Join Us for Thursday Evening Chess on the San Francisco Peninsula
Below are the current standings and round 4 pairings for our club championship, which continues after the Thanksgiving Holiday with round 4 on December 4th, 2025. We also have Frisco’s round 2 and round 3 bulletins available at the following links — many thanks once again to Frisco for producing this for our club!
Round Two Bulletin
Round Three Bulletin
I wanted to post a quick update reminding people that we’ll be playing round 3 of our club championship this Thursday at 7pm, per the attached wall chart image. Please feel free to join us for Frisco’s 6:30pm lecture and to spectate the tournament games thereafter but we won’t be holding the typical free, unrated blitz tournament this week. We will have a skittles room available for those who wish to pick up a game or two and that room becomes reasonably active as the tournament games finish round 8pm.
Frisco is also creating an excellent tournament bulletin for each round and that for the first may be viewed here.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the club championship or about club events for the remainder of the year (https://menloparkchess.club/events/) and I hope to see you at the Arrillaga Center soon! Regards,
Mark Drury
I wanted to share a quick update that the club’s Autumn Quads wrapped up last week, save for a few makeup games which will occur on the 23rd or 30th of this month, so tomorrow, October 16th, will include Frisco’s excellent lecture and a casual evening with a possible free, unrated blitz tournament to round out the night for those who are interested. One difference will be that I won’t attend tomorrow, given I’ll be out of town, but Hayden Brongersma, Jeff McGinnis and Hugo Pu have graciously offered to run the club in my stead. They will begin setting up round 6pm and if you are able to help them I’m sure it would be much appreciated. Casual, blitz, bughouse and hand-and-brain competition may complement any blitz tournament, I’m sure, so please plan to attend for some or all of the three hours, and thank you again, Hayden, Jeff and Hugo, for helping out!
I also wanted to send another reminder to register for our 4th annual club championship which begins November 6th, a 5-round G/45;d5 affair in one section over six weeks (no chess Thanksgiving week) that includes three or four different prize groups. This is our premier event and may very well be the most prestigious tournament north of Palo Alto and south of Atherton on the peninsula during the latter two months of the year. Details and a registration link may be found here: https://menloparkchess.club/event/fourth-menlo-park-chess-club-championship-round-one/. Regards,
Mark Drury
Just a quick reminder that tonight we continue our quick-rated quads after Frisco’s 6:30pm lecture so there will be no blitz tournament this evening, while the final quad games will occur next Thursday, October 9th, to wrap up this event (the Events tab on the club website is up-to-date through early November, when our five-round club championship begins).
Speaking of our club championship, it begins November 6th and includes five rounds of dual-rated G/45;d5 chess, one game per evening over six weeks with a break during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Details about this fun event and a registration link may be found here:
As always, please let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about club activities and I hope to see many of you at the club soon. Regards,
Mark Drury
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold our fourth annual club championship beginning Thursday, November 6th, at 7pm, a five-round USCF-rated Swiss system event using the dual-rated G/45;d5 time control over five weeks (there will be no round on November 27th, Thanksgiving). Our championship is aimed at players with at least some tournament experience (one or two rated events, say) and may not be suitable for children under the age of 10, given games could last until almost 9pm on a school night. Details follow:
Below are the complete wall charts and pairings for our Autumn Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads, which begin Thursday, September 25th. As a reminder, participants will play two games against the same opponent each evening, one as white and one as black. Players should arrive at the club no later than 6:50pm to be ready to start their first game at 7pm sharp. Chess boards, chess sets, chess clocks, score sheets and pens will be provided by the club but feel free to bring your own clock of you prefer. Our tournament rules summary is worthwhile reading if you are new to rated chess or need a refresher.
Quad One
| # | Name/Rating/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Total | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yoyo He | W 4 | B 4 | B 3 | W 3 | B 2 | W 2 | ||
| 1917 15174491 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | $15 | |
| 2 | Adam Ferrell | W 3 | B 3 | B 4 | W 4 | W 1 | B 1 | ||
| 1879 12644884 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 2.5 | $15 | |
| 3 | Jason Wright | B 2 | W 2 | W 1 | B 1 | B 4 | W 4 | ||
| 1844 12707147 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | ||
| 4 | Hayden Brongersma | B 1 | W 1 | W 2 | B 2 | W 3 | B 3 | ||
| 1838 31240441 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5.5 | $50 |
Quad Two
| # | Name/Rating/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Total | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breakwell Loyalka | W 4 | B 4 | B 3 | W 3 | W 2 | B 2 | 1st | |
| 1728 31569521 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.0 | $50 | |
| 2 | Yaniv Vinish | W 3 | B 3 | B 4 | W 4 | B 1 | W 1 | ||
| 1705p 32105653 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | ||
| 3 | Mark Drury | B 2 | W 2 | W 1 | B 1 | W 4 | B 4 | ||
| 1700 12459313 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0.5 | ||
| 4 | Hugo Pu | B 1 | W 1 | W 2 | B 2 | B 3 | W 3 | ||
| 1679 31093860 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 3.0 | $30 |
Quad Three
| # | Name/Rating/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Total | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Chen | W 4 | B 4 | B 3 | W 3 | B 2 | W 2 | ||
| 1641 31293249 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 | $50 | |
| 2 | Di Lin | W 3 | B 3 | B 4 | W 4 | W 1 | B 1 | ||
| 1555p 32402356 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.5 | $30 | |
| 3 | Kaio Deeter | B 2 | W 2 | W 1 | B 1 | B 4 | W 4 | ||
| 1440 31951986 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0F | 0F | 0.5 | ||
| 4 | Jeffrey McGinnis | B 1 | W 1 | W 2 | B 2 | W 3 | B 3 | ||
| 1400 13195830 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1F | 1F | 3.0 |
Quad Four
| # | Name/Rating/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Total | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Swick | W 4 | B 4 | B 3 | W 3 | W 2 | B 2 | ||
| unr. 32587496 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | ||
| 2 | Caleb Leong | W 3 | B 3 | B 4 | W 4 | B 1 | W 1 | ||
| 1284 30207849 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | $50 | |
| 3 | Cameron Troy | B 2 | W 2 | W 1 | B 1 | B 4 | W 4 | ||
| 1233 30632621 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 | $30 | |
| 4 | Vinayak Vikram | B 1 | W 1 | W 2 | B 2 | W 3 | B 3 | ||
| 1081 31007663 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 |
Quad Five
| # | Name/Rating/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Total | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lua Loyalka | W 4 | B 4 | B 3 | W 3 | B 2 | W 2 | ||
| 1043 31569531 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | $30 | |
| 2 | Alan Chen | W 3 | B 3 | B 4 | W 4 | W 1 | B 1 | ||
| 502 31293265 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | ||
| 3 | Alfred Davis | B 2 | W 2 | W 1 | B 1 | B 4 | W 4 | ||
| 438p 31939241 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | ||
| 4 | Saveen Sahni | B 1 | W 1 | W 2 | B 2 | W 3 | B 3 | ||
| unr. 32515744 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.0 | $50 |
Twenty intrepid people, including five first-time visitors to the club, joined us this past Thursday for another excellent lecture followed by seven rounds of G/3;d3 blitz, which is fast becoming the favored (or least despised) time control at the club of late. Alex Su once again shared first place with 6.0 out of 7 points, though this time with relative newcomer Vishesh Agrawal, a strong blitz player who took third the previous week, while Adam Ferrell had another strong showing with sole third at 5.0, ahead of the usual dejected throng of 4.0 players. I was expecting a lighter turnout given we met on the eve of a national holiday but attendance was good and it was great to see so many new people at the club.
This coming Thursday we’ll do the same, with a lecture and free, unrated blitz tournament, then we’ll take the weeks of July 17th and July 24th off (I’ll be riding my bike across Iowa with the RAGBRAI horde). I’m including the tentative summer schedule below but always check https://menloparkchess.club/events/ for the latest event and tournament information:
Jul 10: Lecture & Free Blitz Tournament
Jul 17: No Chess Meeting
Jul 24: No Chess Meeting
Jul 31: Lecture & Free Blitz Tournament
Aug 07: Rounds 1-2, August Double-Round Quick-Rated Event
Aug 14: Rounds 3-4, August Double-Round Quick-Rated Event
Aug 21: Rounds 5-6, August Double-Round Quick-Rated Event
Aug 28: No Chess Meeting
Registration is now open for our August Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads & Small Swisses for those who are interested. Participation is limited to 32 players so please register early. Regards,
Mark Drury
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, September 25th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games each evening against the same opponent (one as white and one as black) over three successive weeks. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as competitive as possible. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, September 25th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games each evening against the same opponent (one as white and one as black) over three successive weeks. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as competitive as possible. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, September 25th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games each evening against the same opponent (one as white and one as black) over three successive weeks. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as competitive as possible. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow: