John Phythyon, 1972 WV State Champion, died February 11, 2022. He resided in Kennebunk, Maine at the time of his passing. His obituary can be seen here.
WV Senior Championship
Lewis Sanders and Ed Garner are the 2024 WV Senior Champions. They each finished with 3 out of 4 at the WV Senior Championship, held on October 19 in Bridgeport. FM Karl Dehmelt of Pennsylvania took first place overall with 3.5 out of 4. Lewis Sanders will represent WV in the Irvin Tournament of State Senior Champions next year.
Mike Price Memorial Tournament
The WVCA has received several donations in memory of Mike Price. At the annual business meeting, we decided to hold a tournament in Mike’s memory sometime in the next year in the Parkersburg area. We will be using the donations towards costs for the playing site and towards the prize fund if there is a surplus.
Thank you to all those who have donated.
2024 Business Meeting
The minutes of the 2024 WVCA Business Meeting can be found here: 2024 WVCA Business Meeting Minutes.
Summary:
- The WVCA will be dissolving as a non-profit corporation and will reform as an unincorporated non-profit association. This is to assist in getting access to a checking account and obtain a new EIN from the IRS.
- The chess camp for 2024 did not occur due to scheduling conflicts so no donations were made to support it.
- We received $130 in donations in memory of Mike Price. The WVCA will be sponsoring a memorial tournament in the Parkersburg area and will fund the costs for the playing site.
- Elijah Schultz was re-elected as President, Bob Greer was elected as Vice-President, and Ben Good will remain as the Secretary-Treasurer.
- The 2025 Thomas Bergquist Memorial will be held in Huntington. The 2025 WV Action Championship will be held in Grafton.
Ed Garner wins his fourth State Championship
Ed Garner of Pennsboro has won the 2024 Thomas Bergquist Memorial WV State Championship. Ed scored 4 straight wins and a last-round draw with the 2023 champion, John Boylin IV. Ed was previously state champion in 1984, 1986, and 2014. John Boylin finished second, while Charles Adams and Tristan Johnston shared third place. 24 players competed in the event, held September 14-15 in Clarksburg.
2023-2024 Grand Prix Final Standings
Final Standings
Events included: Thomas Bergquist Memorial, WV Italian Heritage Festival, Clarksburg Open, Action Championship, 23rd Mountaineer Open
1. Lewis F Sanders 51.50 $200 2. Edward A Garner 48.50 $100 3. Benjamin M Good 47.75 $50 4. Hardy Gu 43.15 5. Markle W Butcher 33.83 6. John Everett Roush 32.58 7. Luke Garlick 27.75 8. Tristan A Johnston 26.85 9. Elijah David Schultz 26.33 10. John Boylin IV 23.00 11. Pushkal Solanki 20.17 12. David Wayne Hundley 19.00 13. Cortland Nesley 18.17 14. David Lee Bruner 17.00 15. Christopher Leach 16.00 16. James William Sutherland 12.00 Michael Felton 12.00 Charles B Adams 12.00 19. Gallagher Kelsch 10.50 20. David Comer 9.00 21. Tristan Marc Bly 7.83 22. Vishwadhipa Venkata Voore 7.75 23. Ryan T Vanbibber 7.67 Richard Rene Colina 7.67 25. David F Hines 7.25 26. Sam Timmons 6.00 William Cole Hutzler 6.00 Michael James Wilson 6.00 29. Anika Arora 4.00 Amber Arora 4.00 Ishaan Patel 4.00 32. Lawrence E Iorio 3.50 Lance Pitrolo 3.50
Mike Price 1976-2024
Mike Price of Parkersburg has passed away at the age of 48. He will be missed. Mike played in several events over the last 30+ years. His obituary can be found here.
Clarksburg Open
Benjamin Good won the Clarksburg Open with a score of 3.5/4.
Learn to Play Chess at the KCPL
Visit the KCPL on July 19 where WVCA President Elijah Schultz will be hosting a class for beginners.
WV Action Championship
Hardy Gu, fresh off his second place finish at the K-3 National Championship, beat all comers to win the WV Action Championship with a perfect 6-0 score. Lewis Sanders was second at 4.5-1.5.