Ed Garner has won yet another title, winning the Action Championship with a score of 4.5/5. Anatoly Boshkin took second place. Luca Giancola and Lance Pitrolo were the U1600 and U1300 winners. Lance won the upset prize for his victory over David Hines, and he nearly upset Ed in the last round.
In the non-rated section, Seth Margolis took first with 4.5/5 and Hans Wikle was second at 4/5.
Standings after 1 Event
Events included: 24th Mountaineer Open
1. Benjamin M Good 10.00
Tristan A Johnston 10.00
Anatoly Boshkin 10.00
4. John Boylin IV 7.25
5. Markle W Butcher 6.00
David Lee Bruner 6.00
Tristan Marc Bly 6.00
8. Pushkal Solanki 3.50
9. Elijah David Schultz 1.00
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.
Update (March 24, 2025): We are tentatively planning for July 19 at the Blennerhasset, but are exploring other playing sites and dates as well.
The 24th Mountaineer Open was held on February 15 at the Mountainlair. 31 players competed in the two rated sections. Swarom Kanitkar (pictured) won the Open with a 4-0 score, with several players tied for second at 3-1. Kaiden Hammer won the Collegiate/Scholastic section with a 4-0 score.
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.
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.
The minutes of the 2024 WVCA Business Meeting can be found here: 2024 WVCA Business Meeting Minutes.
Summary:
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.
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 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.