August 1 to 5 was the second week we spent at Colvin Run, traditionally one of our strongest camps. The students were subjected to some rigorous tactical and endgame exercises over the course of the five days and they rose to the challenge. As usual, we were impressed with the level of skill on display, especially in the Friday tournament that concluded the week.
Even with the inclement weather in Silver Spring, Bishops & Beers still brought out chess enthusiasts on Tuesday night. Players turned up to Silver Branch Brewery for some good drinks, good food and good games of chess.
Moving forward, our meetings at the brewery will be a weekly occasion, beginning at 6 p.m. every Tuesday. The next event will be the evening of June 19. Whether you’re a seasoned tournament player or still learning the ropes, we hope you’ll come join us (as long as you’re over 21). Our Meetup group has more information about Bishops & Beers and our other regular activities open to the public.
Playing in big competitions is a rewarding experience for students no matter what the result. Over the course of the next year, the greater Washington area will play host to three major national youth tournaments; this December the 2022 National K-12 Grade Championships will be held at National Harbor, followed in the spring by the National High School Championships in downtown Washington and the National Elementary (K-6) Championship at the Baltimore Convention Center.
The best way to prepare for a big tournament is to practice under the same conditions that the tournament games will follow, and this past Wednesday, over 20 of our students got together to do exactly that. Based on the diligent efforts of theirs that we’ve observed so far, we are confident when the Nationals come to town that the local area will be represented well.
We concluded our first week of summer camps with a tournament, during which the students had the opportunity to show off the skills they learned this week.
We have no doubt that the students will put their knowledge to good use in other tournaments and in their school clubs when they resume in the fall.
The Chess Center is excited to be able to resume our in-person summer camps. Our camp season began this past Monday at Churchill Road Elementary School in McLean. Nearly 30 students are joining us this week to hone their chess skills and make new friends.
Our day camps combine high quality chess instruction and practice with outdoor recreational activities. The chess lessons are structured so that all the students are challenged and no one is bored.
Our camps typically run from from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. on Monday through Friday with aftercare available until 5. Registration is still open for several weeks later in the summer, including camps in Vienna, Oakton and northwest Washington, DC.
A special thank you to Ms. Chiba Edmonds for allowing us to host chess in her classroom each week, and thank you again to the DC Housing Finance Agency, Share Fund, and all our donors for their financial support which enabled us to supply the equipment and offer chess class at Sousa at no cost to the students or school.
Bishops and Beers kicked off Tuesday, June 7 at Silver Branch Brewery in Silver Spring. A wide range of players, from novices to experts, showed up to socialize and play.
Silver Branch provided a great atmosphere to meet up with old friends and make new ones over the board, and we’re already looking forward to the next event. To stay abreast of future meetings and see more of the photos from Tuesday night, you can join our Meetup group.
40 students showed up to Eastern Market Metro Park last Saturday, June 4 for the latest event in our series of casual drop-in tournaments. We had a wide range of experience levels represented – some of the students were already seasoned tournament players while others were taking part in their first chess competition.
As always, it was nice to see new friendships being formed over games of chess. We hope participating in events like these helps provide the experience and confidence the students can carry with them into other competitions.
Yesterday was our last meeting of Sunday Chess before the summer. Our classes for students in grades 7-12 brought together nearly 50 students during the school year. We will start up again in the fall under a new name, the Theophilus Thompson Club, when our focus will be having our students prepared for the national scholastic chess championships.
Approximately 20 elementary, middle and high school students came out this past Saturday, May 21, to play in the E.L. Haynes Junior Open. The tournament was another successful collaboration among the U.S. Chess Center, Chess Girls DC, and E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, who hosted the event on their campus in northwest Washington.
More often than not, when students travel to compete in strong tournaments like the state and national championships, it makes for a fantastic experience. It’s exciting when the kids bring home trophies, and it’s also exciting when they bring back things they’ve learned from competing that they can then share with the other students in their school clubs.
At the recent National Elementary School Championships, held May 13-15 in Columbus, our students at Spring Hill got to do both. In all, ten Spring Hill students traveled to Ohio to play, and the school finished 6th in the K-5 Championship section, while also winning trophies in the K-3 U-900 section (17th place overall), and the K-3 U-700 section (9th place overall).
Below, Principal Eck accepts the three trophies the school brought back from Ohio after last week’s tournament.
When the Elementary School Nationals come to Baltimore in 2023, we hope to see even more of our students come out to represent the local region.
A full list of results from the 2022 tournament is available at USCF’s website at http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202205151282.
Chess In The Park continues the first Saturday in June with a free outdoor tournament at Eastern Market Metro Park, staged in partnership with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. Any student in grades 2 through 8 may register to participate.
The tournament will follow a similar format to the event we recently held at Fairview Road Urban Park in Silver Spring. The first round of games will begin at 10 a.m. and the tournament will finish up around 1. Students who play need to be familiar with all of the rules of chess, including castling, stalemate and the touch-move rule. No membership in any organization is required to take part.
Eighteen DC elementary school students turned up for the DC K-5 Championship qualifier this past Saturday, May 14th, to determine who would have the honor of representing the District at this summer’s national Rockefeller Tournament of Elementary School Champions. Congratulatons to Lenox Serrette who won the tournament with victories in all five rounds.
We were happy to see that, among the field of participants, there were ten children playing in their first nationally rated competition. Playing in important tournaments is the fastest and surest way to improving your playing strength, no matter the result.
To view the full standings from Saturday’s event, click here.
The Chess Center invites all of our grown-up patrons (over 21 years of age) to join us the first Tuesday of each month for Bishops and Beers at Silver Branch Brewing Company.
Starting June 7, participants will be able to come out and play chess while enjoying the beverage offerings at one of Silver Spring’s finest local production breweries. One of our certified U.S. Chess Center instructors will be hosting proceedings. Board, sets, and some clocks for those who wish to play rapid and blitz games will all be provided.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned master, you’re welcome to come play with us.
Registration is available here: https://chessctr.org/play/bishops-and-beers/.
Yesterday, fifty-five children ranging from second- to eighth-graders played chess at Fairview Road Park in Silver Spring, the largest urban park in Montgomery County and just a few blocks from our headquarters.
The weather was beautiful as experienced tournament players and beginners alike battled wits on tables and on oversized chess boards that Montgomery Parks laid out.
Some students played as many as eleven games during the three hours while others played only three. It was great seeing new friendships formed over the board and we look forward to seeing the kids playing more.
We will have another Chess in the Park on June 4, using a similar format, at Eastern Market Metro Park in Washington, DC.
In just over two weeks, the District of Columbia will select its representative in the national tournament of elementary school champions. This year’s qualification tournament is to be held at the Kellogg Conference Center at 800 Florida Avenue NE, Washington DC 20002, on Saturday, May 14. The winner earns the right to play in the Rockefeller National Tournament of Elementary School Champions later this summer.
The tournament is open to D.C. residents in kindergarten through grade 5. This is a nationally rated tournament, so players must be or become U.S. Chess Federation members in order to play. The tournament starts at 9:30 the morning of May 14, but registration closes on Thursday, May 12 at 3:00 P.M., so players interested in taking part should be sure to sign up before then.
More information and online registration is available at https://dcscholasticchess.org/tournaments .
Three students from Sunday Chess attended the 2022 National High School Championships in Memphis over the weekend. The tournament had been cancelled for the previous two years because of the pandemic, so there was a lot of pent-up enthusiasm for this year’s event.
This was the third Nationals Anish attended, but the first major national for Zach and Ret. All three had wonderful experiences and are more prepared for the series of national championships coming up in the DC area over the next few years.
The tournament was run exceptionally well, with professional staff handling every detail efficiently. The rounds started on time, the side events were fun for the students, and the conditions of play were the best ever for a scholastic tournament. We look forward to spectacular events at National Harbor in December and in downtown DC next March.
Posted below is a win of Zach’s from the first half of the competition. Zach, playing the black pieces, managed to hold on against an intimidating attack during the first 25 moves.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 d6 7. c3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nbd2 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Re1 Re8 12. Nf1 h6 13. Ng3 Bf8 14. a4 Bb7 15. axb5 axb5 16. Nf5 c4 17. d4 exd4 18. N3xd4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Nxe4 20. Nxh6+ gxh6 21. Qg4+ Ng5 22. Rxe8 Qxe8 23. Bxg5 hxg5 24. Qxg5+ Bg7 25. Nf5 Qe5
White is down a piece, but looks as though he will regain it after 26. Ne7+ Kf8 27. Qxe5 Bxe5 28. Nc6 . However, Zach’s 28….Ra6 kept him in the driver’s seat, since after 29. Nxa5 b4 30. cxb4 Bxb2, the pin on the a5-knight means that White can’t stop Black’s dangerous c-pawn without losing material.
Instead, White played 29. f4, and the game concluded: 29…Rxc6 30. fxe5 Nb7 31. Ra7 Rb6 32. exd6 Nxd6 33. h4 Ne4 34. g4 Nc5 35. Kg2 Na4 36. Kf3 Nxb2 37. Ke4 Nd3 38. Kd5 Kg7 39. g5 Re6 40. Rb7 Re5+ 41. Kd4 Rf5 42. Rb6 Nc5 43. Ke3 Na4 and White resigned. 0-1
The full set of results from the 2022 tournament is available here.
The District of Columbia’s qualification events for the national Denker and Barber championships took place this past Saturday afternoon, April 2. Students turned up from all around DC to compete for the middle and high school championship titles.
Ben Tyrrell (below left, playing black) won all four of his games to take first place in the high school section and earn the right to represent the District at the Denker Tournament of High School Champions later this summer. Ethan Crawford (below right) put up the same perfect score to win the middle school section and qualify to represent Washington at the Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School Champions. Both events will be held this July 30 – August 2 in Rancho Mirage, California.
We’re grateful to the DC Housing Finance Agency for hosting the event at their headquarters, and to Robin Ramson for her efforts organizing and promoting the tournament. The full set of results from both the middle and high school sections is available here:
US Chess MSA – Cross Table for DC BARBER DENKER QUALIFIER (Event 202204022192)
Montgomery Blair’s domination of the Metro Area Chess League continued through the play-offs as they swept to the championship winning all three of their matches. The play-offs were held Saturday, March 26, in the museum of United Therapeutics in Blair’s home turf of downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. The league is grateful to United Therapeutics for providing such a convenient and comfortable location for the play-offs, and for the snacks.
Richard Montgomery High School of Rockville finished in second place with a 1½ – 1½ score (one win, one draw and one loss), followed by Woodrow Wilson High School of the District of Columbia (1 – 2) and Gonzaga College High School (½ – 2½).
The league included 22 teams this year from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, starting play in November. This is the first time the league was run virtually, but with the success of this year, we will run the league this way again in the 2022-23 school year. Any high school in the metro area may join.
Round 1
Montgomery Blair High School 3-1 Woodrow Wilson High School
Richard Montgomery High School 2.5-1.5 Gonzaga College High School
Round 2
Richard Montgomery High School 2-2 Woodrow Wilson High School
Gonzaga College High School 0-4 Montgomery Blair High School
Round 3
Woodrow Wilson High School 2-2 Gonzaga College High School
Montgomery Blair High School 3-1 Richard Montgomery High School
The Denker Tournament of High School Champions is an annual invitational event for the champions of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Named for the late Grandmaster Arnold Denker, a former U.S. Champion and a tireless promoter of chess among young people, the tournament has been one of the most prestigious national events for students in grades 9-12 since its inception 38 years ago.
The Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School Champions, now in its 12th year, is the corresponding annual event for students in grades 6-8. This year both the Denker and Barber tournaments will be held in the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California, from July 30 – August 2. This coming Saturday, April 2, Washington, DC will hold its qualification tournaments to determine who will represent the District in these events.
The qualifiers will be held at the DC Housing Finance Agency at 815 Florida Ave., NW., Washington DC 20001. The event is open to DC residents only, and is nationally rated by the U.S. Chess Federation, so participants must join the USCF if they are not already members. Proof of COVID vaccination is required to participate.
The entry fee is $20. This is a four-round Swiss system tournament with time control: Game/25 + 10. Players should bring clocks if they have them. The first round starts at 1 P.M.
Online registration is available at: https://dcscholasticchess.org/tournaments (scroll midway down the page).
This past Saturday, March 26, 2022 was the final class of our Chess Kids program for 2021-2022. Stay tuned this fall when we open registration again for the 2022-2023 sessions. In the meantime, here are some photos from Chess Kids this spring.
Montgomery Blair High School 3-1 Gonzaga College High School
Richard Montgomery High School 4-0 Northwest High School
McLean High School 2-2 Woodrow Wilson High School
Rochambeau French Intl. School 3-1 BASIS DC
West Springfield High School 2-2 Washington International School
South Lakes High School 1.5-2.5 Thomas J. Wootton High School
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School 2-2 St. Anselm’s Abbey School
St. Albans School 0-4 Col. Zadok Magruder High School
Justice High School 0-4 Georgetown Preparatory School
Rockville High School 4-0 Don Bosco Cristo Rey
James Hubert Blake High School – The SEED Public Charter School
| Place | School | Total Match Points | Total Board Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Montgomery Blair High School | 7.5 | 27 |
| 2nd | Richard Montgomery High School | 5.5 | 22 |
| 3rd | Gonzaga College High School | 5.5 | 20.5 |
| 4th | Woodrow Wilson High School | 5.5 | 18.5 |
| 5th | Rochambeau, the French International School | 5.5 | 17.5 |
| 6th | McLean High School | 5 | 19 |
| 7th | Georgetown Preparatory School | 4.5 | 18 |
| 8th | West Springfield High School | 4.5 | 17 |
| 9th (Tie) | BASIS DC | 4.5 | 16.5 |
| 9th (Tie) | Thomas S. Wootton High School | 4.5 | 16.5 |
| 11th | Col. Zadok Magruder High School | 4 | 17 |
| 12th | Washington International School | 4 | 16.5 |
| 13th | Northwest High School | 4 | 16 |
| 14th | St. Anselm's Abbey School | 3.5 | 15 |
| 15th | South Lakes High School | 3.5 | 14.5 |
| 16th | E.L. Haynes Public Charter School | 3.5 | 14 |
| 17th | Justice High School | 3 | 13 |
| 18th | Rockville High School | 3 | 12 |
| 19th | St. Albans School | 3 | 11.5 |
| 20th (Tie) | Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School | 1 | 8 |
| 20th (Tie) | James Hubert Blake High School | 1 | 8 |
| 22nd | The SEED Public Charter School | 0.5 | 5 |
After seven Saturdays of play, the spring 2022 season of the PCSAA Middle School Chess League finished this afternoon. BASIS DC and District of Columbia International School both entered the final day of play with undefeated records, and in their match against one another, either school could have taken the season championship with a victory.
In the final game to finish, the BASIS player had a decisive advantage after: 1. e4 e5 2. d4 Na6 3. dxe5 d6 4. exd6 Bxd6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Bxa6 bxa6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Qxd8 Raxd8 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nd5 Bxb2 13. Rab1 Ba3 14. Nxc7 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Rd6 16. Rb3 Bc5 17. Rd3 Rg6+ 18. Kh1 Bd6 19. Nxa6 Rh6 20. h3 Rxh3+ 21. Kg2 Rh6 22. Rfd1 Rd8 23. e5 Rg6+ 24. Kf1 f5 25. Rxd6 Rdxd6 26. Rxd6 Rxd6 27. exd6 Kf7 28. c4 Ke6 29. c5 g5 30. Nc7+ Kd7 31. Kg2 h5 32. Nd5 g4 33. Nf6+ Kc6 34. d7 Kc7 35. fxg4 hxg4 36. Kg3 a5 37. c6 a4 38. Nd5+ Kd8 39. Kf4, but like all resourceful chess players Black stayed astute for a way to save the game.
39… g3 40. fxg3 a3 reached the position shown on the left, and if White captures the f-pawn without thinking, 41. Kxf5?? is stalemate. Instead, White sharply sidestepped Black’s drawing trap with 41. Nf6 and won in twelve more moves. (41. Ke5 would have mated faster, but a win is a win.) BASIS narrowly won the match 4.5-3.5 and took the title.
Howard University Middle School of Mathematics & Science swept their match against E.L. Haynes to retain third place in the season standings, while Meridian held onto fourth place on the board points tiebreaker despite losing to Children’s Guild. One more half-point in their match would have put Children’s Guild ahead.
Round-by-round results and the final standings for the season can be viewed here. We congratulate all of the students who showed up to play on lichess this year and we hope to see more of them in upcoming chess competitions in the DC area.
One round of competition remains in the regular season of the Metro Area Chess League. With six victories from seven matches so far, Montgomery Blair has locked up the number one seed in the playoffs, but the competition is tight for the other three playoff spots.
Woodrow Wilson High School 1-3 Montgomery Blair High School
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School 0-4 Richard Montgomery High School
McLean High School 1-3 Gonzaga College High School
Northwest High School 1-3 Rochambeau French Intl. School
St. Albans School 2-2 Thomas J. Wootton High School
BASIS DC 4-0 South Lakes High School
St. Anselm’s Abbey School 1-3 West Springfield High School
Rockville High School 0-4 Col. Zadok Magruder High School
Georgetown Preparatory School 1-3 Washington International School
Don Bosco Cristo Rey 1-1 James Hubert Blake High School
The SEED Public Charter School 1.5-2.5 Justice High School
| Place | School | Total Match Points | Total Board Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Montgomery Blair High School | 6.5 | 24 |
| 2nd | Gonzaga College High School | 5.5 | 19.5 |
| 3rd | Woodrow Wilson High School | 5 | 16.5 |
| 4th | Richard Montgomery High School | 4.5 | 18 |
| 5th | McLean High School | 4.5 | 17 |
| 6th | BASIS DC | 4.5 | 15.5 |
| 7th | Rochambeau, the French International School | 4.5 | 14.5 |
| 8th | Northwest High School | 4 | 16 |
| 9th | West Springfield High School | 4 | 15 |
| 10th | Washington International School | 3.5 | 14.5 |
| 11th (Tie) | Georgetown Preparatory School | 3.5 | 14 |
| 11th (Tie) | Thomas S. Wootton High School | 3.5 | 14 |
| 13th | South Lakes High School | 3.5 | 13 |
| 14th (Tie) | Justice High School | 3 | 13 |
| 14th (Tie) | Col. Zadok Magruder High School | 3 | 13 |
| 14th (Tie) | St. Anselm's Abbey School | 3 | 13 |
| 17th | E.L. Haynes Public Charter School | 3 | 12 |
| 18th | St. Albans School | 3 | 11.5 |
| 19th | Rockville High School | 2 | 8 |
| 20th | Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School | 1 | 8 |
| 21st | James Hubert Blake High School | 1 | 7 |
| 22nd | The SEED Public Charter School | 0 | 3 |
Round 8 will be held on March 22, 2022 at 7:15pm ET (7:30 games start) with matches played on https://lichess.org.
Montgomery Blair High School – Gonzaga College High School
Richard Montgomery High School – Northwest High School
McLean High School – Woodrow Wilson High School
Rochambeau French Intl. School – BASIS DC
West Springfield High School – Washington International School
Thomas J. Wootton High School – South Lakes High School
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School – St. Anselm’s Abbey School
St. Albans School – Col. Zadok Magruder High School
Justice High School – Georgetown Preparatory School
Rockville High School – Don Bosco Cristo Rey
James Hubert Blake High School – The SEED Public Charter School
It’s been a great season of competition in the Elementary Team League this year. Congratulations to Colvin Run Elementary (Vienna, VA), who took the lead at the halfway point of the season and never looked back, clinching the league championship with a match to spare. White Oaks Elementary came out on top of a battle for second, with Spring Hill edging Greenbriar West for third.
Saturday, March 6 was the final day of matches for the season, and again we had a near-perfect turnout as nearly 40 students turned up to compete for their schools.
One final thank-you to St. Luke’s Methodist Church for providing the venue for us to return to in-person competition this year, after we were online last season. Win or lose, playing in the league has provided valuable experience for everyone this year, especially those who are taking part in the state and national championships later this spring.
Students of ours played two Internet matches with children from Ukraine last year. We wish those young people well and are horrified by what they are experiencing.
An online fund-raiser for Ukraine will be held Monday, and we hope everyone will contribute what they can.
More information here (PDF): Support Ukraine.
Since many of the D.C. schools were on spring break, Round 6 was played over two weeks, with some matches taking place on February 22 and some on March 1. Montgomery Blair (Silver Spring) continues to lead the field with 5.5 match points out of 6, with Woodrow Wilson (Washington, D.C.) still half a point behind in second and a wide-open race for the playoffs in prospect.
February 22
Montgomery Blair High School 3-1 Thomas J. Wootton High School
McLean High School 3-1 Richard Montgomery High School
West Springfield High School School 1-3 Northwest High School
Gonzaga College High School 4-0 St. Anselm’s Abbey School
South Lakes High School 3-1 Col. Zadok Magruder High School
Georgetown Preparatory School 4-0 James Hubert Blake High School
Don Bosco Cristo Rey 1-3 Justice High School
March 1
Rochambeau French Intl. School 3-1 St. Albans School
Woodrow Wilson High School 2.5-1.5 BASIS DC
The SEED Public Charter School 0-4 E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
Rockville High School 0-4 Washington International School
| Place | School | Total Match Points | Total Board Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Montgomery Blair High School | 5.5 | 21 |
| 2nd | Woodrow Wilson High School | 5 | 15.5 |
| 3rd | Gonzaga College High School | 4.5 | 16.5 |
| 4th | McLean High School | 4.5 | 16 |
| 5th | Northwest High School | 4 | 15 |
| 6th | Richard Montgomery High School | 3.5 | 14 |
| 7th (Tie) | Georgetown Preparatory School | 3.5 | 13 |
| 7th (Tie) | South Lakes High School | 3.5 | 13 |
| 9th (Tie) | BASIS DC | 3.5 | 11.5 |
| 9th (Tie) | Rochambeau, the French International School | 3.5 | 11.5 |
| 11th (Tie) | E.L. Haynes Public Charter School | 3 | 12 |
| 11th (Tie) | St. Anselm's Abbey School | 3 | 12 |
| 11th (Tie) | West Springfield High School | 3 | 12 |
| 11th (Tie) | Thomas S. Wootton High School | 3 | 12 |
| 15th | Washington International School | 2.5 | 11.5 |
| 16th | St. Albans School | 2.5 | 9.5 |
| 17th | Justice High School | 2 | 10.5 |
| 18th | Col. Zadok Magruder High School | 2 | 9 |
| 19th | Rockville High School | 2 | 8 |
| 20th | Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School | 1 | 7 |
| 21st | James Hubert Blake High School | 1 | 6 |
| 22nd | The SEED Public Charter School | 0 | 1.5 |
Round 7 will be held on March 8, 2022 at 7:15pm ET (7:30 games start) with matches played on https://lichess.org.
Woodrow Wilson High School – Montgomery Blair High School
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School – Richard Montgomery High School
McLean High School – Gonzaga College High School
Northwest High School – Rochambeau French Intl. School
St. Albans School – Thomas J. Wootton High School
BASIS DC – South Lakes High School
St. Anselm’s Abbey School – West Springfield High School
Rockville High School – Col. Zadok Magruder High School
Georgetown Preparatory School – Washington International School
Don Bosco Cristo Rey – James Hubert Blake High School
The SEED Public Charter School – Justice High School
