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The CCL Chess School

Chess, Community and Learning

 

Chess lessons and more, for players of all strengths and ages.

Cardinal Open – Matthew wins U-1500, Ayush ties for 1st in U-1300

January 30, 2013

With 4.5/5 Matthew took clear 1st place in the U-1500 sections of the Cardinal Open, taking home $500 and 100 rating points for his efforts.  Matthew CardinalHe was a point ahead of the field going into the last round, when he yielded his only draw.  Also in that section, Philip tied for 3rd place with a 3.5 score, taking home $82.50.  Cashing in on some of the U-1500 money was Shourjya, taking home $50 for the upset prize (267 point difference).

 

Ayush took home $250 and 199 (!) rating points with his 4.5 score in the U-1300 section.  AyushThat score was good for a two way tie for 1st place.  A very impressive performance.

 

John took home $33 in the Open section with a tie for 3rd place for the U-2200 prize.

 

There was a Saturday night blitz tournament where John took 2nd place in the top section while Anagh took 2nd place in the other section.  They each earned $25 for their efforts.

 

Our 25+ point winners at the Cardinal were:

Ayush                   +199      =1254

Matthew             +100      =1565

Ganesh                 +93        =1506

Kunal                    +54        =945

Monish                 +37        =1564

Rohit                    +30        =1510

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized

Luke gets Expert title – becomes 6th CCL graduate

January 7, 2013

IMG_1126-1024x768

1/6/2013

Yesterday, Luke Xie went to the Dayton Pawn Storm and took clear first place in the top section, earning his Expert’s title (+46 = 2007) and became the 6th CCL graduate.

Previous graduates are:

  • John Hughes
  • Walker Griggs
  • Maggie Feng
  • Rahul Ramaswamy
  • Annorjan Naguleswaran
  • and now Luke Xie

What is a CCL graduate?  It is an honorary degree that we give to any CCL player who has worked their way through the ranks while in CCL and has made an experts rating (>= 2000).   It entitles them to lifetime membership in CCL, based on good behavior, without the requirement of taking lessons.  They are allowed to receive email spam from me for the rest of their life!  Although graduates are no longer required to take lessons while in CCL, all of our previous graduates are still active students in CCL.  A big congrats goes out to this national champion 5th grader for this huge accomplishment, among his many others.

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized

Chris wins Bronze Medal at the World Championships

December 14, 2012

Being one of only four US players to medal at the World Youth Championships, Chris Shen won a Bronze medal in the U-8 open division. A super job. Out of a possible 11 points, Chris scored 8.5, a plus 6 score! Also participating from CCL were Maggie Feng  (G u-12) and Meghana Bhanuprasad (G u-10), both with excellent plus 2 scores of 6.5. This means that CCL was 21.5 – 11.5 at World Youth Championships. A win rate of almost 2-1!!! Amazing, just amazing.

Striving ever higher, we really need to salute the courage of these three players, travelling to Eastern Europe for two weeks to compete against the very best in the world, in one of the world’s strongest chess areas. Also qualifying for the World Youth Championships but unable to make the trip where Emily Hu and Luke Xie.  Everywhere, people are starting to take notice of all of the great talent coming out of CCL.

 

 

 

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized

CCL Chess Camp 2

November 26, 2012

The following two new camps  are open to all students of CCL and the Advanced Chess Class at OCCS.  We extended the day but there will be a higher % of breaks than in CCL Chess Camp 1.

 

What every 1600 player should know?

December 15 – 16 (Saturday/Sunday)  9:30 – 4:30, total of 14 hours

Cleveland Room (6th floor conference center)  at the Ramada Plaza Hotel , 4900 Sinclair Road, Columbus, Ohio  43229

 

 

What every master should know?

December 29 – 30 (Saturday Sunday) 9:30 – 4:30,  total of 14 hours

Salon FG (in grand ballroom, lower level) at the Ramada Plaza Hotel , 4900 Sinclair Road, Columbus, Ohio  43229

This section is for players rated over 1600.  However, if you are rated between 1400 – 1600 you can request entry into this section.

 

The hotel has a restaurant, lobby that parents can gather in, tv, free wi-fi, restaurant, business center, free parking

 

Registration is open now

 

Cost per camp:

 

if paid by 12/8 =

one day =  $100

two day = $170

 

if  paid after 12/8 =

one day = $125

two day = $200

 

the 2nd child from the same family is 50% off

a student taking both camps gets 50% off of the 2nd camp

(please note that there is totally different material covered in the two camps)

 

Registration  to:

Alan Casden

7520 Deer Crossing Court

Worthington, Ohio   43085

 

acasden@insight.rr.com

(614) 561-2718

 

 

 

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized

CCL again finishes strong at Ohio Grade Levels

November 17, 2012

As has become a constant pattern over the last few years, CCL takes home most of the awards at any Ohio scholastic tournament in which they participate. At this year’s grade level championships, top 5 CCL finishes in each grade were:

– 1st Grade
Viktor Mishkin co-champion
Emma Cheng co-champion

– 2nd Grade
Lainie Massick – 2nd place

– 3rd Grade
Justin Wu – 2nd place
Austin Yan – 4th place
Ellison Van Scoy – 5th place

– 4th Grade
Vincent Baker – co-champion
Nikhil Srivastava – co-champion
Joshua Qian – co-champion – 4th grade level championship
Ethan Chung – 5th place

– 5th Grade
Luke Xie – Champion – 4th grade level championship
Stanley Cao – 2nd place
Joseph Kleban – 3rd place
Arvind Kumar – 5th place

– 6th Grade
Anagh Kulkarni – Champion -2nd grade level championship
Stella Huang – 4th place
Jeremy Koebel – 5th place

– 7th Grade
Abhi Ramaswamy – Champion – 2nd grade level championship
Vikram Srivastava – 2nd place
Kaushal Mangipudi – 3rd place

– 10th Grade
Tim Goldenberg – 4th place

– 11th Grade
Rahul Ramaswamy – 4th place

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized

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Introduction to Our Community Chess Instructional Program

Welcome to CCL, a community-driven chess instructional initiative designed to bring timeless chess to learners of all ages and skill levels. Whether you’re a beginner taking your first steps on the board or an experienced player seeking to sharpen your strategies, our program offers something for everyone.

Chess is more than just a game—it fosters critical thinking, patience, and problem-solving skills. Our program is built around the belief that chess can unite people, challenge minds, and create opportunities for personal growth and community connection. To supplement the chess side of individual enrichment, we recently opened a prodigious activities wing to CCL, managed by renowned mathematician and prodigy Dr. Harvey Friedman.

Why Join Us?

Our program is driven by a passionate community of chess lovers dedicated to creating an inclusive, supportive, and educational environment. For details on how the community fosters the program, please go to the menu option The Community. By participating, you’ll have the opportunity to:

  • Learn at your own pace with flexible instruction formats.
  • Join a vibrant chess community and make new friends who share your interests.
  • Enhance your cognitive skills, such as strategic thinking and decision-making.
  • Compete in local tournaments and represent our community.
  • Work with renowned mathematician and prodigy Dr. Harvey Friedman in other prodigious activities.

Let’s make chess an engaging and enriching part of our community. Join us today and start your chess journey! Together, we can grow our community and inspire a love for this incredible game.

The Coaches

  • alancasden2
    National Master Alan Casden
  • International Master Atanas Kizov -- CCL Head Coach --
  • Walker
    Life Master Walker Griggs
  • GM VLATKO BOGDANOVSKI
    Grand Master Vlatko Bogdanovski
  • Zoran
    International Master Zoran Arsovic
  • NM Vladimir Kizov
    National Master Vladimir Kizov
    Head of Pre-CCL
  • Jacob Eismann
    Jacob Eismann

The Rest of the Team

  • Jeff
    Jeff Shen
    Business Manager
  • Adai
    Adai Adaikappan
    Community Laison
  • Courtenay
    Courtenay James
    Organizer
  • Shiv
    Shivkumar Kurulekar
    IT System Admin
  • Jagdish Patel
    Jagdish Patel
    Newsletter Editor
  • Harvey
    Dr. Harvey Friedman - Head of Prodigious Activites

Recent Posts

  • NEWSLETTER OF THE MOTCF April 15, 2025
  • CCL March Chess Camps February 25, 2025
  • Siddarth Kunapuli becomes the 37th CCL Graduate February 2, 2025
  • Making our 2025 MOTCF Teams January 23, 2025
  • Welcome Jacob ! January 21, 2025
  • Jeff Shen is taking over the lead role at CCL December 26, 2024
  • Simul Stuff December 23, 2024
  • CCL Alumni/Student Chess GetTogether December 13, 2024
  • 2024 State Grade Levels November 27, 2024
  • Life Master Walker Griggs is giving lessons! October 29, 2024
  • Chess Math is here! October 27, 2024
  • An Evening with Atanas October 23, 2024
  • March CCL Chess Camps October 17, 2024
  • Maxwell again! Good Gosh September 16, 2024
  • Louis Zhang becomes the 36th CCL Graduate July 30, 2024
  • Major Changes in CCL June 6, 2024
  • Catch Up Time May 17, 2024
  • Cole Braun wins Ohio Middle School Championship February 27, 2024
  • CCL Chess Camp 4/20-21/2024 February 17, 2024
  • Rohan Padhye win Cardinal Open while CCL finishes very strong January 19, 2024
  • Mehmet is a National Champion December 19, 2023
  • CCL wins most of the grades at the Ohio Grade Levels November 25, 2023
  • Justin Storn wins State Championship while CCL soars September 5, 2023
  • Matt Wang becomes the 35th CCL Graduate May 23, 2023
  • 2023 MOTCF March 29, 2023
  • 2023 Queen City Classic March 29, 2023
  • Kevin Xu February 25, 2023
  • Minghao Gu becomes the 34th CCL Graduate February 6, 2023
  • Jason Wang wins the North American Open January 3, 2023
  • 2022 National Grade Level Championships December 31, 2022

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