The official U.S. Chess affiliate for the state of Oklahoma
Scoring 6.0 out of 7 points in a tough 73-player field, Oscar Wang won first place in the Class A section of the 2023 Southwest Class Championships, held February 15-18 in Irving. Along with his other prizes (he and partner FM Ruiyang Yan won the mixed doubles, and he finished in the money in the blitz side event), he earned "the biggest take of any Oklahoma player in recent memory," according to fellow player Joe Veal.
Another notable finish was that of new (to Oklahoma) player Chad Bostick, who finished in the money with 4.5 points in Class D. Bostick recently moved from Louisiana to Shady Point, Oklahoma.
Sixteen Oklahoma players competed this weekend. Our thanks to Continental Chess and the outstanding TDs whose skill and hard work made this an efficient, fun event for all. Results are here.
Photos by Sanghamita Roy Choudhury
Seven out of seven Oklahoma players who competed in Saturday's New Year's Bash in Kansas City returned from the event with a higher rating. Our congratulations to Viraj Singh (+16), Joe Zacharias (+9), Arya Roy Choudhury (+53), Thomas Zacharias (+33), Anurag Roy Choudhury (+18), Roshan Valentine (+7), and unrated Isaac Jackson (not pictured), who finished the event at 1297.
The best of Oklahoma's best players came together the weekend of January 27–29, 2023 for the inaugural Rozsa Trophy. The event is a round robin invitational for the top six active players in the state.
NM Tom Braunlich won the event with a score of 4.0 out of 5. His Round 2 win against NM Mark Hulsey is below. Read all about the event in the latest issue of Oklahoma Chess Magazine.
NM Mark Hulsey (2151)
NM Thomas Braunlich (2214)
Sooner or later, they were bound to start having tournaments. On Tuesday, February 7, Chessmates OKC held its first event, "The Outlaw's Quick Draw," at All About Cha in Bricktown.
The tea house has been the club's home base since its inception in late 2021. But its members soon grew too numerous—and too enthusiastic—to stay in one place.
Brothers Justin and Tyler Barton, the club's founders, have visited the Edmond Chess Club, the Moore Chess Club, and the group that meets at Hopscotch. They often play at Junction Coffee. They've become regulars at Challengers, the club led by Roger Baxter at Kamp's 1910 Café. They hosted a simul with state champion Ryan Amburgy. And they hold frequent "filming days" to create content for their popular YouTube channel, where a video of Justin Barton's game against former US Women's Champion Alexey Root has been viewed more than 170 thousand times.
Chessmates OKC's explosive growth has resulted in a vibrant community of new players, many of whom have become tournament regulars. At the February 7 event, both new players and tournament veterans comprised a field 16 players who competed in G/5;d0 quads. Winners were as follows:
Quad one: (tie) Joe Veal & Gabe Teubner
Quad two: Jeff Williams
Quad three: Vish Vonteddu
Quad four: (tie) Justin Barton, Tyler Barton, & Aryan Karn
Another event is in the works! Stay tuned for details.
"We're going to need more tables."
—text from OSCO chief TD Josie Braddy after checking the registration numbers last week
A record-setting 229 players came to Classen SAS Middle School for Saturday's K-12 tournament. The lower two sections filled every seat in the cafeteria. The U1100 kids played in the library, and Premier played in an upstairs mezzanine. Parents set up lawn chairs in the gymnasium, where a concessions stand did brisk business all day, and kids climbed the bleachers to blow off steam between rounds.
It was the largest regular-season turnout in the 19-year history of the Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization, and you have to go back to 2008 to find a championship with higher attendance. Players competed in four sections (Elementary U500, U800, U1100, and Premier). Chief TD was Josie Braddy, assisted by more people than we could hope to list here. We had a great time. Check out a few of Jake Williams's terrific photos of the event below. The rest are here. Results are here.
