[MU Chess Club Logo]

Schedule | Missouri Events | Mailing List | Chess Links | Club Ladder

Welcome to the UMC Chess Club!



The UMC Chess Club welcomes anyone in the Columbia, Missouri community to participate in our activities. The club was formed in April 1996 by Yves Tan, in response to community interest. It is an official University of Missouri Organization and US Chess Federation affiliate. Our activities include:

Anyone is welcome at these events. There is a wide range of skill levels in Columbia, from beginners to chess masters, and it is our goal to meet the needs of all. Membership is open to members of the Columbia community in addition to students, faculty and staff.

Chess Club members (dues: $5/semester) receive a spiffy membership card and may play in club tournaments. To become a member, please contact an officer or the club advisor. Voting members must meet UMC eligibility requirements.

Because the club is a U.S. Chess Federation affiliate club members may purchase individual USCF memberships through the club. Club members should contact Charlie Ward regarding joining the USCF or renewing your membership. A small discount on USCF membership is available to members under age 25 due to the club being a USCF affiliate.


Schedule of Club Activities

The UMC Chess Club meets every Monday night at 7pm. During the school year the meetings are in the MU Memorial Union, room N208 (second floor, north side), 516 S. Hitt Street, Columbia. Between mid-May and mid-August, and during semester breaks or university holidays when the university meeting rooms are closed, club members meet informally at 7pm on Mondays at Coffee Zone, 9 N. Ninth Street in downtown Columbia (on evenings when Coffee Zone is open).

Speed Chess Tournaments -- Speed chess tournaments are held each month, with the exception of no tournament in December. Time limits are G/5. Each round consists of two games between paired opponents, one as White, one as Black. Normally 5 rounds are played.

Here are the winners in the monthly club speed chess tournaments during the 2008 Winter semester:

January 28:  1st place: Javier Cepeda; 2nd place Konstantin Koroliak.
February 25:  1st place: Konstantin Koroliak; 2nd place Nasyr Ulmasov.
March 31:  1st place: Jeremy Volkmann; 2nd place Konstantin Koroliak and Patrick Anderson (tie).
April 28:  1st place: Javier Cepeda; 2nd place Jeremy Volkmann.

Club Ladder -- Club members can compete with each other on our chess ladder. Games can be played at any time and place agreeable to the opponents, but typically they are played at the Monday night club meetings. The default time limit for these games is Game/60 minutes per player.

Club Tournaments -- These tournaments are played at the Monday night club meetings, one round per week. They are not USCF rated. Prizes in the form of credits toward purchase of chess equipment or books are awarded.

The 2008 fall tournament will be played during October in two sections, one for experienced players and one for new players. Both tournaments will be 3 rounds with a time control of Game/75. The 2009 club championship tournament will be held at Monday night club meetings during February and March.

Club Championship -- Last year's championship tournament was held during February and March 2008 and consisted of 4 rounds with a time control of Game/75 minutes per player. There were 25 players in the tournament. Justin Hull was the winner with a perfect 4-0 record and received the championship trophy. Other prize winners were:  Ellis Smith, with the best score in the middle-ranked third of the field, and Aaron Riffie with the best score in the lower-ranked third. Both Ellis and Aaron had 3-1 records in the tournament.

Club Simuls -- The club plans to sponsor two simultaneous exhibitions during the 2008-2009 school year, where a strong player takes on all comers. In last spring's simul given on April 14, 2008 by USCF senior master and club advisor Neil Fox, Neil faced 12 strong opponents, winning 10 games while losing 2; winners were Jeremy Volkmann and Steve Brietzke.

Club-Sponsored USCF Tournaments -- The club will sponsor several one-day US Chess Federation-rated open tournaments in Columbia during the 2008-2009 school year. These events give club members experience in playing against USCF-rated players from a wider area than just the Columbia community. USCF membership is required for participants and  and can be purchased at the events. The events normally consist of three rounds with a time control of Game/75 minutes for each player.

Tournaments are planned for August 23, October 18, January 24, March 21 and June 13. Here are the results of recent past tournaments:

The 2008 Mizzou Quads were played on Saturday, March 31, 2008. There were 20 players, divided into five four-player quads. Club champion Justin Hull and 2008 club president Brayt Madenwald each won their quads outright. Club member Shan Siddiqi tied for the top score in his quad. Click here for the complete results.

The Arnold Denker Open was held on June 14, 2008. There were 20 players in this event. Bob Holliman and Tony Duteil, both from the Kansas City area, tied as winners with perfect 3-0 scores. Click here for the complete results.


Future Missouri Chess Events

For information on tournaments scheduled in the next 3-4 months, visit the Missouri Chess Association Web site; otherwise see the Tournament Life section of the U.S. Chess Federation's Chess Life magazine.

For tournaments further in the future, browse the USCF Tournament Clearing House calendar for Missouri.


Mailing List

Our electronic mailing list MUCHESS-L is used mostly for announcements of interest to local chessplayers. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@lists.missouri.edu. Leave the Subject line blank. In the body of the message, type:

SUBSCRIBE MUCHESS-L Yourfirstname Yourlastname

You should receive a confirmation message within a few minutes.

If you are already subcribed to MUCHESS-L and would like to UNsubscribe, send the one-line message UNSUBSCRIBE MUCHESS-L to the same address. (SIGNOFF MUCHESS-L also works.)


Chess Links


For more information, contact:
Brayt Madenwald, 2008 Club President, (314) 322-2356.
Neil Fox , Faculty Advisor, (573) 882-2144

Send comments or suggestions on this page to Charles Ward