CHESS this Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

Despite the rather stormy weather last Sunday morning, 8 players arrived at our Carl's Jr. tourney location to form and compete in two Quads in our club's first USCF- rated tournament of the year! Each player was to play three matches, with first place winning $50 and second place $40.

The results (which have been submitted to USCF):

Quad A, featuring Ranen, Red, Irakli, and Ben C., was won by Ranen, taking 1st Place, having won all 3 of his matches. Ben C. took 2nd Place, having won two of his games; and, Red took 3rd, having won 1 game. Irakli may not have won a match, but he was definitely a tough opponent!

Quad B, featuring Tony, Sam, Daniel C., and Vinn, was won by Daniel C. taking 1st Place having drawn his first game with Sam; then winning his second match; and then given a win by virtue of a forfeit due to his opponent's having to leave before the start of the third round, for a total of 2 1/2 pts. Tony took 2nd Place, having won two matches for 2 pts.; and, Sam placed 3rd with a win and a draw for 1 1/2 pts. Vinn was a gamer, but had to leave early.

Several players said they definitely enjoyed the tournament, and clearly indicated that the club should have a tournament of any kind of format about once every six weeks or so. That is very doable, hopefully will continue to have the support of the players of the Contra Costa Chess Club! Stay tuned for the details descriptive of the next one, sometime mid to late March . . . that's not far off!

In the meantime, it should be noted that several of the tournament players went over to Starbucks to play more chess this past Sunday, along with Will, Mark, Matthew, Adam, Samuel, Daniel U., Mike T., and first time club players Jackson and Nate, both of whom we hope to see again over the boards!

We meet as usual every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, from 3:00 p.m. to closing, players come and go anytime, at our usual Starbucks venue. Our next session is therefore this Wednesday, February 7th. There are no dues, all ages and skill levels are welcome, from beginners to masters, and there's no purchase required (but it would be nice). There usually is a chess puzzle to solve, and the first to solve it on the first try wins a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!

So then, see you soon, get your game up, make new friends, renew old friendships!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746