Booster Section Report

In the booster section, 12 young rookie tournament players played against each other in 4 fast paced rounds. The players, returning and new, consisted of friends, classmates, and even siblings. Despite the G25 + 3 time control (25 minutes per side + a 3 second increment after every move), the games went by very quickly with an average time around 10 minutes! Perhaps the nerves or excitement of the tournament got to some of the players, but in any case, most of them still found your typical queen and helper, backrank, and windmill checkmates. Congratulations to Taran, Yash, Anish, and Shritan for earning 3+ points in the section. Stepping stone 5 awaits you four in the next progressive tournament on August 8th. Also, special congratulations to Taran for winning all 4 of his games and 1st place in the section! Best game: Yash vs. Taran 

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nd2 Bf5 6. a3 e6 7. Ngf3 h6 8. Ne5 Nxe5 9. Bxe5 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. Bb5+ Nd7 12. Qa4 a6 13. Bxd7+ Qxd7 14. Qxd7+ Kxd7 15. dxc5 Rac8 16. b4 Rhd8 17. O-O-O b6 18. Nc4 Kc6 19. Ne5+ Kb5 20. Nxf7 Rd7 21. Nd6+ Rxd6 22. cxd6 Rxc3+ 23. Kb2 Rc2+ 24. Kb3 Kc6 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Rxc1+ Kxd6 27. a4 Bd3 28. Kc3 Bc4 29. Kd4 e5+ 30. Kc3 e4 31. Kd4 Ke6 32. Rxc4 dxc4 33. Kxc4 Ke5 34. Kc3 Kd5 35. Kd2 Kc4 36. b5 axb5 37. axb5 Kxb5 38. Kc3 Ka4 39. g4 b5 40. Kb2 Kb4 41. h4 Kc4 42. Kc2 b4 43. h5 b3+ 44. Kb2 Kd3 45. Kxb3 Ke2 46. Kc2 Kxf2 47. Kd2 Kf3 48. g5 hxg5 49. Kc3 Kxe3 50. Kc4 Kf2 51. Kd5 e3 52. Ke6 e2 53. Kf7 e1=Q 54. Kxg7 Qh1 55. h6 Qxh6+ 56. Kxh6 g4 57. Kh5 g3 58. Kh4 g2 59. Kh5 g1=Q 60. Kh6 Kf3 61. Kh7 Kf4 62. Kh6 Kf5 63. Kh7 Kf6 64. Kh8 Qg7# 0-1

Steppingstone 5 Report

On July 24th, we welcomed players back for another edition of the progressive tournament. In Stepping Stone 5, we had 4 people make their first norm. Those 4 people are David, Ray, Andrew, and Aryan, who actually won the tournament with a perfect score of 4/4. We also had Avyay make his second norm, now all he needs is to pass the test to get his title. Now reviewing the games, In Aryan's last round he played beautifully and never gave up. In a normal Italian Game, he actually lost a pawn, very quickly in the opening. However, he started to run with his a-pawn and made many promotion threats. The game went to an exhilarating ending, where Aryan's past pawns proved to be more powerful than his opponents. 

Steppingstone 4 Report

Being the most exclusive and experienced group, the games in stepping stone 4 were extremely exciting for players and spectators alike. Through the tournament’s four rounds, we saw these seasoned players fight their way out of sharp and dangerous positions. We also got to see some players grind their way through more positional games. Similar to the booster section, the majority of these games did not come close to the maximum time limit allotted by the G25+3 time control, however, there were a few standout games that came down to interesting endgames and almost went the distance. It was very encouraging to see these players take more of their time to work through combinations and tactics! Congrats to the Wang brothers (Evan and Ethan) for each earning their 1st norm and special congratulations to Evan for winning all of his games and taking 1st place in the section! Stepping stone 4 best game: Leon vs Evan

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nge7 10. O-O Qc7 11. Ba3 O-O-O 12. Bb5 Rde8 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Ng5 Ref8 15. Bd6 Qd7 16. Nf3 h6 17. Qc1 Re8 18. Qa3 a6 19. Qc5 Nf5 20. Qa7 Nxd6 21. exd6 Qxd6 22. Ne5 Ref8 23. Nxc6 Qxc6 24. Rac1 Kd7 25. Qc5 Qxc5 26. dxc5 Kc6 27. Rfe1 Rc8 28. Re3 Kd7 29. Rg3 g6 30. Rf3 Ke7 31. h3 Rxc5 32. Rf4 Rhc8 33. Rf3 d4 0-1

TD NOTE  ***Once again thank you all for playing! The next event will be August 8. If you have any questions about where or what to register for, please email us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible! Thanks***