and comments on any ideas for facebook and chess. All comments and suggestion will be reviewed and considered.

Reminder to continue to "Tell a Friend, Bring a Friend" referral program to help us grow the Buffalo Niagara Community Monthly Chess Tournament. The Buffalo Niagara Community Monthly Chess Tournament is an affilate of The Archangel 8 Chess Academy, under the supervision and direction of Michael A. Mc Duffie, Chess Ambassador and USCF Chief Tournament Director.

Report submitted by,

Mc Duffie, USCF Chief Tournament Director and Chess Ambassador

AUGUST FIDE FRIENDSHIP FESTIVAL 2010 - FINAL REPORT

Another successful CAN/AM, World Chess Federation, FIDE and USCF rated tournament is now complete. The August FIDE Friendship Festival 2010 had three Co - Champions! International Master, Kenneth W. Regan, Ph.D., Buffalo's 2010 Mayor's Cup Champion, National Master, Lionel L. Davis and Neal Goldberg from Virginia. All three won 4 out of 5 games from a full field of twenty three.

Honorable mentions were Glenn Westcott, Erik W. Lubas from Kenmore West, David S. Miller and Harish Srinivasan all earned 3.5 points out of five games.

The TOP Upset Leaders were lead by Trevor D. Cohn a 7th grader at Kenmore Middle, scored 566 upset points, Glenn Westcott with 276.5 pts, Michael Skok with 265 pts, Glenn Conlin with 173 pts, Neal Goldberg with 135 pts, Steve L Baer with 128 pts, David S. Miller with 104.5 pts, James J. Paul with 67.5 pts and Partho Bhattacharya, a 10th grader at City Honors earned 53.5 pts.

The cross table is at http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?201008223261

Our final 2010 Friendship Festival summer series tournament will be on Saturday, September 18, 2010. This will be a one day, USCF Open rated, Swiss, Four rounds, Game 90. This will be held at the Gloria J Parks Community Center, 3242 Main Street, Buffalo, NY. For more details and registration, please reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com. Advance registrations are greatly appreciated no later than wednesday, September 15, 2010 with full name, USCF id number and telephone number.

We would like to thank all those who were supportive and participated in the tournament. Please "TELL A FRIEND" and "BRING A FRIEND".

Finally on a sad note, Christopher Smith, who graduated this year from Buffalo State College, has played in several tournaments and a frequent guest at the Urban Knights Chess Club, is now moving back to his home town New York City. We wish him well and hope to see him return in the future.

Reported by Michael A. Mc Duffie, World Chess Federation, Chief Arbiter

Cousins, Russell tie in Sardinia

In his last tournament as a "free man"( he is getting married in Sept.!) Robert Cousins tied for first with Matthew Russell of Bradford Pa. last saturday in the monthly Sardinia tournament.

Cousins (2183) and Russell (1904), who plays sparingly due to his college studies, agreed to a draw with each having less than 2 minutes remaining on their clocks in a very close endgame. Probably the right decision for both.

Ben Havey and Pat Patterson drew their last round game to tie for 3rd while Nathan Palmisano won the U1500 prize. Also competing were Austin Kossow, Ryan Palmisano, and Carl Raymore.

In the Scholastic section Matt Ramey of Kenmore (in his first tournament!) won the trophy in a 5 min. blitz playoff with Luke Grisante. Both finished the regular tournament with 5.5/7. Rob Becker, Mike Pinzel, Hunter Witt, Sam Tillinghast, Nick Brennan, and Brandan LaMont also played.

I plan on playing in the New York State Open over the Labor Day weekend so the Sept tournament will be Sept 11. See you then!

ROLAND K BEARD JR GRAND PRIX REPORT

This month's Main Place Mall "Grand Prix" was very special indeed. It began with the Honor Guard from WNY Maritime Charter School. This all girl color guard team, under the direction of FC1 Michael Allen, has done over 150 events last year. These ladies who were our color guard for this event had won an inhouse competition to represent the MCS, as all 200 team members wanted to participate in this special Veterans Day honor.

What also made it special was that Marissa L. Herko of MCS has now officially established The WNY Maritime Chess Club which will meet every Friday after school. It will be supervised by Michael A. Mc Duffie, USCF Certified Chess Coach, and director of The Archangel 8 Chess Academy.

The family of Roland K. Beard, which included Mrs. Carol Thompson, his grandson and grand daugher-in-law, and his great-grandchildren, were very delighted and impressed to see 33 chess players of all ages would come out to honor their WWII veteran patriarch. The cross table is found at http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200911213921.0

The Beard Airforce Stars 'n Stripes Scholastic section had a total of 10 players, who played a 6 round Swiss, Game/45, tournament. The 2009 Co-Champions were Ryan and Nathan Palmisano from Pioneer Middle School. 3rdd Place went to Miles A. James, a Urban Knights Chess Club member and The 2009 Scholastic Fall K - 4 Champion. Trevor D. Cohn of Kenmore Middle School and a Archangel 8 Chess Club member took 4th Place. Jamar C. Young, a new USCF member and 12th grader from Bishop Timon took 5th Place. Another new USCF member and Bishop Timon 9th grader Nathaniel J. Rosenthal was 6th. Lorena M. James, a 5th grader from Nichols was honorable mention . She lost her first three games but came back to win her last three games, including one where she defeated a 7th grader.

In the John F Kennedy Memorial U1500 section, the Top College Player was David C. Gluchowski from Erie Community College-he too is a new USCF member. Representing Bishop Timon Joe Covley(1110) was the 2009 Champion. Joe was undefeated at 4 - 0. 2nd Place went to Mike R. Jocko(1381) and James J. Paul, MD (1296) was 3rd Place. Upset leaders were Joe Covley with 544 points and James J. Paul, MD with 42.5 pts.

The Beard OSS Airforce Grand Prix Section, had a total of 12 players. and was quite exciting. It included "The Challenge of the Day" which was a claim in the Final round by NM Barry Davis(2091) v Vance Williams(2132), of insufficient losing chances. The advisement committee of TD Thomas A Warner and International Master Mladen Vucic upheld the claim thus resulting in a draw.

IM Mladen Vucic(2389) was our 2009 Champion. IM Vucic was born in Yugoslavia but now lives in WNY. He came out because his rating dropped below 2400 and it "bothered" him. 2nd Place was shared by NM Barry Davis and Eric Grabowski(2091). The U1900 winner was Ryan Madden (1598). Upset Leaderboard: Barry Davis 169.5 points, David Miller 153 pts, David Biddle 97 pts, Matthew Peck 88 pts and Eric Grabowski 41 pts. Excused notables were Evan Ashton, Mark Clark, Robert Cousins, Pierce Cummings, Lionel Davis, Chester Fell, Neil Goldberg, Josua Guo, Brian Hartman, Michael Hillery, Tony Kimbrough, Eddie Mark, Albert Patterson, Marijan Procyk, Nourali Rastbood, Kenneth Regan, Patrick Robinson, Josh Rofrano, Harish Srinivasan, Ferdinand Supsup, Glenn Westcott, Vince Woodard and David W. Mc Duffie (Pawn Master).

Excused notables were Evan Ashton, Mark Clark, Robert Cousins, Pierce Cummings, Lionel Davis, Chester Fell, Neil Goldberg, Josua Guo, Brian Hartman, Michael Hillery, Tony Kimbrough, Eddie Mark, Albert Patterson, Marijan Procyk, Nourali Rastbood, Kenneth Regan, Patrick Robinson, Josh Rofrano, Harish Srinivasan, Ferdinand Supsup, Glenn Westcott, Vince Woodard and David W. Mc Duffie (Pawn Master).

Thank you for everyone who supported this event-with a special thanks to Mrs. Cummings and Lorena James who helped organized lunch for us.

Our next event will be Saturday, December 19, 2009 for the Garnell Whitfield Jr Grand Prix, Garnell is the first minority appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Buffalo Fire Department, USCF Rated, Four Rounds, Swiss, Game 50, there will be a Fireman Section for the Champion of the Buffalo Firehouses, get your firehouse represented now. PIZZA and BEVERAGES FOR ALL CHESS PLAYERS! Advance registrations $20 v $35 at the door, postmarked no later than wednesday, December 16, 2009, please mail and make checks payable to Archangel 8 Chess Academy, 60F Guilford Lane, Buffalo, NY 14221 with full name, USCF Id number, section of play and telephone number.

Respectfully submitted by Mc Duffie, Chess Ambassador and USCF Tournament Director

2009 WNY FALL SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT

The Second Annual Fall Scholastic Championships drew a total of thirty seven students, our most successful draw but not as many from chess teams. Team awards were withdrawn and the sections were revised to reflect a more balanced Swiss format.

Winners pictured above in the STAR SCHOLASTIC Section K - 4th grades sponsored by the Willie Hutch Jones Educational and Sports Clinics were Champion - Miles A. James, 3rd Grader at Olmstead #64 and Urban Knights Chess Club, 2nd Place - Kevin Farris, 4th grader from the Chess Club of Buffalo, 3rd Place - Adam Velaquez, Kindergarden at Ellicott Road Elementary in Orchard Park, 4th Place - James Velaquez, 1st Grader at Ellicott Road Elementary, 5th Place - Andrew Pencille, Upman School, Lockport NY.

Winners from the Main Liberty Group Section 5th - 8th grades were as follows, Pioneer Middle School dominated this section and remain the Middle School Champions for 2009. Leading the way was Champion Nathan Palmisano, Pioneer Middle, grandson of Thomas Warner, 2nd Place - Samuel Tillinghast, Pioneer, 3rd Place - Chris Darling, 4th Place - Nick Brennan, Pioneer and 5th Place - Spencer Rhyans, Westminister Charter and Urban Knights member, other 5th place honorable mentions were Carl Raymore, Pioneer, Nathan Schiener, Pioneer and Yamil Cruz, Enterprise Charter.

Winners from the Archangel 8 Chess Academy Section 9 - 12th grades, most of the players in this section were underclassmen, USCF rated members and were the most advanced from the total pool of tournament players. This section will be our first USCF Rated section. Champion - Benjamin Havey(1757), Kenmore Middle and the highest USCF rated player in the section, 2nd Place - Partho Bhattacharya(1242), City Honors, 3rd Place - Austin Kossow(895)Pioneer Middle, 4th Place - Richard Herko(941) Global Concept Charter and 5th Place - Ryan Madden(1598), Pioneer Middle. Other 5th Place honorable mentions were John Osborn, Chess Club of Buffalo, Colden NY and Trevor Cohn(761)Kenmore Middle and a Archangel 8 Chess Academy member.

Pizza and beverages were donated by contributions from George K. Arthur and Robert Simpson, Simpson and Simpson, LLC. Trophies donated by the Archangel 8 Chess Academy and The Wright Plaque Company, Kenmore NY.

A special thanks to the Enterprise Charter Chess Team for the Set Up, Marissa Herko, Maritime Charter and Richard Herko, Global Concept Charter for Clean Up, Chess Moms for Lunch, Mrs Herko, Dr Debbie Miller and moms from Pioneer Middle School. Outstanding Coach - Thomas A Warner for delivering a bus load of 14 players and parents. New female chess players were Lorena James, 5th - Nichols and member of the Urban Knights Chess Club, Julia Penchaszadeh Robert, 3rd - Olmstead #64, Jovanna Chambers, 2nd - Charter School for Applied Technology and member of the Urban Knights Chess Club.

Thanks to everyone for making the 2009 WNY Fall Scholastic Championship the most successful. Tell a Friend, Bring a Friend to Chess, start a club in your area. If you would like help or in need of group lessons, requests to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com. We look forward to all returning in 2010.

Respectfully submitted, Michael A. Mc Duffie, Chess Ambassador

Scholastic Unrated #11 Report

A total of 35 players competed in this weekend's Scholastic #11 at Genesee Valley Central School directed by "the old woodpusher"-Garry Reynolds. Coach Tom Warner's Pioneer Team was particularly impressive. Trophyies and chess clocks were awarded to those who finished in 1st through 3rd place in each section.

In the K-6 section, Sam Tillinghast (493) from Pioneer went a perfect 5 of 5 to take first place. Chris Darling (813), also from Pioneer was second going 4/5. Rayelle Nelling (315p) from Bradford was third but also was 4 of 5.

In the 7-12 section, Luke Duttweiler (unrated) of the host school Genesee Valley Central School, was clear first going a perfect 5 of 5. Luke has been a first place champion in these tournaments now a total of 4 times. Finishing second was Austin Kossow (899) from Pioneer at 4/5. Third place was shared by the Palmisaro brothers Ryan (884) and Nathan (691) both from Pioneer at 3.5/5.

Special Note: There have had over 230 different students play in these events since it's humble beginnings and a total of 412 players overall!

NY defeats Cleveland!

Ok so it's not the Knicks over the Cavs, or the Yankees beating the Indians, But WNY's own Tom Warner avenged the Bills loss to the Browns by going undefeated in the U1800 section of this past weekend's Cleveland Open. He was 4.5/5 and the only missing 1/2 point was due to his taking a bye in the 5th round-presumably because he had to drive back home. One of the ironies of this event was after driving all that way to play, Tom was paired in the second round against his protégée' Ryan "Mad dog" Madden. Even more comical was this was the second pairing for Ryan against a local WNYer, as he played Evan Ashton in the first round! Perhaps next year they can just play in Sardinia and call it the Cleveland Open Satellite Tournament. I am sure though that the $1000 prize for first place made it a sweet ride home for Tom and friends.

Other notable WNYers playing this weekend in Cleveland were: RCC's FM Igor Nikolayev in the Open section, and Ryan and Nathan Palmisano in the U1000 section.

The cross table for the event is at http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200910253721

Thanks to Josh Rofrano who alerted me to the story by commenting in the prior post. Josh Rofrano said, "recently after looking through the cross-tables i saw that tom warner as well as a few other western ny locals played in the cleveland open. Tom did real well by winning the U1800 section outright! Good work tom."

FATHER BAKER 10TH ANNUAL RESULTS

On thursday, October 22, 2009 at the Lackawanna Senior Center, the Lackawanna Youth Board hosted the 10th Annual Father Baker Chess Tournament. All players received medals, an algebraic chess board, pizza and refreshments.

Most of the Champions pictured here are members of the US Chess Federation. Samuel Santora and Jacob Meloon were Co Champions, Marissa and Richard Herko finished 3rd and 1st Place. The other members are from the Global Concepts Chess Club directed by Coach Cirillo.

The 2nd Annual WNY Scholastic Championships will be held on saturday, November 14, 2009, Main Place Mall, 390 Main Street, Buffalo NY. Three sections, K-3, 4-8 and 9th - 12th grades, Team trophies and Individual awards for the TOP 3 winners. Register with reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com. Schools can have four players per team. Please include full name, grade, section of play and telephone number. Entry fee is $10 which includes Pizza and Beverage. This event is not Rated!

DAVID A. ROSENKOETTER WINS IN BUFFALO

David A. Rosenkoetter who is from Kansas City, MO has really impressed the chess community during his current visit to the Buffalo/WNY area. As you see in the picture above, David is blind, and plays on his own Braille-style board while his opponent moves the pieces on a “sighted” chessboard.

Despite this disadvantage, David won three out of four matches in the U1500 Section of The October "Grand Prix" Tournament held at the Main Place Mall in Buffalo, NY this past Saturday. His performance earned him a tie for 2nd place and increased his rating to his highest point so far. David is the first blind chess player to play at this event but has competed in a number of tournaments in the past. In 2008 he finished in a tie for third place at the United States Chess Federation Blind Championships.

Charles Ferraro, his opponent in the third round and who was one of Mr. Rosenkoetter's victims, had this to say about David: "He certainly showed a number of us how to play the game! He played the f4 attack against my Sicilian defense to great effect in our game and had me on the ropes very quickly."

The next Main Place Mall tournament will be Saturday, November 21, 2009. It will be named in honor of Roland K Beard, Jr. who is a living World War II Airforce hero and native of Clarence, NY. While in the Burma Road Campaign he broke the Japanese code and in so doing saved a British war ship. Although he was to receive a honorary war citation, he still has not garnered this recognition from the US government. Come out and join us in a big salute to a local living WWII Airforce Hero! For more information and registration please reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com

OCTOBER GRAND PRIX REPORT 2009

***** Update Crosstable **** Chess is very much alive and well in the Buffalo and Western New York area, as evidenced by the twenty-one chess players who participated in the October Grand Prix Event this past Saturday at the Main Place Mall. Both newcomers and old returning friends added the flavor of the day. Some of the newcomers included David A. Rosenkoetter, who is visiting from Kansas City, MO. Not only did he come from far away but he also is the first blind chess player to compete at a Main Place Mall tournament. We also welcomed Mathew GH Jenkins a student for the Buffalo College League, from West Seneca, NY. Meanwhile Charles Ferraro and Mykel Douglas(1751p) joined us from The Westfield Chess Club, Westfield NY. Lastly Ferdinand Supsup(1693), from Toronto, Ontario Canada came back for a return visit to take on the south of the border competition.

The STAR SCHOLASTIC WINNERS were Partho Bhattacharya(1246), a City Honors student who captured first place and Nathan Palmisano(720), from Pioneer Middle School who collected second place in front of proud grandfather-Tom Warner. Buffalo College Chess League October Champion was Mathew GH Jenkins a student at BYU.

In the U1500 Section, William M. Rich, from Amherst, NY was the champion with an undefeated mark of 3.5/4 and recharged his rating to 1344. Finishing in a tie for 2nd place with 3pts each were the previosly unrated Mathew Jenkins and the aforementioned blind player David A. Rosenkoetter. [Upset Leaderboard: David A. Rosenkoetter (967) with 286 upset points, Steve L. Baer(1085) for 168 points, and William M. Rich(1204) for 67 pts.]

Harish Srinivasan was a perfect 4 for 4 and was clear first in the OPEN SECTION and raised his rating to 1925! Tying for second were Vance Williams (2132), Thomas A. Warner(1739) and Michael A. Mc Duffie(1156) all with 3 points. [UPSET LEADERBOARD: Michael A. Mc Duffie(1156) for 601 points, Harish Srinivasan(1886) for 246 pts, and Erik W. Lubas(1556) for 112 pts.]

The next Grand Prix will be named in honor of a WWII veteran from Clarence, New York- Roland K. Beard, Jr. While in the Airforce, OSS, he and a colleague were responsible for breaking the code of the Japanese that helped save many British soldiers on a ship that was to be attacked. He has not been in good health recently and we are trying to have the US Government issue him and his fellow soldier their Honorary Citation. It was to be awarded to them earlier but some how fell through the cracks. He currently lives in Maryland but his sister will be delighted to share photos and stories of her brother with us. Previosly when he had lived in the Clarence area, he had taught chess to children. So we hope we have a nice turn out to meet and greet his sister. Saturday, November 21, 2009, Main Place Mall, 390 Main St, Buffalo NY, Four Rounds, Swiss, Game/50. For more information and registration please reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com

COLUMBUS DAY SCHOLASTIC TOURNAMENT REPORT

Several USCF Scholastic players turned out to the Wegman's - Alberta Drive Store, Amherst New York and earned some rated points. The Columbus Day results were Co-Champions Miles A. James, Urban Knights and Samuel Santora, Chess Club of Buffalo, 2nd Place new USCF member Benjamin Rummell,Chess Club of Buffalo, Homeschool Chess club and 3rd Place Kevin Farris, Chess Club of Buffalo. Kudos for Samuel Santora who earned a place in the USCF Top 100 - 7 year olds as of June 2009, Congratulations! A round robin, game 30 was the play of the day. I want to thank the dedicated and loyal players, the parents who took the time out to bring their children out for tournament play.

The next USCF Scholastic Tournment will be Saturday, Oct 17th, 2009, Five Rounds, Swiss, Game 30, Pizza and Refreshments will be held at the Main Place Mall, Upper Level, 390 Main St, Buffalo NY 14201, Entry fee is $10.00, Trophies for the Top three Winners!

EVERY FOURTH SATURDAY we host the Borders Scholastic Monthly Chess League, Quakercrossing Plaza, Cafe Section, Orchard Park NY, Games start at 1pm until 4:30pm. Please register in advance by online to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com no later than friday, October 23, 2009 with full name, age, grade, telephone number. Membership is $5.00 per person.

Arkport Report

The following was forwarded to me from Tom Warner and is originally from Ron Lohrman of the RCC.

The 14th Annual Arkport Open was held as advertised at the Arkport Community Room this past Saturday. Arkport is 5 miles north of Hornell, NY on NY Route 36. There were 27 players in the tournament with two house players available for the byes. Six of the players were rated 2000 or above. As in previous years larger prizes were paid than advertised. A great time was had by all who participated in this premier rated Open Tournament of the Southern Tier. The prize winners with pre-tournament ratings were: Igor Nikolayev (2382) and Andre Kozitsky (2272) sharing 1st/2nd places: $160 each. Top under 1800 were John Manning(1796) and William A. Potts (1777): $83.50 each. Top under 1600 were Mark Wattenberg (1596) and Siddartha Nutulapati (940): $83.50 each. The crosstable is not yet available.

Cousins Conquers Sardinia

**** Update Crosstable ***** Newcomer to the area Robert Cousins(2140) survived a scare from Ryan Madden(1601) and won the Sardinia tournament last Saturday. Madden was an exchange up and had a time advantage but could not hold the position against the expert from New Hampshire. A good effort from the 13 year old! Matt Peck(1581) and Madden tied for 2nd while Mike McDuffie(1119) held Tom Warner(1774) to a draw and won the u1200 prize. Chris Darling went 4-0 and won the Scholastic section. Sam Tillinghast and first timer Kevin Farris also competed. No tournament next month due to the Scholastic tournament in Belmont, NY, so the next Sardinia tournament is Dec.5

BUFFALO BLIZZARDS CHESS TEAM!

Members representing Buffalo at the First Annual Robert C. Johnson Memorial Tournament held at St. Bonaventure University were, in the back row, Father Procyk, Barry Davis, Tom Callea, and Vic Bahl, Front row, Coach Mc Duffie, Miles A. James, and Tournament Director Robert Ferguson. The Buffalo team finished in fifth place. I have invited Tamara Ferguson and Victor Randolph to participate in the October Grand Prix. Tamara was the Open Section Champion and Victor was the U1600 Champion. To register for the October Grand Prix, mail and make checks payable to Archangel 8 Chess Academy, 60F Guilford Lane, Buffalo, NY 14221 with full name, uscf id number, section and telephone number. Advance entry fee $20 vs $30 CASH Only at the door. Online registration to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com.

Stiff Southernly Forces

The strong chess teams from the Southern Tier took first through fourth at the Robert C. Johnson Memorial Team Chess Tournament played at St. Bonaventure University this past Saturday.

Bradford, PA carried off the overall trophy for this year with an overwhelming score of 11, a full point-and-a-half ahead of the second place Southtowns, NY team that included Don Hoak, Tom Warner, and John Mauer in the Open section and Ryan Madden, George Tasevski, and Ryan Palmisno in the u1600 section. Two points behind them tied-for-third-place were the Jamestown, NY and Westfield, NY teams. The Buffalo Blizzards represented by NM Barry Davis, Rev. Marijan Procyk, Tom Callea, Michael McDuffie, Vic Bahl, and Miles James finished a respectable fifth.

TD Bob Ferguson ran a fine event on the beautiful St. Bonaventure University campus: A number of people commented on the ivy-clad buildings and the architectural details. Even the food drew applause. The rounds went off as planned, the room was conducive to playing and easily handled the large crowd of 38 players from seven teams that took part in the competition. Bob even took the time to give Charles Ferraro pointers on running future tournaments. Well done, Bob!! Thanks for your efforts and to Charles Ferraro who sent me the news.

The cross table is available at http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200909264571

ACKER GRAND PRIX 2009 RESULTS

*** Update Crosstable now available Twenty four players came out in support of the Daniel R. Acker Memorial Grand Prix.

The results for the STAR SCHOLASTIC SECTION, open to all students K - 12th grades had Partho Bhattacharya(City Honors) and Ryan Madden(Pioneer) tied for First Place with 2.5 points each, 2nd Place William J. Deuschle(Nardin Academy), 3rd Place Miles A. James(Olmstead #64) and 4th Place Dakaylah Winfield(MLK JR.#39).

In the Daniel R Acker Memorial U1500 Section, the winners were First Place - Timothy Pierce and 2nd Place - James P. Davis, Esq. U1500 UPSET LEADERS: Miles A. James 555 pts, Williams J. Deuschle 81 pts, Steve L. Baer 77.5 pts. (Upset points are awarded to the lower rated player who gets a result aginst a higher rated player. It is determined by the full point differential between the winning lower rated player and the higher rated player s/he beat or in the case of a draw half of the points between the lower and higher rated player. )

In the Daniel R Acker Memorial OPEN Section, First Place went to Robert P. Cousins, who recently moved into the WNY area from New Hampshire, 2nd Place was tied between Vance Williams and Harish Srinivasan. Harish earned the U1900 class prize. UPSET LEADERS: Harish Srinivasan 307.5 pts., Ryan Madden 109.5 pts., David M. Biddle 98 pts.

It was nice to see NM Lionel L. Davis again, as he came and gave game analysis to Dakaylah Winfield. Perhaps we might see some of the other top WNY players like IM Kenneth Regan, NM Eddie Mark, experts Mark Clark, Douglas Dubose, and Rev. Marijan Procyk at future events.

We want to thank all of those you attended. To those of you that had the desire to play but were unable to do so this time, our next Grand Prix will be SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2009, MAIN PLACE MALL, 390 MAIN STREET, BUFFALO, NY, SAME FORMAT, DEADLINE FOR ADVANCE ENTRIES IS OCTOBER 14, 2009. All questions and comments with reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com

NYS Championship Results

Georgian (the country not the state) GM GIORGI KACHEISHVILI tied with Indian (the country not Native American) SIDDHARTH RAVICHANDRAN for first in the Open section of the 131st New York State Open Championship with 5/6. However the title of New York State Champion likely stays with GM-elect Alex Lenderman as he was the highest scoring New Yorker at 4.5/6.

On a more local note: FM Igor Nikolayev and Ben Dean-Kamura, both members of The Rochester Chess Center finished 4/6 in the Open section good for a tie for 7th.

On an even more local level: Benjamin Havey scored 3.5/6 in the U2000 section good for a share of 14th place and Michael Gerow scored 5/6 to capture clear second in the U1600 section.

The cross table is at http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200909079301

Procyk wins in Sardinia

Rev.Marjan Procyk made the trip from Buffalo a succesful one by winning all 3 games and finishing 1st in the Sardinia tournament last Saturday. Procyk's play was excellent as he defeated Ryan Madden, Tom Warner, and Pat Patterson without much trouble. Hopefully he'll come again next month and give us a chance for some revenge! LOL Also competing were Ryan and Nathan Palmisano. Next tournament Oct 3. Hope to see you there.

"PAWN MASTER" TAKES SECOND PLACE!

David "Pawn Master" Mc Duffie,former Buffalonian and now Baltimore Maryland resident, participated in the 41st Atlantic Open U 1900 section and came home with second place. We want to send him our best wishes and hopes that he will continue his winning ways and maybe even visit us back here in Buffalo for one of the monthly Grand Prixs.