Split Section Raises Titan Fight Up Top
New Rapid format begins a new chapter at Bushwick Chess TONIGHT!
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.