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The CCL Chess School

Chess, Community and Learning

 

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

March 13, 2013

SONY DSC

 

  • All Girls Championship – Maggie sweeps the field and the CCL girls train keeps rolling
    • It is amazing how good Maggie has become and how we can start to take her accomplishments for granted.  When I saw that she won the All-Girls championship with a perfect 5-0 score, my first thought was of course, what else, she had far out rated the rest of the field.  But how great is that, when a 6th grade girl is so expected to dominate, as she did, the K-12 girls championship of Ohio.  What an amazing young chess player.
    • I was a little afraid that since the CCL Ohio girls train just lost its 2nd and 3rd cars (Emily and Meghana) due to moving out of town that the train would slow down.  It actually is acting like it is gaining speed.  The CCL girls finished (without Lainie, Stella, Michelle, and Emma playing):
      • 1st = Maggie
      • 2nd = Victoria
        • This was the biggest surprise of the tournament.  Well not to me as I have recently noticed how well Victoria has been playing so this is no fluke.  Victoria beat all of her competition, except for her lose to Maggie, and gained 219 points.
      • 4th = Ellison
        • Fresh from her win in New Orleans which earned her an invitation to the National Susan Polgar All-Girls
      • 7th = Lisa
      • 10th = Lily

 

https://cclchess.com/3822/

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized

Anagh wins CAHS Classic, CCL takes all of the top spots

February 3, 2013

 

At yesterday’s CAHS Classic open section, CCL finished 1,2,3 and won the U-1400 prize.  In the U-1200 section CCL finished 1,2,3,4,5.  So many of our scholastic players have developed exceptionally strong skills and no longer play in local scholastic chess events.  This can cause you to lose focus on the incredible new talent that is emerging in CCL.  I don’t think that we have ever dominated the CAHS Classic so convincingly in the past and it just goes to show how shockingly strong we are becoming, even when our top players do not participate.

Trophy winners

bottom row l-r = Anagh, Vincent, Ayush top row 2nd from left = Joe
bottom row l-r = Anagh, Vincent, Ayush
top row 2nd from left = Joe
missing = Lily

Open

1st place   4.5   Anagh

2nd place  4      Vincent

3rd place  4      Sujan

6th place  3      Joe

Top Under 1400      Lily

IMG_1318
bottom row l-r = Jeremy, Ethan, Stella, Dakshin, (missing Joshua)
middle back = Lucas
top row far right = Victoria

U-1200

1st place   5      Jeremy

2nd place  4      Ethan

3rd place 3.5    Stella

4th place  3.5   Dakshin

5th place  3.5   Joshua

8th place  3.5   Lucas

10th place 3.5  Victoria

Members of the +25 Club

Sujan        +194         1357

Dakshin   +183         1052

Jeremy     +117         1251

Lucas       +111         1009

Nayan      +95           962

Ethan       +68           1097

Viktor       +62           881

ArvindSP +56           1328

Vincent    +44           1465

Filed Under: News

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

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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

  • CCL Chess Students Shine on the Podium at SuperNationals VIII in Orlando, FL May 12, 2025
  • 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

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