Maryland Chess Association

Nitesh Cherukuri is 2024 Maryland Sweet 16 Champion!

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By Chris Y Kim

Nitesh Cherukuri has won the 2024 Maryland Sweet 16 Championship with a Round 4 victory over Alexander Zlotorev and a perfect 4 win weekend (March 2-3) at the University of Maryland - Baltimore County (UMBC). He is a resident of Howard County and attends McDonogh School as a 7th-grade student. The tournament consisted of 16 strong scholastic players (grades 3-12) rated from 1623 - 2159.

It has been 10 years since the winner of the Sweet 16 had a perfect score! Cherukuri with the victory also wins a 4-year tuition scholarship to UMBC. He had the only 3.0 score heading into the final round and needed at least a draw (to ensure a spot in a rapid playoff), but he ensured the Championship with the fourth round win.

Here are the final standings in tiebreak order (out of 4 games):

4.0: Nitesh Cherukuri

3.0: Andy Yue, Anish Mariappan

2.5: Alexander Zlodorev, Siddharth Kurup

2.0: Eliot Wu, Architsai Ramnath, Gabriel Joshi, Sandeep Thimmasamudram, Sherlock Grigsby II

1.5: Krish Ghosh, Svetoslav Fedorov, Angelina Verma, Ari Bershak

1.0: Caden Liu

0.0: Kevin Fang

Edward R. Westing, 1926–2024

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On Thursday, January 18, 2024, Edward "Ed" Roy Westing passed away at age 97 in Seattle, Washington. Ed was born June 19, 1926 in New York, NY to Carl and Anna (Brünges) Westing.

He was a WWII veteran, serving in the Army Air Force where he was stationed in the Pacific with the 20th Air Force. Ed graduated with a business degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1972 and worked at Westinghouse in Baltimore, Maryland as a technical writer for more than 20 years. He was passionate about chess, receiving a meritorious service award from the U.S. Chess Federation in 2019. For many years Ed wrote a chess column for the Jeffersonian Newspaper in Towson, Maryland, and was the longtime president of the Towson Chess Club and member of the Maryland Chess Association. Ed was also known for his love of movies and his impressive book collection. He relocated to Seattle in 2016 to be close to his daughter and enjoyed frequent visits to the Seattle Swedish Club and the National Nordic Museum.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Judith, of 35 years. He is survived by his daughter Karen, son-in-law Chintan, and extended family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Friends of the Seattle Public Library, 100 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.

A memorial service for Edward will be held 11:00 AM Sunday, January 28, 2024 at Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home, 11111 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/seattle-wa/edward-westing-11636012

CHESSFEST 2024

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CHESSFEST 2024

Join us for a celebration of chess. Plenty of activities for youth and adults.

FOOD FUN PRIZES COACHES CHALLENGE

CHESS BUGHOUSE SIMUL ANALYSIS

SPECIAL GUESTS INSTRUCTION

February 16, 7:00 - 9:30

Cockeysville Middle School - COST IS JUST $5.00 per person

Bring a set if you have one.

RSVP to Glenn at glennsegal@msn.com Include child's name and grade for any youth participants.

Allen J. Beadle, 1947-2023

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Allen Beadle, a longtime tournament director, chess leader, and Maryland Chess Newsletter editor passed away on Wednesday, November 8th. He spent many years enjoying chess and played at the Laurel Chess Club.

Age 76, of Clio, Allen Beadle passed away Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at Ascension Genesys with his family by his side. A graveside service will take place at 2:00 pm, Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at Flint Memorial Park Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy may be placed on Allen's tribute wall at martinfuneralhome. com. Allen was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on January 18, 1947, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Nora (Cole) Beadle. Educated locally, Allen attended Genesee High School and graduated with the Class of 1965. Shortly after graduation, Allen proudly enlisted in the United States Army. Upon his return to the States, he went on to obtain his Ph. D. in mathematics from Michigan State University. Allen had a prestigious career and used his education and gift of numbers to work as a mathematician for the Department of Defense until his retirement in 2007. Allen spent many years living in Maryland while working. While he was there, he took on the amazing hobby of beekeeping. He also was studying Russian and Japanese. Playing chess was Allen's favorite pastime. He was a chess champion as well as a director of the chess club in Maryland. Allen was a gifted musician and enjoyed playing the drums and piano. He also enjoyed painting and was a wonderful artist. Allen had a beautiful library in his home with hundreds of books. To say he loved to read would be an understatement. Allen enjoyed spending time with his beloved cats and his friends and family. He will be greatly missed. Left to cherish Allen's memory are his siblings: Bobbie Shock and significant other, Larry Gallaty, Craig and wife, Susanna Beadle; nieces: Chrisi Shock and Brittany Beadle; long-time best friends: Dan and Patty Seitz. Allen was preceded in death by his parents.

Obituary Source : https://martinfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/6550/Allen-Beadle/obituary.html#content-start

https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/mi/clio/allen-jay-beadle-17179554

MD's Representatives at 2023 U.S. Open Invitationals

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by John D. Rockefeller V

Congratulations to Maryland’s representatives at the 2023 U.S. Open Invitationals, held during the U.S. Open:

GM Jesse Kraai (2452) tied for 1^st in the John T. Irwin National Tournament of Senior (50+) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Irwin Stipend of $750. See the Final Standings & Crosstables.
Chen-chen Ye (2095) tied for 19^th in the GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High-School (9-12) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Denker Stipend of $750. See the Final Standings & Crosstables.
Angelina Verma (1778) tied for 18^th in the WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls (K-12) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Haring Stipend of $750. See the Final Standings & Crosstables.
Architsai Ramnath (1844) tied for 20^th in the Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle-School (6-8) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Barber Stipend of $750. See the Final Standings & Crosstables.
Michael Deng (1818) tied for 11^th in the John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary-School (K-5) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Rockefeller Stipend of $750. See the Final Standings & Crosstables.

Maryland’s team tied for 9^th. See the Final Standings.

MD’s players were eligible to compete in the optional FM Sunil Weeramantry National Blitz Tournament of State Champions. Separated into 4 sections by rating, players competed against state representatives from any of the U.S. Open Invitationals—regardless of age, grade, or gender. See the Final Standings & Crosstables.

US Chess posted 5 articles about the 2023 U.S. Open Invitationals:

Day 4: “Georgia is Top Dawg on Day Four of U.S. Open”
Day 3: “Invitationals Enter Final Round at U.S. Open”
Day 2: “U.S. Open Day Two: Big Day in Grand Rapids”
Day 1: “U.S. Open and Invitational Tournaments Have Begun”
3 Days Before: “What to Expect at the 123rd Annual U.S. Open”

Carissa Zheng is 2023 Maryland Sweet 16 Champion!

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By Chris Y Kim

Carissa Zheng, a 12th grade student at Winston Churchill High School in Montgomery County, has won the 2023 Maryland Sweet 16 this weekend (March 4-5) at the University of Maryland - Baltimore County (UMBC). She is the first female winner of the Maryland Sweet 16 in the nearly 30 years of the event. This was the first time the Maryland Sweet 16 has been held in 3 years, since the pandemic cancelled over-the-board tournaments right after the 2020 version.

It is often the case that a player in the top half after the 1st day who can win both matches on the 2nd day will often win the Maryland Sweet 16. Round 4 featured the match between the top two seeds on Board 1 who were tied for the lead: Nitesh Cherukuri (2055) - Carissa Zheng (2035). Nitesh Cherukuri is in 6th grade in Howard County. Both players had won their 3rd round matches to take the lead at 2.5/3.0. Zheng prevailed in the drama-filled game to win the tournament, which includes a 4-year tuition scholarship to UMBC. The Maryland Chess Association would like to thank all the players and parents who accepted participation on very short notice and endured a power outage at UMBC on Saturday that shortened Round 2.

Here are the final standings in tiebreak order (out of 4 games):

3.5: Carissa Zheng

3.0: Jayant Maheshwari, Anish Mariappan

2.5: Nitesh Cherukuri, Siddharth Kurup, Gabriel Joshi

2.0: Devesh Cherukuri, Sherlock Grigsby II, Michael Deng, Andy Yue

1.5: Joshua Liu, Alexander Zlodorev, Eliot Wu

1.0: Angelina Verma, Sandeep Thimmasamudram

0.5: Anushka Skariah

MD's Representatives at 2022 U.S. Open Invitationals

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by John D. Rockefeller V

Congratulations to Maryland’s representatives at the 2022 U.S. Open Invitationals, held during the U.S. Open:

GM Larry Kaufman, 2313, tied for 6^th in the John T. Irwin National Tournament of Senior (50+) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Irwin Stipend of $750. See the Irwin results.
Neel Jay, 2108, tied for 20^th in the GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High-School (9-12) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Denker Stipend of $750. See the Denker results.
Carissa Zheng, 2036, tied for 17^th in the WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls (K-12) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Haring Stipend of $750. See the Haring results.
Thomas Diep, 1570, tied for 36^th in the Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle-School (6-8) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Barber Stipend of $750. See the Barber results.
Nitesh Cherukuri, 2087, tied for 8^th in the John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary-School (K-5) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Rockefeller Stipend of $750. See the Rockefeller results.

As a team, Maryland’s players tied for 18^th out of the maximum of 54 state affiliate teams. See the U.S. Open Invitationals’ state team standings.

MD’s state representatives were eligible to play in the FM Sunil Weeramantry National Blitz Tournament of State Champions, held several hours before the U.S. Open Invitationals. Separated into 4 sections by rating, players can compete against players from any of the U.S. Open Invitationals. See the Weeramantry results.

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