Author: Josh Sinanan

  • Sluggers Qualify for 2018 PRO Chess League

    With the help of returning Slugger and World No. 10 GM Hikaru Nakamura, it is my pleasure to announce that the Seattle Sluggers have officially qualified for the 2018 PRO Chess League!  Here is a link to the detailed qualifier article: https://www.chess.com/news/view/6-teams-qualify-for-pro-chess-league-you-pick-2-more Other Sluggers who helped the team qualify include GM Georgi Margvelashvili, IM Bryce…

  • WFM Chouchanik Airapetian wins 2017 WA Women’s Championship!

    A record 23 players took part in the 2017 WA State Women’s Championship, a 5-round Swiss held at the Seattle Chess Club September 15-17, 2017.  The tournament, which was dual US Chess and FIDE rated, attracted players from throughout the Northwest States including Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.  The chief organizer of the event was…

  • Seattle Chess Classic draws 75 players!

    FM Roland Feng, the current WA State co-Champion, won the first Seattle Chess Classic with an undefeated 7/9 and took home the $1300 first place prize!  Roland finished half a point ahead of second place finishers IM Ray Kaufman, FM Tanraj Sohal and NM Daniel He.  Tying for 2nd U2300 with 6 points each were…

  • IM Georgi Orlov Wins WA Open 6-0!

      The 2017 WA Open was held at the Lynnwood Embassy Suites over Memorial Day weekend May 27-29. A strong attendance of about 205 players took part from throughout the Northwest, primarily from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. The event was hosted by Washington Chess Federation. Organizers: WCF Tournament Coordinator Dan Mathews & WCF…

  • Derek Zhang becomes National Master

    “After reaching 2100 USCF in 2015, my chess progress stagnated, but over these past few months I was able to put all the pieces together and reach 2200. My real breakthrough tournament was 3 months ago at the Golden State Open, where I scored 2.5/3 against FMs in the last 3 rounds to win the…

  • Anthony He becomes FIDE Master

    Anthony He became Washington State’s youngest ever FIDE Master on February 20, 2017 by scoring 5.5/9 at the 2017 WA State Chess Championship in Redmond. He gained 93.6 points to boost his FIDE rating over 2300. Anthony achieved the title 4 days after he turned age 12.  Anthony is currently the US number 1 FIDE…

  • Bellevue 8th grader Naomi Bashkansky wins World School Chess Championship!

    Naomi Bashkansky has just won the 2016 World School Chess Championship in the Girls Under 13 category, held on December 2 – 12 in Sochi, Russia. With 5 wins (full points) and 4 draws (half-points), she got 7 points in 9 games, and finished in the first place — without a single loss, undefeated. As a winner she is awarded the Woman…

  • Seattle Kings vs. Princes Match II and Junior RR Results

    Here are the final results of the 2016 Kings vs. Princes Match II and Junior Round Robin. The US Chess rating report can be found here. Pictures from the match can be found here. Kings: IM Ray Kaufman (2359, 2314, USA) 5.5 $275 FM John Readey (2266, 2280, USA) 5.0 $250 FM Nick Raptis (2399, 2220, USA) 4.5 $225…

  • Bryce Tiglon wins WA Denker qualifier playoff!

    Congratulations to Bryce Tiglon, a freshman at Lakeside School in Seattle, for winning the playoff to qualify for the Denker Tournament of High School State Champions! He tied for 1st with 4/5 along with Samuel and Daniel He, all of whom share the title of WA State High School co-champions. For winning the playoff, Bryce is invited to represent…

  • Washington President’s Cup

    The 2016 Washington President’s Cup took place at Seattle Chess Club February 13-14. The tournament was hosted by Washington Chess Federation and directed by WCF tournament coordinator Dan Mathews, with assistance from Duane Polich and Murlin Varner. 67 players took part in two sections: Open and Reserve U1600. Sloan Setiadikurnia, Travis Miller, and Zachary Zhang…