Tag: Chess Tournaments
Revised Round 4 Pairings for the 2023 Winter Swiss
Due to some unavoidable schedule conflicts, the round 4 pairings have been revised as below. Wilson has a full-point bye but a house player has agreed to play him on Tuesday, March 7 at 6:30 PM.
Lourdes Defeats Century to Win RASCL City Cup Chess Tournament
Excerpts from Chuck Handlon, Secretary/Treasurer Rochester Area Scholastic Chess League (RASCL) February 20, 2023.
The 23rd annual Rochester Area Scholastic Chess League (RASCL) City Cup Tournament was held at Century HS (the 2022 City Cup Champions) on Saturday February 18th.
Century was the top seed in the tournament and played a semi-final match against fourth place Byron High School. Mayo HS finished second and was pitted against Lourdes High School.
Each team has five players ranked in order from # 1 board to # 5. The top seed plays white on boards # 1, 3 & 5. A win earns one point for the team and a draw results in each team receiving ½ points. Century defeated Byron 3 – 2 and advanced to the championship round while Lourdes passed Mayo to also advance. Lourdes then defeated Century 3 ½ to 1 ½ to reclaim the City Cup. Lourdes team members were Jacob Arroyo, (junior), Cole Hafner (senior), Jack Nelson (freshman), Asa Cape (8th grade), and Dylan Park (7th grade), on boards 1-5, respectively. Freshmen team members Joseph Bell and Luke Waldbillig were unable to compete. This was Lourdes eighth time as City Cup Champion. Lourdes has won the cup five out of the last eight years.
There was a concurrent Swiss Style Junior Varsity City Cup Tournament of four rounds with 26 players mainly in middle and high school, including a new team from the Rochester STEM Academy that is coached by Kevin Gaustad. The top six finishers from first to sixth were Sam Blocksome (4 points), David Atwell (3.5), Elijan Nhean – Prom (3.5), Andy Ott (3.0), Ryder Selnes (3.0) and Noah Stanslaski (3.0). Gianna Deick finished in 7th place with 2.5 points The John Marshall junior varsity team took first place with a team score (total of the top four players) of 12.0.
The RASCL Top Five Varsity players based on points attained from regular season games were awarded trophies. They are, in order from first to fifth, Jacob Arroyo (Lourdes), Jayan Jaychandran (Century), Ethan Zhang (Century), Nolan Schnaedter (Century) and Isaac Ahn (Mayo) tied with Jack Nelson (Lourdes).
The RASCL “All League Team” which has one player from each school nominated by the coach are Jayan Jaychandran (Century), Cole Hafner (Lourdes), Isaac Ahn (Mayo) and Cole Larson (Byron). Lourdes chess coach Dennis Mays was named the 2023 RASCL Coach of the Year.
Although the RASCL City Cup Tournament is the culmination of scholastic chess in Rochester, the Minnesota State Chess Association (MSCA) State K – 12 Championship Tournament will conclude the overall 2023 scholastic chess season. Many of the Rochester players will participate in the MSCA State Championship which will be held on the weekend March 4th and 5th at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. https://onlineregistration.cc/tournaments/index.php?txn=y9Dg4A==&view=zt7g2Q==&act=ven&tid=mqWnnQ==
For more information contact RASCL Secretary Chuck Handlon chuckwheelerhandlon@gmail.com
THIS WEEK IN ROCHESTER CHESS
Calculation Training Class: National Master Matt Jensen will be concluding his class on “Calculation Training – a Mini-Series” on Tuesday, January 31, 7:00 – 8:30 PM in the Mayo Clinic Harwick Building. This class is part IV in which Matt will discuss Intermediate Moves, Imagination, and Traps, three important concepts in calculation. Space is limited.
As always, attendees are welcome to play casual chess.
USCF-rated 2023 Winter Swiss: Remember to register for the USCF-rated 2023 Winter Swiss which will begin on February 7. Rated games of G/60 + 30s increment will be played in person, one game per week on Tuesday evenings. Games begin at 6:30 PM. Alternative dates and times can be negotiated if both players agree and they inform me ahead of time. Register by noon on Monday, February 6 to be paired in the first round: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnw1m_bp5Zgek5sHs70kNQe9luWtOztpkj1y-9zbKE5UKY1A/viewform?usp=pp_url Half-point byes are permitted.
Chess Mini-Camp: There is still space available in the Chess Mini-Camp for Adults and Youth which will be held on Saturday, February 11. Tuition: $20 + $5 for each additional family member. Payable onsite by check or cash. Contact Dennis Mays for information about scholarships. Online registration is required. Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegWjqjXQuQ52TnUrlJf4yulnCiwity1afufNiJA1LFo-nDxg/viewform?usp=pp_url
Jersey Jo’s Philly Cheesesteaks: Come for the chess. Stay for the cheesesteaks. On Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., Jersey Jo’s Philly Cheesesteaks is hosting casual chess at its one-of-a-kind shop at 187 18th Ave SW (in the small strip mall across the Frontage Road from the McDonald’s on 2nd St. SW). Stop in for casual chess and have fun! Contact Rochester Chess Club members Alex Nelson (320-583-5717, alex24947@gmail.com) or Steve Lange (507-398-9212, slange@rochestermagazine.com), for more information.