Indy Chess celebrates 1st Anniversary with largest Tuesday Weekly ever; More than 60 players attend!

This past Tuesday, April 2 we celebrated the first anniversary of our Tuesday Weekly Chess Night with free entry for all, and wow did the players turn out! We had 30 in the rated section alone, almost 20 kids, and more in adult casual! Thanks again to Lumina Foundation for the sponsorship to make that possible.

The 6:30-9:30pm weekly chess night at the Latvian Community Center of Indy's north side has grown steadily, with three sections every week:

1. An adult casual section for pick-up games, usually filled by first-timers, parents, and a few regulars.

2. A kids' workshop and competition taught by Indy Chess founding director Mike Chapuran ("Coach Chap"). Kids can win medals each week, and trade 10 medals in for a "Ten Time Chess Champ" trophy eventually.

3. A USCF-rated tournament with three rounds, a 25+5 time control, and typically 2-3 sections based on rating. It's great for all competitive levels from 300 to 2000 rated!

We offer so many thanks for the work that has made our mission possible: to promote chess and to increase access to/representation in chess.

The anniversary had treats and decorations thanks to Irfrancis Lopez (the mom of Laura Escobar--one of the highest rated female players in the state). Many original board members came too, including Manasi Balagere, Gabe Hawkins, and Mike Dugdale. We recognized our two regular tournament directors Xavier Colter and John Elmore. We also thanked Coach Gant and Coach Patterson for helping with the kids' workshop!

Full rated tournament results from the 1st Anniversary: https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php...

In the rated tournament, Laura Escobar had a great night (3.0/3.0) in the top section and shot up to 1722! Charles Han had 3.0/3.0 in the middle section and shot up to a peak rating of 1231. In the lower section, Ram Srivatsa and Abhiraj Singh both had 2.5/3.0 for great performances. We welcomed expert player and Indy native Jay Carr who visited for the first time.

The kids' workshop had a lesson on "double checks," then a small bughouse tourney (two-on-two chess) since it was the first Tuesday of the month.

Thank you again to Lumina Foundation for the sponsorship that allows us to give free entry to anyone in financial need. We most of all thank the players for making these nights and this community possible! See you next Tuesday night like always...(pre-register at indychess.org/events).