Snow storm in SC?

Co-champions: Timur Aliyev (on left, also S.C. State Champ) and Chris Mabe (on right, also N.C. State Champ)

SNOWSTORM IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA?

In February 1973, sixteen hardy South Carolina chess players played in a chess tournament during the middle of a seven inch snowstorm, one of the worst storms in South Carolina history. To commemorate the snowstorm and the event, the Charleston Chess Club has held an open tournament every February since the great snowstorm. The tournament was dubbed the “Annual Snowstorm Special” and has been held every year since 1973 except 2002-2003.

The beautiful weather was the icing on the cake to the 34th Snowstorm Special held at the Best Western on Spring St. in historic Charleston. Over thirty players descended on the city to compete for the title of champion. First/Second place was split after five rounds between Chris Mabe, who is also the North Carolina State Champion, and Timur Aliyev, who is also the South Carolina State Champion at 4.5 points each. Their fourth round game was a draw. (The co-champions have agreed to play a separate match of six games to determine one, true Carolina Champion. Details of this match will be announced soon.)

Other results of the 2008 Snowstorm:

Third Place Overall – Stephen Welt (Charleston) 4.0
Class A – Lintu Ramachandran (Florence)/Yuval Shemesh (Wilmington, NC) 3.5
Class B – Josh Nissenboim (Charleston) 3.0
Class C – Gerald Battaglia (Augusta), Wayne Hedger (Atlanta), Ian Morton (Charleston), Douglas Schwetke (Charleston), Mark Skelcher (Charleston) 3.0
Class D – Russ Crawford (Charleston)/Alex Henderson (Aiken) 2.0
Class E – Geoff Grimaud (Columbia) 1.5
U1000 – Teigh Berg (Aiken), Susan Reed (Charleston), Christian Taylor (Aiken) 2.0

Special thanks to David Causey and the Charleston Chess Club (CCC) for sponsoring this great event which may be chess’s best kept secret.

Report by David Grimaud. Thanks David!