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.