Good morning chess players, we’re back for another week of chess. Our sister club Sapphics Chess Club, who meet at the neighborhood’s Bush Dyke Bar will be joining Bushwick Chess tonight 7pm for our first collaboration. Sapphics Chess Club, led by NYCR’s Sam Sharf at the 2025 NYCR Chess Club Olympiad, invite queer chess players/allies to our Rapid Tournament, a 10|2 five round two section rapid with a casual friendly u1400 limit alongside an Open tournament for stronger players. Casual Club will run free to play all night. All donations and a portion of tournament entries will be donated to the Black Trans Liberation

Sapphics Chess Club Rapid, 10|2 five round rapid tonight at Nook. $20 with prizes for all. Casual Club will run free to play all night.

We’re also covering last weeks June Club Rapid, ushering in the end of the Spring Season. Who’s on top going into Summer Season?

Bert Leonard Wins June Rapid Open

At last weeks June Rapid Open, 38 players gathered across two sections to end Spring Season ‘26. The Open section consisted of 13 players, averaging at 1778 NYCR. Top seed WFM Devina Devagharan stood alone in the 2000+ category, rated 2083 NYCR after winning the Woman’s Championship in April.

But, after five rounds of rapid it was 1967 NYCR Bert Leonard from Prospect Park Chess Club who took home Top Player, scoring 4.5/5 drawing top seed Devagharan in the fourth round. WFM Devina secured Second Place with 3.5/5. Third Place went to 1867 NYCR Jack Nugent with 3.5/5. U2000 went to 1867 NYCR Kirill Agishev on 3/5, while U1800 went to 1724 NYCR Nirupam Kushalnagar, along with the Upset prize for a surprising win against WFM Devina in round 1.

The U1600 section saw a whopping 25 players with an average rating of 1368 NYCR compete, with six newcomers. After five rounds 1536 NYCR Wei Chen placed first with 4.5/5. Second Place went to 1475 NYCR Justin Choi with 4/5. Third Place went to Chess Forum regular, 1435 NYCR Jesse Fast with 4/5. Top Unrated went to Carmen Garcia-Quiorez with 3/5, finishing rated 1432 NYCR. You can find the full cross table HERE.

Who’s in the Lead at NYCR?

We’re watching the best play their chess across the city with the new stats page for NYCR. Players have been competing across Bushwick, Williamsburg and Astoria. Below you can see the top ten players play performance:

All rapid games in the NYCR are hosted at Bushwick Chess, so 2378 NYCR FM Juan Pereyra bested the field in almost all of his games, losing only to 2014 NYCR Gautam Narula in March.

In the Blitz section all three clubs have multiple entries, with 2486 NYCR GM Nico Chasin scoring nearly perfectly in both of the Williamsburg tournaments losing only to FM Pereyra in the Williamsburg Winter Blitz.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

By Micah Jameson

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another night of Bushwick Chess. This weekend can go down in the books as one of the single greatest days of New York history. There’s a funny thought on what can happen in five games. At our monthly club rapid you can squeeze five rapid games into one night, but classical chess takes a little more time. At the Knicks vs Spurs finals series, there was a wild shot to victory, starting with an early 2-0 sweep as the usual top players of our club night tournaments do in the first two rounds. The Knicks then lost a crucial game that would lead to the inevitable, opening up the discussion for maybe, potentially letting the ball drop.

But of course no one in New York believed that as Wednesday’s game four made people believe in magic again. It’s like one of those moments where you just sort of nod, knowing that the best version of the story can be told. By the time game five started, everyone knew who was going home with the trophy, not unlike the tournaments at Bushwick Chess, when you see who fights for the final game and just know who’s going to be on top (hint: it’s usually Juan).

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Rapid Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Monthly Club Rapid/Blitz will now split into Open and U1600 sections to encourage a healthy mix of casual and competitive play more regularly.

Anyways, yours truly felt inspired this weekend watching the whole of the city erupt into a frenzy I don’t think anyone here can say has been seen before. We’re gearing up tonight for the final game of the summer quarter and plan to look at our top Spring players lineup next week. Until then, have some photos from last week’s amazing club night, where we celebrated the great strides on and off the board. Shout out WCM Maddie Weber who just hit 2112 USCF going 5.5 out of 7 at the 2026 National Open, tying for second in the U2300 section!!! HUGE GRATS!

Rapid Chess is Good For You

At last month’s Club Rapid Tournament, Bushwick Chess saw it’s first two section tournament; a new feature separating the pros from the club level players while rewarding both for their efforts. The tournament saw expert Simon Schmidt hit 2105 NYCR with a 4.5/5 score, drawing only Kirill Agishev who not only placed third, but went on to place second in the following Premiere Rapid played at the start of the month as well.

Other top rapid players in recent history include the likes of Atharva Washimkar, who holds a current 12 game win streak, not unlike the Knicks, before Trump showed up and ruined the vibe for a minute. Please note, Bushwick Chess will not allow Trump’s attendance so Washimkar can continue the run tonight. Other notable players include u1600 highest rating gain Benjamin Diamond, who gained 236 points in the new section to end the May Rapid rated 1410 NYCR. Unrated Nikhil Sapa also ended the event with 4/5, hitting 1700.

We see a lot of potential in the current players at Bushwick Chess, and want to display a small collection of some of the best chess in a while. Take a look at players Aidan Ahram, Ben Smith, Kirill Agishev and Atharva Washimkar at the June Premiere Rapid. Washimkar took home $155 after a perfect 3/3 score in the upper section.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another dive into all things Bushwick Chess. Let’s take a look at one of our growing talents.

Reminder! Tonight is Club Night at Bushwick Chess. Free play inside and outside all night 7-11pm at Nook, 45 Irving. Join us for a casual night of fun.

Atharva Washimkar has had great success in the new era of two section separation. Across 44 games in 2026, Washimkar scored 34 wins, 2 draws and 8 losses across Bushwick Chess and Williamsburg Chess. The current 12 game undefeated streak is only surpassed by FM Juan Pereyra in recent history.

At last weeks June Premiere Rapid, ten players competed in the Open section while twelve took arms in the U1600 section. After three rounds only Atharva Washimkar, rated and Kyle Rausch (u1600) made it out with 3-0 scores. Washimkar’s average opponent was rated 1749 NYCR so the fights were solid work.

Needless to say we’re looking forward to the continued rise of one of our best players at the club. The question now becomes “who will be the player to stop this streak from growing?”

It was at this point the author went on to see the Knicks lose game three but that’s fine because KNICKS IN FIVE!!!

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Happy Pride Month chess players! We’re back for a jammed pack issue of Bushwick Chess so let’s get organized. Tonight begins our first ever 15|10 3 round Swiss Rapid tournament to slow things down and focus. Bushwick Chess returns to Troutman Open Streets as of this weekend, meeting for a few hours of chess in the sun when the weather allows. We’re also going to take a look in the upset fueled battle at the first two section Club Blitz last Tuesday. June is packed with events, so make your move and come play.

Bushwick Chess Premier Rapid Tonight

The switch from Open tournaments to dual sections have alleviated the need for a dedicated tournament for beginners, so we’re adding a dual section focused event to give players a new challenge each month. Tonight’s Premier Club Rapid will join next months 3|2 9 round blitz swiss to open the summer season. The Spring Top Performers list will close 6/20, so this will be one of the last chances to win some games before the list is published.

We’re also opening up Open Streets Scheduling to more regular meetups as the heat builds. Last weekend’s crew saw some excellent games between the regulars and passerby’s alike.

Bushwick Club Blitz Saw Upsets Galore

At the monthly Club Blitz, 38 players across two sections met to test their skills both against the pros and the ranks of u1600. The event average rating of 1620 parsed into the 18 player Open with an average rating of 1852 and the 20 player U1600 with an average rating of 1412 and eight new players!

The Open section saw FM Johnny Pein visiting from London once again after a 5/5 dominant performance in August Rapid of 2025 and an 8/9 blitz score to boot. But the competition in the new stronger section is fierce. FM Pereyra lead the field to a perfect score until a loss against 1912 rated Atharva Washimkar in round five pitted the victor a shot at the Top Player.

After the win against the top seed, Washimkar went on to win in style against FM Pein in round six and Jack Nugent in the final round to take home Top Player and the upset prize on a score of 6/7 points, gaining 71 rating and facing an average rated player of 1991 NYCR to do so. Second place went to 2307>2276 rated FM Juan Pereyra on 5/7, while third place went to 2260>2239 FM Johnny Pein on 5/7 as well.

The class prizes went to 1864 rated Adi Kumar on 4/7 (u2000) and 1740 rated Ben Smith (u1800).

U1600 Section saw it’s own fights, but Amnon Ni saw an undefeated streak of five five and two draws to take home the U1600 Top Player and graduate the section with a rating of 1696 NYCR. Second Place went to 1472>1498 rated Scott Friedman on 5/7. Third Place went to 1384>1470 rated Grant Thorshov on 4.5/7. Top Unrated went to local artist legend Myles Bennett on 4/7, now rated 1378.

You can see the full crosstable and rating changes HERE.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players, hope you had a great Memorial Day. We’re back for another week of chess.

In lieu of a full article, This newsletter will serve as a double reminder for the newer changes at the club and beyond. First up, tonight’s Club Blitz will feature a similar two section structure as we tested in the Club Rapid at the start of the month. With this change, we’re also proud to announce our first 15|10 Premiere next week 6/2. Join us for three rounds of longer rapid for better thought.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

Our second bit of news from the outside comes from our friend’s at North Brooklyn Chess, now rebranding the club as Bad Bishop, who will remain playing chess every Thursday at Common Mollies. But they’ve lost their outreach with a new page change, so please send a follow Bad Bishop Chess Club on Instagram if you can!

Club Night last week was a massive success, with friendly faces, returning smiles and our dear friend Nick Marino who is set to be married this summer! We’ve watched him grow so much over the years I could cry.

Thanks to FM Will Graif for stopping by as well after his chessboxing at Outbox, which you can check out if you’re skipping a Bushwick Chess event any Tuesday!

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

By Micah Jameson

Good morning chess players. We’re back at Bushwick Chess to celebrate the winners of the brand new double section tournament at the club. Three top players from both the Open and U1600 sections we’re awarded laurels and rating, along with the usual class prizes to go along with it. 34 total players joined across the two sections to fight for the top.

Reminder! Bushwick Chess Casual Club meeting runs TONIGHT from 7-11pm at Nook, 45 Irving. Please Join us for a night of tales, ales and more.

The Open section saw an average rating of 1762, as opposed to the u1600 section average rating of 1419 NYCR. This resulted in a higher testing of fortitude among the top field than our usual Club Rapid with seven NYCC Olympiad players in the mix facing off against one another and a field of worthy competition.

The Open sections strong field saw a hearty fight for first. After five rounds, 1914 rated Simon Schmidt took top player with a score of 4.5/5, gaining a whopping 191 rating to hit 2105 NYCR. Second place went to 1736 rated Ben Beardsley on 4/5, gaining 58 rating. Third place went to 1777 rated Kirill Agishev on 3.5/5, gaining 44 rating. U2000 went to 1860 rated Adi Kumar on 3/5, gaining 15 rating. U1800 went to 1655 rated Nirupam Kushalnagar, gaining 69 rating, nice!

The new U1600 Beginners/Intermediate section saw some highlight players stood out across the field. After five rounds, 1569 rated Adam Rosenfeld scored top player in the u1600 with a score of 4/5, gaining 28 rating to land at 1597 NYCR. Second place went to unrated Nikhil Sapa on 4/5, now rated 1700 NYCR and has graduated the u1600 section. Third place went to 1387 rated Shreyo Banerjee on 3.5/5, gaining 26 rating. Anshul Doshi also graduated the section, now rated 1663 NYCR.

You can see the full cross table, rating changes and more HERE.

At the annual Washington Square Park chess simul, FIDE photographer David Llada caught a few of our favorite players including internet superstar Sydney Strauss and FM Will Graif, along with park regulars Johnny, seen on Anna Cramling’s youtube, and Doc, who I had the pleasure of writing about at the start of my chess writing career.

Llada posted on Twitter: “I will be back in NYC this spring for a “Chess & Arts” fair at the @MarshallChessNY, together with Sofia Polgar. Come celebrate the intersection of chess and art with a Q&A, book signings, and a silent auction of some of our works. Save the date: May 19, 2026, 7:00 pm.”

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

By Micah Jameson

Good morning chess players. We’re back for a special edition of our newsletter, but first a word. I took off a little time off of our usual weekly schedule over the last month, and I just want to say it has been so endearing to hear friends and members of the club tell me they miss the weekly drops. To be honest, I didn’t think much of taking the time away from updating the who’s who of winners coming through our halls and the neighboring clubs like the 100 player titan tournament at Williamsburg Chess. A short trip to the west coast and whatever the hell virus that slammed the city a couple weeks ago stopped me from writing as much and with so many kind words about the work shared has reignited my desire to talk over what’s been going on.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Rapid Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Monthly Club Rapid/Blitz will now split into Open and U1600 sections to encourage a healthy mix of casual and competitive play more regularly.

Starting us off with updates, I’d love to announce in the newsletter first that Bushwick Chess will be moving into two sections starting tonight at our monthly Club Rapid. Players of all skill levels will have the chance to play in a stronger than average Open tournament while newcomers and improvers will now have the chance to play in an under 1600 NYCR section alongside.

In addition to the new section changes we’re looking to our first 15|10 Rapid event taking place of the u1600 in June, so look forward to more information about that as we close in. Bushwick Chess is also looking to broaden the opinions the average reader takes in outside of what I glean as Club Organizer to be most pertinent week to week. Club member Atharva Washmikar has agreed to step into some game analysis as a contributor to the newsletter, and an extension of a hand is cast to all Bushwick Chess members to share analysis, opinions and news. If you think you’d like to write for the club publication please email bushwickchess@gmail.com to coordinate.

Now, let’s look at the recent events.

April Club Blitz!

At last month’s Club Blitz, 28 players attended with an average rating of 1567 NYCR joined up for a night of friendly fire. After seven rounds of 5|2, FM Juan Pereyra took home first place with a score of 6/7, losing only to recent addition Ben Smith in the final round, ending the event rated 2335. Second Place went to 2140 FM Andrey Krasnov on 5.5/7. Third Place went to 1870 rated Atharva Washmikar on 5/7, gaining 36 points and joining the exclusive 1900+ club.

U2000 went to Ben Smith, along with the upset prize on his win against our top player. U1800 went to 1671 rated Peter Chiapinni on 4.5/7, gaining 13 points. U1600 went to 1315 rated Brooks Harris on 4/7, gaining 42 rating points! U1400 went to 1249 Jeffery Ho on 4/7, gaining a high of 207 rating points for the strong finish. Top Unrated went to Justin Choi on 3.5/7. You can see the full cross table HERE.

Williamsburg Chess Spring Blitz A Massive Success. Again!

At the quarterly Blitz Tournament hosted by Williamsburg Chess for players across the NYCR and beyond, another 100 players met to compete in New York’s biggest “casual” tournament. So many games played that we haven’t even finished rating the event just yet. GM Nico Chasin took home Top Player with a perfect 7/7 score against the field. Second place went to WCM Maddie Weber after defeating fellow 6/7 competitors in tiebreaks, with FM Will Graif taking Third Place.

You can see the full cross table, rating changes and more HERE.

Good morning chess players! We’re back for another newsletter packed with the local comings and goings of chess players around Bushwick. “Mic, Check, Mate” launched it’s first poetry-meets-chess handshake event at Seventh Heaven, a local karaoke haunt within eyesight of Nook. Bushwick Chess regulars and poets clashed for a mix of open mic and casual play. Just next door to Nook during the same time, Sam Sharf’s Chess Knight meetup at The Bush saw 20+ attendees as well. With last weekend’s New York Chessboxing tryouts at Outbox as well with WGM Jen Shahade, it’s safe to say there is a lot of chess going on in Bushwick right now.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

Big shout out to my partner Miriam, not only for her dedication to play the Women’s Championship every year as a casual player, but for co-organizing a wonderful event mixing the two mediums in which I work closest and most tenderly with. I’m looking forward to more chess and poetry soon.

It’s Been Feeling Like Family Lately

At the April Club Rapid, 35 players met up for the monthly rapid tournament at Nook, but something is feeling different at the club lately. We’ve seen an increase in participation at tournaments and club night alike, and it’s becoming clear now more than ever how important community is. Nook just celebrated their five year anniversary and I won’t pretend like it didn’t choke me up a little thinking about the last 4.5 years we’ve been playing together at Bushwick Chess. Thanks to everyone from Shreyo, one of my fellow OG’s to the newcomers pouring in every week to test their skills. It’s been a wild ride. Let’s get into the chess.

After five rounds of 10|2 rapid, FM Juan Pereyra emerged victorious with a perfect 5/5, now with a new rating of 2378. Second Place went to Atharva Washimkar on 4/5, gaining 30 rating! Third Place went to local chess star Kenneth Fernandez on 4/5, who finished the event rated 1957 NYCR. Looking forward to seeing the content he filmed during the tournament.

U2000 went to Kirill Agishev on 3.5/5. U1800 went to Saye Oyama on 3.5/5, gaining 15 rating. Top Unrated went to newcomer Ben Smith on 3.5/5, finishing the event rated 1824 NYCR. U1600 went to Daniel Wang on 2.5/5. U1400 went to Justin Choi on 2.5/5, gaining 112 rating! You can find full tournament info at NYC Chess.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players. Twenty year old Javokhir Sindarov has climbed a mountain the likes no other chess player has done with a nine point score across twelve games at the FIDE Candidates, which decides the challenger to current world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. With the old guard of name brand players like Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura dragging behind by a whopping 3 point deficit, only future FIDE president Anish Giri stands in second place behind 2 points. Sindarov’s play this tournament has been out of this world, to the point that it has even stunned former world champion Magnus Carlsen (still our goat).

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Rapid Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

At this point there is essentially zero chance someone catches up to the Uzbek star. Stay tuned for more info regarding the big World Championship match. In the Women’s Candidates running alongside the open event, there is a stellar bunch up of the worlds best women at the top of the pool, so it’s anyone’s game. Former world champ Zhu Jiner shares lead with Indian prodigy Vaishali Rameshbabu, with Anna Muzychuk and Bibisara Assaubayeva both behind by a half point. With two days left we look forward to seeing who makes it out on top. Speaking of top women, let’s look at the events we’ve been hosting at Bushwick Chess.

2026 Women’s Championship See’s New Top Player

At the third annual Brooklyn Women’s Championship, we saw new and returning players join to challenge one another for the coveted Brooklyn Top Woman. With donations of over $600 from club members the competition was fierce. Our club friend and adult improver Sydney Strauss attended, along with two rockstars from Prospect Park, Elanor Avril and Trina Chatterjee. Bushwick’s Lisa Lin, Sam Sharf, Maya Rutta and Miriam Kagan also tested the field with plenty of newcomers from around the city.

After five rounds of 10|2 rapid, it was clear that the undefeated WFM Devina Devagharan was the clear front runner, defeating the best of the pool along with content comrade WCM Maddie Weber. WFM Devina’s introductory NYC rating now sits at 2083. We look forward to her future attendance when she makes New York her permanent home in May. You can follow her content journey on Instagram!

WCM Weber claimed second place with 4/5, and now sits with a rapid rating of 1884, which lowkey let’s be real mean’s she’s STILL underrated. Follow her Youtube journey HERE. Third place went to the well deserved Sam Sharf on 3/5, bringing her rating up to 1728 NYCR. You can see the full ratings results HERE.

April Beginners/Intermediate Continues to Be A Challenge

While our most beginner friendly event at Bushwick Chess saw an average rating of 1411 NYCR, the challenge to climb out of the U1600 pool remains tough for our regular club players. 21 players met at the monthly five round rapid for new and improving players under 1600 NYCR, all with the hope to graduate out of the pool and find glory in the much higher rated Open Rapid TONIGHT!

After five rounds, newcomer Benjamin Douglass finished the event with a perfect 5/5, graduating in his first entry and claiming a new rating of 1864 NYCR. Second Place went to Scott Friedman on 4/5, now rated 1499 NYCR while Third Place went to Daniel Goodman on 3/5, now rated 1525 NYCR.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players. The FIDE Candidates tournament began this weekend to decide who will face the open world champion and the women’s world champion. Sixteen of the best chess players alive are competing in a two week event to decide. You can check out yesterdays recap here. In addition, the annual Reykjavik Open in Iceland is also on it’s final day today, with Iranian GM Amin Tabatabaei on a perfect score of 7/7. So, what do the great chess players around the world have to do with our lil ol chess club in New York? Well, the likes of many great players have entered our doors, but it’s in our hometown heroes we can learn many lessons from.

Reminder! Tonight is the Bushwick Chess Women’s Championship at Nook. Players of all skill levels will compete in our annual tournament to decide the best Woman of 2026, with donations from club members to be added to the final prize pool. $20 entry, prizes for players of all levels.

Bushwick Chess is home to some of the most consistent and strongest players in the city, with FM Juan Pereya’s dominant performance continuing into 2026 as the top seed at our club with a current score of 37.5/40 across rapid and blitz. But I want to show off a specific game against fellow club master NM Danny Vulis, with a few small notes to help express what these stellar players can teach us even in a blitz game.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3… We start off in a QG: Semi-Slav, where black decides to play the London sort of, while white develops the best piece in the game twice. Wow!

4… dxc4 5. a4 Bb4 6. e3 b5 7. Bd2 Qe7 8. axb5 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 cxb5 10. d5 Nf6 11. d6 Qb7 12. b3

Now for most of us, playing seven move of theory followed by four best engine moves is already something none of us can comprehend. I for one find myself stumped no matter what my opponent plays. But alas we find ourselves in something chess dot com calls the Slav Defense: Modern, Triangle, Noteboom, Koomen Variation. Say that in one breath. This exact opening has been played by the likes of Etienne Bacrot and a bunch of other names I’ve never heard. White chooses to give up a pawn and allow a passed pawn for a slight lead in development and many questions asked.

NM Vulis took a new approach, aiming for Nd4 instead of the more common Ne4. This becomes a challenge later in the final moments of the game, but we have 17 move to go.

12… Nd5 13. Bxg7 Rg8 14. bxc4 bxc4 15. Bd4 Qb4+ 16. Qd2

The tension starts to break after white gave back the pawn. Each player made some slightly less accurate moves from the computer’s eye, notably 12… Nd5, 14. bxc4 and 15. Bd4. Now it’s easy to nod along when the computer gives us ideas but when you watch these two rockstars play it becomes apparent that even in blitz their tactical minds are sharp and calculating proficiently.

16… c3 17. Qc2 Nc6 18. Rb1 Qxd6 19. Bxc3 Bd7

Now, it was at Bd7 that things are starting to look suspicious. FM Pereyra has 1:11 minutes on the clock to NM Vulis’ 2:46, but the move leads to some intense trouble ahead. Let’s consider 20. Qxh7. The engine wants Kf8, ruining any change at castling queenside (just kidding, 20… O-O-O leads to Ba6+ Rb7 and that’s that). 20… Ke7 runs into a beautiful Bg7, closing out blacks chance at hiding on f8 later. All in all, if black doesn’t find a way to push white kingside, that castle is going to look pretty delicious soon.

20. Bd2 h6 21. g3 Rc8 22. Qb2 Ncb4 23. Be2 Nc2+ 24. Kf1

We’re closing in on the endgame here. White is having all the fun now. Kg2 is on the way, with the bishop pair, some light pressure on the queen hiding behind the knight and a very safe king. To be fair, it was three out of four great moves in a row for white. 22. Qb2 actually led to a potential trade of rooks with something along the lines of 22… Rb8! But by 24. Kf1 it’s become clear that white has some trumps cards in play.

24… Ke7 25. Kg2 Na3 26. Rbc1 Rb8 27. Qd4 f6 28. Rhd1 Bc6 29. e4 0-1

Now I’m a pretty intermediate player still, but the beauty of watching these two masters at work, even during a blitz game inspires me to become a better chess player, or at bare minimum ask a lot of really annoying questions until my opponent gives up thinking. Let’s take a brief look at the final move of the game. In this position, Black flagged. But things were looking intense. How did we get from a slightly worse position to a dead lost one in five moves? Well let’s look at the perks and downsides.

After a move like 29… Nb5 to kick the queen, white is looking to win the knight with 30. Qd3 Ndc3 31. Bxc3 Qxd3 32. Bxd3. White will emerge up a full knight, with black living the rest of their life with three pawn islands and no bishop pair.

Chess is hard. It’s even harder to analyze. I suggest you take this pgn file of the full game and spend some time today before the Women’s Championship at Bushwick Chess testing your understanding without the computer analysis. Think about what moves you’d make for each color in the positions above, or branch out and try to find some unique ideas of your own to bring to the board. Either way, don’t stop learning. See you over the board soon, chess player.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players! Last year Bushwick Chess saw 21 players face off to see who would take the Top Woman title at the club, with the likes of WFM Nino Jalagonia, Sam Sharf and Kameliia Sharuda vying for the title. But it was Najee-Ana Walthrust who took home the gold by the end. This year we’re looking to increase the amount of competitors, raise money for a prize fund and introduce you to our Top Woman of 2026. If you would like to donate to the prize fund, please reach out on our Instagram or email us at bushwickchess@gmail.com

Reminder! Tonight at Bushwick Chess we will be meeting at Nook 7-11pm for our free play Casual Club. Come through for free games and hangs all night.

Bushwick Club Rapid! Upsets Galore!

The March Bushwick Chess Club Rapid saw 31 players rated an average 1673 NYCR tested their skills against the pros. But the most notable games were a handful of wins by lower rated players against their strong counterparts. Five total upsets saw players winning against 250+ rating deviation to the biggest upset of the night going to 1969 rated Gautam Narula who bested top seed 2384 rated FM Juan Pereyra for a second time, a 415 rating difference! Narula went on to lose only to NM Danny Vulis in the finale round, but took home Top Player for his efforts, gaining 45 rating. Second Place went to FM Juan Pereyra also on 4/5. Third Place went to Peter Chiappini on 4/5, who gained a whopping 163 rating.

U2000 went to 1934 rated NM Danny Vulis on 3.5/5 (+30), U1800 went to 1732 rated Saye Oyama (+40), U1600 went to 1593 rated Abe Drogin (+163!), Top Unrated went to Emelian Khokhlov (1628), and U1400 went to 1342 rated Mikey Ettlinger. You can find your updated ratings HERE.

Matt Biancuzzo on Perpetual Chess!

Our friend and remarkable chess content creator Matt Biancuzzo, founder of Foorest and content king was on the most recent Ben Johnson podcast episode. You can listen in full HERE!

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players. We’re back at Bushwick Chess this week to celebrate the wild games at the monthly U1600. I’m exhausted after a weekend chess tournament so keeping the article this week short, but excited to see everyone at Nook this evening for another round. Look forward to an in depth look at some of my games, mistakes and more in next weeks article. This is also a great time to remind all readers of the annual Bushwick Chess Women’s Championship set for March 31st. Tell everyone you know to come through and look for a donation request to raise a prize fund soon.

Reminder! Tonight is our monthly Club Rapid Tournament. Join us 7pm at Nook for five rounds of 10|2 Swiss. Tickets on Eventbrite or $20 at door, prizes for all skill levels!

At the monthly U1600 Club Rapid, 25 players rated an average of 1383 NYCR competed for the coveted Top Player prize, along with the new addition of Top Unrated. After a win in round one, 1532 rated Adam Rosenfeld found himself in a sticky situation against fellow clubmate Diego Navarro, rated 1499 who had mate on the board. But alas the clock pressure and backwards bishop blindside got the best of Navarro and Rosenfeld went onto round 3 with a perfect score. It was in the third round that 1398 Joe Lawler stepped in and found a clean, decisive victory with an Alien Gambit. Lawler continued to dominate through to the end to earn top player on a perfect 5/5 score, gaining 143 points along the way!

Second place went to Adam Rosenfeld on 4/5, gaining 38 rating while Daniel Goodman took third place with a score of 4/5, gaining 48 rating. Top Unrated went to Hitansh Shah for a second week in a row who has graduated U1600 at 1611 NYCR.

We Got Cooked at the Marshall Premiere

The monthly weekend premiere classical tournament at the esteemed Marshall Chess Club saw 40 players in the U2000 section, featuring myself and internet chess celeb Sydney Strauss. We got cooked by kids all weekend and have no interest in crying of the spilled milk, since our final game ended with the two of us agreeing to a happy short draw to conclude the weekend. You can see the 14 move game here lol. Look forward to next weeks article where I go in depth with my four games to learn some better lessons moving forward.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players. Every aspiring grandmaster knows the journey to greatness begins with the first steps. As a chess player devoted to building a mountain in Minecraft right now, the first blocks placed ensure the foundation for something much greater down the road.

That’s why we at Bushwick Chess started the monthly Beginner/Intermediate tournament to pair alongside our monthly Club Rapid/Blitz events. It’s imperative to the growth of a player to get games in against both weaker, stronger and evenly matched opponents in a mix to ensure lessons of all varieties show up in the games. Alongside these three events in March, the upcoming Women’s Championship, set for March 31st we aim to invite competing women of all skill levels into the event and showcase the growth from the Top Woman to newcomer rewards and more.

Reminder chess players! Tonight is our monthly Beginners/Intermediate Rapid Tournament for players under 1600 NYCR! Join us at Nook, 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 Rapid. $20 at door, prizes for all skill levels.

Club Blitz, Accelerated Pairings Make For Better Games

At last week’s Club Blitz, 31 players rated an average 1635 NYCR signed up to face off with four experts and eight players over 1800 in the mix. With Chess Forum’s Ian Goldman-Sanderson, 2025 Top Woman Najee Walthrust and SIX newcomers the rivalry was indeed heated.

By round 4, pack leader Simon Schmidt lost to Aidan Ahram, opening the possibility for Top Player to six players on 3 or 3.5. But after a great final game against fellow expert Sasha Kagle, 2040 NYCR Simon Schmidt ended up taking the gold with 6/7, gaining 30 rating. Second Place went to 2054 rated Gautam Narula with 5.5/7, gaining 17 rating. Third Place went to 2023 rated Sasha Kagle with 5/7, gaining 9 rating.

U2000 went to 1829 rated Jack Nugent on 5/7 (+25), U1800 went to 1692 rated Ben Beardsley on 5/7 (+19), U1600 went to 1544 rated Micah Jameson (hi) on 4/7 (+18), Top Unrated went to newcomer Hitansh Shah on 4/7 (1591), and U1400 plus the upset prize went to 1254 Brooks Harris on 3/7 (+37).

You can check your updated rating HERE.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

By Micah Jameson

Happy post snow day chess players! We’re back at Bushwick Chess this week to talk over the thing we like to do most, playing chess with friends.

Reminder! Tonight is the January Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

Nestled between the two blizzards of 2026 lie the coveted Casual Club last week. Returning players and newcomers alike joined in for the fun. With just a few weeks of winter left the club is close to the spring-fall tradition of casual chess every week outdoors, last Tuesday was a perfect way to warm up between our monthly Club Rapid and Club Blitz tournaments. Bushwick Chess is also set to host the monthly blitz tonight with the addition of accelerated pairings again as we test the blitz pool for a second tournament in a row. Last months Club Blitz saw 27 players averaging 1611 NYCR compete with FM Juan Pereyra taking home gold with a perfect 7/7. He faced an average opponent rated 1787.

My Second Marshall Chess Classical Tournament of 2026

I’m playing my second contiguous classical event for the first time in a while alongside internet chess superstar Sydney Strauss, club friend Ruari Morrison alongside the likes of Prospect Park’s two time NYCR Olympiad player Anthony Levin. He and I shared the best tournament I’ve ever played back in April. The Thursday FIDE Open is a brilliant pool of players where testing your skills is truly something put to the ultimate test. Last month I beat my first opponent rated 1700 but went on to draw an 1800 and while I lost against both 2000+ players both games were competitive. With the ability to slow down and grind I feel I’m learning across the board better. The first round of the current cycle, I played the longest game I’ve ever played at 91 moves to resignation. Quite unfortunately it was I resigning after blundering in a winning position. I look forward to posting some future analysis of my classical games to the newsletter in the future.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Good morning chess players. It’s a good day. We’re back for another week of chess news at Bushwick Chess, but before we jump into last week’s games let’s take a moment to shout out what hard work looks like over the board. Bushwick Chess has seen some great players come through our doors over the years, but nothing beats watching someone grow in strength with consistency. At the September Club Rapid last fall, Nugent’s 3.5/5 score earned the u2000 prize with only a draw against now WCM Madeline Weber and a loss in the final round to touring FM Johnny Pein.

Reminder! Tonight at Bushwick Chess we will be meeting at Nook 7-11pm for our free play Casual Club. Come through for free games and hangs all night.

At last week’s February Club Rapid however, Nugent showed no sign of relenting against the opposition to face off against the top seed 2087 NYCR Sasha Kagle in the final game of the night. With a first round bye and wins against 1477 rated Itai Beaudoin De Roca in round 2 and 1746 rated Tata Pan in round 3, Nugent went on to face beloved house hero (and house music lover) Hendrik De Cuyper in round 4 and take a third win in a row. In great form, both Jack Nugent and Sasha Kagle sat for their finale, with the winner taking home gold. It took only 30 moves for Nugent to win a Queen and the game.

The opening led to 9 moves of book theory in a King’s Indian Defense: Gligoric System. Nugent states “Nc2 is not mainline here, but I went off book early just to get a playable position and see if I could outplay slowly.”

Kagle tested Nugent’s understanding of an Isolated Queens pawn structure immediately with 10… d5! 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. exd5. But just six moves later white’s advantage started building.

The bravery of the position really stuck when Nugent played 17. Nd4, though an even stronger move Qc1 would’ve cemented blacks problems as the relative pin on the queen starts testing the position. Either way, one of the big rules in chess I personally hear often from stronger players is to bring the knights to the center, forward positions to maximize efficiency. Nugent did just that, stating “I think once the knight gets to d4 it’s very tricky.”

Indeed tricky it was, after 17… Rad8 18. Nxf5 Qxf5 19. Ne4 Qxd5?? won the knight on f4. Just ten moves later black resigned, with M2 and a free queen on the board.

When asked what he attributes the win to, Nugent stated “I attribute the win to Juan not being there.” You can review the full game analysis HERE.

The February Club Rapid saw 29 players with an average rating of 1603 competing for first. Top Player went to Jack Nugent after the finale win to end on 4.5/5, and gaining a whopping 49 rating for his work to end at 1888 NYCR. Second Place went to 1780 rated Atharva Washimkar who bested NM Danny Vulis on board 2 in the final round to clutch 4/5, gaining 30 rating. Third Place went to 1935 rated Bert Leonard on 4/5, gaining 49 rating.

u2000 went to 1829 rated Hedrik De Cuyper on 3.5/5 (+13), u1800 went to Kirill Agishev on 3.5/5 (+8), u1600 went to Ben Bar on 3/5 (+18), Top Unrated went to Gustavo Kruger on 2.5/5 now 1577 NYCR and u1400 went to 1343 rated Adam Schneberg on 2.5/5 (+79). Upset prize went to 1552 rated Yigal Nochomovitz who bested 1900 rated Oscar Mcnally in round 2! You can find the full cross table HERE.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

By Micah Jameson

It’s almost the end of winter, but it seems New York is in for a brutal beating before we see the sun start warming us in time for battle. The rise of chess clubs across the city continues to engage NYCR members from Bushwick, Williamsburg, Astoria and more clubs incoming to the system.

Reminder! Tonight is our monthly Club Rapid Tournament. Join us 7pm at Nook for five rounds of 10|2 Swiss. Tickets on Eventbrite or $20 at door, prizes for all skill levels!

But today, I wanted to use my small platform to congratulate four of my students in Bushwick on their triumphs. For those who don’t know, I’ve been coaching a class during an afterschool program with Chess Max Academy, named after Founder, Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy, who won the recent 97 player Williamsburg Winter Blitz. At the school I’ve been working with, four students displayed excellent understanding of the basics, so they competed at the Tri-State Chess Championship at the UWS chess club.

After the 3.5 hour long event, our top player Jayden took first place in the Reserve section, granting the school team trophy for the section as well. Matthew took home the co-champion title in the Elementary section. Shout out to Preston for 1.5/3 and Cathaliah for 1/3.

Bushwick Chess U1600 Tournament a Massive Success

It’s the coldest week we’ve ever been alive in New York, and STILL somehow the Beginners/Intermediate Tournament last week turned into our largest event for this section to date. Twenty nine beanied Bushwick players rated 1381 on average joined, including eleven newcomers. Four 1500+ players attended as well, with top seed Daniel Wang testing the field’s strength.

But in round four, Wang drew 1337 rated Nick Altieri. After the dust settled in round five, it was Altieri who came out on top with a score of 4.5/5 and a new rating of 1523, increasing by a whopping 186 rating! This marks the highest rating gain of any U1600 so far. Wang took home second place with a score of 4/5, gaining 29 rating. Third place went to newcomer Evan Cambell, who also scored 4/5, while taking home a whopping 1656 rating after the event. Top Unrated went to newcomer Trevor Lanford from Marshall Chess Club. You can see the full cross table HERE.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

By Micah Jameson

Okay, six and a half more weeks. Spring is slowly approaching as 2026 gears up for more chess in New York than ever. In today’s article we’re going to cover the three big blitz tournaments across the NYCR last week, as well as gearing our casual/improvers for tonight’s Beginners/Intermediate Tournament. But first a hearty congratulations to our American’s stunning performances at the Tata Steel Championship which ended this weekend in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.

Reminder chess players! Tonight is our monthly Beginners/Intermediate Rapid Tournament for players under 1600 NYCR! Join us at Nook, 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 Rapid. $20 at door, prizes for all skill levels.

While Nodirbek Abdusattorov won the Masters for the first time in great form, future American World Champion Hans Niemann played a stellar tournament as well to finish in shared third place with a score of 7.5/13 and gained some healthy rating as well. Meanwhile in the Challengers section, American Andy Woodward finished with a remarkable 10/13, taking first place and guaranteeing a spot in the Masters section next year. Notable mention to Vasyl Ivanchuk, who at 56 years old finished in second with 9.5/13. Big shout out to American Carissa Yip as well for 7/13!! I like to think our Najdorf game last summer is what really pushed her to become great…

Now, let’s travel back to New York.

Bushwick Does It’s Thing

At last week’s January Club Blitz, 27 players met for the usual seven rounds of 5|2 chess. After the dust settled, FM Juan Pereyra took home another undefeated 7/7 score to finish the event rated 2340 NYCR. Second Place went to Sasha Kagle, rated 2014 and finished with 5.5/7, gaining 9 rating. Third Place went to Tata Pan who gained 47 rating with a score of 5/7 to end rated 1812.

U2000 went to 1777 rated Victor Kenny-Maheux with 4.5/7, U1800 went to 1542 rated Sam Sharf who also grabbed the upset prize finishing on 4.5/7, 1485 rated Scott Friedman took home u1600 with 4.5/7, while Top Unrated went to newcomer Desmond Lee who finished 4/7. U1499 went to 1119 rated Brian Aiken.

Williamsburg Chess Outdo Themselves Again

At the Winter Club Blitz, an astounding 94 players from beginners to Grandmaster came out for the hottest (chess) club in town. Chess Max Academy Founder Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy won the seven round blitz event with a score of 6.5/7, drawing only chessboxing pro FM William Graif in the final round. Tiebreaks decided who came out on top, with Graif finishing 6/7 along with IM Mykola Bortnyk and FM Juan Pereyra. After tiebreaks IM Bortnyk came out on top to take second place, with FM Pereyra taking home third.

Astoria Chess met the same night for their monthly Club Blitz. Rohan Iyer snagged first place after tiebreaks, finishing 7/9. Matt Klegon took home second with only a loss in tiebreaks to Iyer. Third Place went to Club Organizer Nicolas Silver with 7/9!

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Hello chess players. FUCK ICE. We’re back today at Bushwick Chess to talk about the upcoming test run of accelerated pairing at the Rapid and Blitz tournaments, shouting out three other NYCR events this side of the East River and as well as tonight’s January Club Blitz, followed by a recap of the January Club Rapid. With the club tournament system in a local rating pool, we’re starting to run into more casual players than ever before as chess continues to grow in popularity. The NYCR has welcomed it’s 872nd player Ramsey Pack pictured above with more players incoming to the system across New York. To help better pairing for top players, gradual improvers and those just starting out we’re going to test the Accelerated pairing system for tonight’s event to test. Players can expect closer matchups for the event, so it’s less likely for a newcomer at 1500 to face off against NYCR Top Rapid players in round one.

There have been concerns across local clubs on pairing for new players and with a localized rating system to help filter it’s getting time to try to even better expand the system. Future Club Blitz 9 round 3|2 events will also move to the accelerated pairings systems to ensure closer pairings as well.

Reminder! Tonight is the January Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

At this month’s Club Rapid tournament, a well received 38 players faced off over five rounds of 10|2 rapid to see who would take home the gold. After the dust settled top player FM Juan Pereyra managed to come out unscathed again to start 2026 off to a perfect 5/5 score. Returning Olympiad Champion NM Alexis Peredes scored 4/5, only losing to Pereyra in the final round. Both players gained 24 rating for their efforts. Third place went to Sasha Kagle who also scored 4/5, but lost 44 points after 1891 rated Oscar Mcnally managed to take the expert down in round 3.

Top Unrated went to Alec Choi, who proved himself in style back in December in blitz, played his first rapid event in the NYCR and placed fourth overall in the end with 4/5, finishing the event rated 1897. In an upset galore event, 1458 rated Elias Ludviksson from Iceland scored 4/5 to take home fifth place, winning the u2000 and upset prizes, finishing the event rated 1741 NYCR. Funny enough, six of the seven or eight 2025 NYC Reykjavik Gang were in attendance at the event. We look forward to sending out players to a future Reykjavik Open.

U1800 went to 1783 rated Nick Marino, scoring 3.5/5, gaining 27 points. U1600 went to 1442 rated Ben Bar and U1400 went to 1199 rated Jacob Schwartz with 2/5.

More Tournaments this Week in NYC!

While Bushwick Chess starts the week off tonight at the January Club Rapid, three other clubs are meeting for Blitz as well. Starting us off with the second most frequent tournament in the city, the Astoria Club Blitz meets tomorrow for their monthly 5|2 seven round club blitz tournament.

Joining up for their quarterly mega tournament is Williamsburg Chess. Their event follows the same 5|2 seven round blitz as is custom among most clubs in the NYCR. However, as has been the case you can expect one of the largest non interclub events in our local history as Williamsburg frequently exceeds 50+ players.

Lastly, GP Chess joined the NYCR last year after their first entry into the Challengers Section at the 2025 Chess Club Olympiad. They meet this Thursday 1/29.

Gain your NYC Rating at a club of your choosing this week! We look forward to more clubs joining the system before the 2026 NYC Chess Club Olympiad in September.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.

Join us tonight at Nook, 7pm for Bushwick Chess Casual Club. No article this week, see you for a night a free play and fun. Fuck ICE.

Welcome back, chess player. It’s Tuesday and it’s time again to play some rapid. With last month’s December Rapid to be covered this week alongside last week’s Beginners/Intermediate tournament, there’s a lot of players to congratulate. The important message lies in the promise of a new year of chess. Bashing your head against a wall of blitz and bullet has it’s own glory, but when you slow down and think about your moves, the lesson starts to shine. Now, if only Bushwick Chess had a classical chess event…

Reminder! Tonight is our monthly Club Rapid Tournament. Join us 7pm at Nook for five rounds of 10|2 Swiss. Tickets on Eventbrite or $20 at door, prizes for all skill levels!

Let’s get into the chess.

January U1600 Sees New Year’s Promises Come True

It’s a new year and we started it off with our newcomers vs core players who are gearing up to challenge the top players tonight. Twenty two players averaging at a rating of 1373 NYCR fought it out over the board last week. In a great display of resolve in the final round of the New Year’s Beginners/Intermediate Rapid, Edmond Wen found a winning passed pawn endgame against newcomer State Abousetit after a troubling middle game to take home top player, scoring 4.5/5 and finishing the event rated 1499 NYCR, a hundred point gain! You can see the full game HERE.

Abousetit finished in second place with 4/5 to end the event rated 1644; an immediate graduate! Third place went to 1498 rated Kyle Rausch for the second month in a row, who ended 4/5 and gained 40 points. You can see the full cross table HERE.

December Rapid Open Saw Sharp Finish

At the December Club Rapid, 25 players gathered averaging at a rating of 1642 NYCR to test their skills against the pros. After a big win against NYCR Top 10 player NM Alex Fikiet in round four, FM Juan Pereyra secured a draw in round five against club mate Hendrik De Cuyper to take home Top Player, finishing with a score of 4.5/5 and ending the event rated 2360 NYCR (-1 rating). 2176 rated NM Fikiet took home second place with a score of 4/5 and a rating of 2181(+5 rating). Third place went to 1964 rated Gautam Narula on 4/5 as well, finishing the event rated 1992 NYCR (+28 rating).

U2000 went to 1810 rated Hendrik De Cuyper on 4/5 after his final round draw against FM Pereyra (+39 rating), while U1800 went to 1616 rated Tata Pan on 4/5 (+178 rating!). U1600 went to 1165 rated Jeffery Ho on 3/5 (+128 rating), Top Unrated went to newcomer Nirupam Kushalnagar on 2.5/5 (+155 rating) and U1400 went to 1149 rated Nicole Benito (+23 rating). See full cross table HERE.

And that’s it for this week chess players! Join us tonight for more chess and be sure to check our socials HERE. Much love chess players, see you over the board soon. You can find your updated NYC Rating HERE.