• BayAreasLiga (Bay Area Chess League): Round 3 Report
  • The 3rd round of the Bay Area Chess League took place on April 30th, and the first place tie between David, Andy, and their Merciless Minions (DAMM) and UC Berkeley (UCB) was broken when DAMM’s two titled players were both out of town on the same weekend. Fortunately for the club team, Sam Shankland and Daichi Siegrist won their games for DAMM over El Paso Tal, leading the team to a 2.5-1.5 victory. UCB continued their torrid pace, beating Marin County 3.5-0.5, thanks in part to a pair of forfeit wins. The third match of the day was another close one, with the Berkeley Chess School (BCS) squeaking out a 2.5-1.5 win over the Oakland Maters (OM).
  • Currently, the league has 6 teams of at least 4 players, but we are looking to add more teams and players for the next season! This season will feature single-match round-robin play for a total of 5 matches. We are aiming to at least double the number of teams next season, which will begin in August or September. Let us know if you would like to organize a team or play for one!
• EBCC Open and Scholastic Quads
  • The EBCC held a pair of quads at the end of April, although due to a couple of late entries the adult quad progressed to an octet by the 2nd round. The bottom four participants, however, proved that they belonged when two of them, Nelson Sowell, and Carl Woebcke, played for a perfect score and first place in the final round. Sowell eventually won a hard fought game, giving him a performance rating of 2200 for the tournament!
  • The scholastic quad also brought in an irregular number, with only five players whose parents were willing to bring their children to another chess tournament after the multiple state championships the week before. It also saw the first ever grandmaster draw in an EBCC scholastic tournament, with co-winners Vishal Dasari and Bobby Veres drawing to ensure themselves of a share of first place.

• Monday Night Marathon
  • As this issue of the EBCC newsletter goes to press, Salar Jahedi has won another MNM with an impressive score of 5/6, losing only to Steven Svoboda. Svoboda, who unfortunately could only play in half of the tournament, still wrapped up second place by winning every game he played.
• Wednesday Night Action
  • The Wednesday Night Action tournament became a lot more physical on April 20th, as tournament frontrunners Salar Jahedi and David Lyons got into a time scramble that saw them flag at almost the exact same moment. Jahedi tried to claim a win on time with one second remaining, but was unable to stop the clock before his flag fell, and the game had to be called a draw. The two ended up tying for first with 2.5/3 each.
  • The tournament of April 27th saw more upsets as Nelson Sowell was cruising to another victory until he ran into tournament newcomer Roger Prieto in the last round. The fine victory by Prieto forced Sowell into a tie with Nick Gauger on 2/3.
• East Bay Chess Club Summer Plans
  • The club’s summer schedule will likely look very similar to what is being run currently, except that a pair of summer camps will be organized. The exact dates and times have yet to be finalized, but the week-long sessions designed for players of varying skill levels are likely to take place in August. Keep an eye on the club website, this newsletter, and in-club announcements for more info!

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