After a pause in Puddletown tournaments due to our busy summer schedules, we were finally back for another in-person event today. 65 players joined us at Village Church to battle it out in their respective sections. We had many new players this time: shoutout to Stellan B., Elliot S., Bryan W.,…
How odd, I thought, scrolling past this year's US Girls Junior Championship player list. Many of the familiar names I had seen on television over and over again in the past were absent this year. Instead, I saw more young friends, attending this prestigious event for the first time. Last year,…
We had a full house today with 40 players. Our new venue, Village Church - Beaverton was perfect with the right amount of space for players and their families. We had exactly 10 quads with many new returning players. Great job to Cody, Devan, Alexander, Austin, Andrew, and Rajvi for competing…
During the lunch break of the Spring Festival, we held a simul, or simultaneous exhibition, where one player (typically a stronger player) plays multiple opponents at the same time. Two titled players hosted the simul: NM Wilson Gibbins and WIM Zoey Tang. The players had 10 minutes, while Wilson and Zoey…
My first impressions of chess tournaments were their size. Rows upon rows of long tables, filled with checkered boards and tall (or so they seemed to me at the time) people on either side of them; gigantic rooms and hallways dedicated entirely to chess. Gradually, though, as I played in more…
Our May chess tournament was unlike any other tournament we have held before. This time, we decided to do a “Spring Festival”, which is a regular Swiss tournament and not quads styled. We had an outstanding turnout with over 80 players coming to the tournament. We had 3 big sections, divided…
It was a couple of weeks before the OSCF team championships. I was just minding my business when suddenly a unique idea popped up in my head: What if my little brother Neev and I hosted practice and game analysis sessions to help our 2 favorite schools, Jacob Wismer and Stoller…
Recently the 13th annual OSCF state championship took place in seaside, where it’s been hosted since the first occurrence. Something really special about this one however was how me, Zoey, and Austin donated the cost from Puddletown to support the venue of the tournament. This is our biggest donation by far…
Puddletown is a very young non-profit, only about 8 months old. In that short duration, I am super proud of all the progress we have made in spreading the word about PTC, but what’s really fascinating is that we already have 3 sponsors! And I want to share a bit more…
The April quad was another successful event for Puddletown Chess. The 32 player limit was reached 8 days before the event started. For the first time, we also hosted a raffle. Four lucky players won a Chesskid gold membership. Shoutout to Escher Lin and Ben Choi for playing their first USCF-rated…
Team chess events are some of the most fun and memorable experiences I have. The team events aren't just about winning or losing. That is not the main purpose of these types of tournaments. I believe that the purpose of team tournaments is to have fun and encourage all of your…
Records were broken again at this month's Puddletown quads. 36 players showed up to test their skills, and registration had to be closed two weeks early because maximum capacity had been reached (so make sure to sign up quickly for the April quads!). We had 6 girls attend our tournament this…
I would love to welcome Ethan Zhang, who will be a new teacher starting in the spring term, teaching the Pawn's program. Ethan has many chess achievements, like placing well at the OSCF state championships, and at the Oregon Open tournament. He has a lot of teaching experience, teaching not only…
Over President's Day weekend, I played at the annual Oregon Closed chess championship. "Closed" refers to the fact that it is an invitational tournament, with only players winning certain tournaments or with a high enough rating qualifying. Besides possibly the Oregon Open, the Oregon Closed is the most prestigious chess tournament…
This month's quads was great! 30 people came to the tournament, even though it was the same day as the superbowl! Great job to Winston, Edwin, Derek, Carter, Lohit, Navneeth, and August for competing in their first USCF tournament! Congratulations to our following winners: Quad #1 – EMEL BAYRAMBEYLI, Quad #2 – ANSON…