Good morning chess players, it’s Tuesday. We’re covering the updated final standings of the 4th Annual NYCC Olympiad, along with going over our October Club Blitz last week, just three days after the big event. Look at who’s gaining rating just in time for the holidays below.

Reminder! Tonight is the bi-monthly Premiere Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us …

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Good morning chess players, we’re back for another week of chess. Congrats to the 120+ players who attended the Olympiad last Saturday. After a nor’easter, train delays and all the ways it could have been stopped, 16 teams met for ten games of 5|2 blitz to decide the champions across three divisions. After a blowout 2-0 match against ‘23/’25 champion te…

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Good morning chess players. We’re short of an article this week as we prepare for the NY Chess Club Olympiad rescheduled event this Saturday, but this newsletter is a reminder for our Tuesday event tonight at Bushwick Chess. The NY Chess Club Olympiad will be our major showcase event of the year with a total of 16 teams in the mix across three sections.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Rapid Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 Rapid Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Monthly Club Rapid/Blitz split into Open and U1600 sections to encourage a healthy mix of casual and competitive play.

Last week’s club night was hosted by our good friend and Olympiad flyer creator Michelle Zhang and Bushwick Chess Olympiad player Atharva Washimkar. Thanks so much to the community for taking care of each other during a time when community is at the upmost of importance. Much love chess players!

The 2026 NY Chess Club Olympiad is this Saturday, October 24th at Bohemian Hall, in Astoria Queens. Players can expect sign in to begin 2pm sharp, with entry closing at 2:45 before opening statements. Game one begins 3pm.

Full pairings and schedule to be posted ahead of the event, with scan-able info on site. You can see the full team roster 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.

Good morning chess players, we’re back for another week of Bushwick Chess. At last week’s Premiere Club Rapid, we saw the first sole winner of the series when our youngest player Julian Warren bested the field 3/3 taking home a whopping $160 for his efforts. While the up and coming rockstar needed a chair for the podium finish, he surely does not need our help up on the climb.

Reminder! Tonight is Casual Night at Bushwick Chess! Join us at Nook 25 Irving 7-11pm for pure free play all night.

With a total of 23 players attending the event rated an average of 1610 NYCR, the fight for first in the three round 15|10 event kept us on our toes. In round one 1905 rated Peter Chiappini led the event as top seed, besting Konrad Klinkner. But after a draw in round 2 against Olympiad teammate Kirill Agishev the field opened up to three players on 2/2 going into round three: 1880 Adi Kumar, 1758 Laurel Turner and 1790 rated Julian Warren. Warren went on to beat Chiappini in round 3 to finish undefeated while board 1 ended the final game in a draw. You can see the full cross table HERE.

We look forward to the continued growth of the Premiere tournaments at the club, join us for the next one November 3rd!

NY Olympiad Venue Announcement

We’ve been hard at work reorganizing the entire fourth annual NY Chess Club Olympiad after the cancelation during the recent Nor’easter. The date has been set for 10/24, 2pm-7pm with our announcement this week of our new venue! Thank you so much to our friends at Astoria Chess, three time participants at the NYCC Olympiad, for hosting us this year at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria. Players can take the yellow NR trains to the location from Manhattan, with plenty of alternate transit options as well.

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.

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another week of Bushwick Chess. It’s truly settled into fall and those first feelings of cool nights remind me how packed the club will be again come January when all the players rush back from family trips with dreams of gaining a hundred Elo (or NYCR). But for now, we’re settling into the gentle sailing of longer games alongside casual conversations.

Reminder! Tonight is the bi-monthly Premiere Rapid Tournament at Nook 45 Irving! Join us 7pm for three rounds of 15|10 Swiss, $20 at door with prizes for all skill levels. Premiere Tournaments are the ultimate test, with a healthy mix of free casual play alongside every week.

While the NY Olympiad may have been rained out, we’ve officially scheduled our rematch date for 10/24. All clubs will have to reorder their rosters to compensate for the shift, Captains from the original 20 teams will lock in their picks for the roster change deadline of 10/12 to display who of the original 160 players will attend, along with possible new names as well.

The NY Olympiad has sort of become the de facto annual celebration of our club, but with this years event delayed we’re settling for more chess. It’s been a beautiful five years at the club, and we’re looking forward to the rest of 2026 to show us how beautiful it is to watch the time pass by with friends. Let’s take a look at the winners of our Premiere Rapid series, including some great friends!

Premiere Rapid 3 Champ Could BE YOU

The monthly premiere tournaments have been a stellar showcase of our talented players, with the full house mixed into one big open section in tonight’s event.

At tonight’s three round 15|10 swiss tournament, we’re looking to see yet another big event. 21 players attended the first event in June, averaging 1574 NYCR, that’s New York Chess Rating. 1835-rated Atharva Washimkar and 1513 rated Kyle Rausch each went on to secure 3/3 scores. Washimkar now sits at 1891, while Rausch is at 1579 four months later.

In the second Premiere Rapid, 24 attendees averaging 1567 with three returning players (Jack Nugent, Ben Bar, Tim P Wilson) on the list. But after three rounds only 1886-rated Dmitriy Redkin and 1773 rated Nick Marino took 3/3 scores home. Redkin enters October rated 1969 for the efforts while Marino stands at 1800 NYCR.

So, with that in mind and longer form chess to play, what’s stopping you from winning tonight?

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.

Good morning chess players! We’re back for another week of chess. As many have already heard, the Fourth Annual NY Chess Club Olympiad has been delayed to another date due to the Nor’easter taunting the town this weekend. While the delay has caused some trouble for players flying in, most of this year’s teams are still looking for a champion.

Reminder! Tonight is Casual Night at Bushwick Chess! Join us at Nook 25 Irving 7-11pm for pure free play all night.

But while Bushwick Chess and friends find their battlegrounds and date, we can take this time to congratulate Uzbekistan on a dominate finish at the 46th FIDE Olympiad with 20 Match points, besting India and Germany by two points. The young star Javoikhir Sindarov now has a clear take off to the World Championship in November where he will face current champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

The Women’s section of the FIDE Olympiad saw China win over Kazakhstan 20 to 18 match points as well, with India in third place at 17. You can see the final ceremonies on FIDE News.

What We’ve Been Working On

Despite the drizzle delays this weekend, Bushwick Chess continues it’s grind nonetheless. Last week at the September Club Blitz we saw thirty players facing off in two sections while we prepared ourselves for the big event. 15 of the 24 NY Olympiad team attended, making up half the field!

FM Juan Pereyra pushed through the first two rounds to face NM Alex Fikiet in the third, but when NM Fikiet lost to Simon Schmidt in the next round the race to first was anyone’s game. Three rounds later FM Juan Pereyra took first with a score of 6/7, finishing the event rated 2394 NYCR. Second place went to NM Alex Fikiet on 5/7, finishing rated 2282. Third Place went to FM Andrey Krasnov on 5/7 as well, finishing rated 2146.

U2000 went to Kirill Agishev on 4.5/7, finishing rated 1814. Collin Holson took U1800 on 4/7, hitting 1701 NYCR.

The U1600 saw 1514 rated Daniel Wang take first with a whopping 6.5/7, ending the event rated 1582 NYCR. Nathaniel Walthrust finished in second place with 6/7, ending rated 1590. Third place went to newcomer Jack Carleton on 5/7, finishing rated 1608.

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.

Hello chess players, we’re back for another big week. The final clock ticks down until this Saturday, where 160 players in 20 teams compete across 3 divisions for crowns, glory and more. You can see the full 20 team Ratings List HERE. Just last Tuesday, we saw 12 of the 24 players at Bushwick Chess Casual Night, picking up shirts and hats with the new logo.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 Blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Monthly Club Rapid/Blitz split into Open and U1600 sections to encourage a healthy mix of casual and competitive play.

The NY Chess Club Olympiad is set to begin at check in, 12:30pm outside Nook, 45 Irving. Check in closes at 1:30pm, where we enter the introductions phase. Game 1 begins for all three divisions at 2pm sharp. We’re looking at another ten rounds of chess this year and have plenty of wiggle room in case of any issues during the event but with pairings already organized there should be little issues with keeping our players moving between rounds.

Rounds: 1- 2pm, 2- 2:20pm, 3- 2:45pm, 4- 3:05pm, 5- 3:30pm, 6- 3:50pm, Break- 4:10pm, 7- 4:40pm, 8- 5pm, 9- 5:25pm, 10- 5:50pm. Prizes 6:10pm. Subject to change.

If you are playing in the event, please expect to be seated by the times above if your team is playing in the round. Spectators, journalists and photographers alike will be invited and welcome to Troutman Open Streets during the full duration of the event so come down during our operating hours to snap a pic and say hello to your favorite chess clubs.

1983 average rated Prospect Park Chess Club championship team, two-time champions and current crown holders, will be defending their title this year from the fourth seat on the rating average, with Union Square Bughouse full of masters including our second ever IM to the event coming in at the highest rating of 2063 blitz. Round one will actually be the Heated Rivalry we’ve all been watching between the two crown holding teams, Prospect Park Chess and Bushwick Chess, along with eight other tables of matches. Each match in the Championship and the new Casual Divisions will consist of two games per team, five matches in total for Champions and four for the Casual. The Challengers Division remains a single round robin with a whopping nine teams facing off in a nine round robin.

So, who are the twenty-four rockstars of Bushwick Chess this year? Let’s take a look.

The Championship Division averaging 2001 blitz features three-time Bushwick Chess player Atharva Washimkar joined by three of the stronger titled players in our community, with NM Alex Fikiet, FM Juan Pereyra and FM Andrey Krasnov taking boards 1-3 respectively. Newcomers to Bushwick Chess Ben Smith, Kenneth Fernandez and Julian Warren are all making debut appearances this year with Adi Kumar returning for another year as well. Both Simon Schmidt and Christian Kavouras will fill in as excellent substitutes.

The Challengers Division is nothing to scoff at as well, averaging at 1736, featuring four year player Kirill Agishev leading the charge alongside newcomers Brandon Vila, Benjamin Douglass, Raymond Leu, Abe Drogin and Laurel Turner, all with enough games at the club under their belts to prove their worth for this years Challengers team. They are joined by three-time players Peter Chiappini and Sam Sharf, with myself Micah Jameson as the only current substitute for the team.

Casual!!! The Casual Division team rated 1399 features four of the people who helped start the event and have participated every year since conception: Daniel Wang, Wyatt McLean, Ben Bar and Neal Dansky. They are joined by four newcomers to the event, Brooks Harris, Diego Navarro, Carmen Garcia-Quiroz and Lee Au. We have no casual substitutes at this time, oh no!

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.

Good morning chess players. It’s a good day. We’re back for a special edition of Bushwick Chess, so this week we will be taking a break from usual club updates to feature the primary focus for the first foray of fall. The deadline for player roster entry has closed at this time, save for one straggler team who have confirmed their entries into Challengers and Casual divisions. The final roster for the Championship teams have been set in stone and may I just say, this year is a big one.

Reminder! Tonight is Casual Night at Bushwick Chess! Join us at Nook 25 Irving 7-11pm for pure free play all night.

What are the big take aways from this year versus the last? The 2026 NYC Chess Club Olympiad Roster can now be viewed, showing off a who’s who in New York Chess from returning top player, 2405 NYCR IM Kassa Korley from Prospect Park Chess, two time winner of the NYCC Olympiad, to a second IM and NYCR newcomer Danial Asaria from Union Square Bughouse. This marks the first time the NYC Olympiad has seen two IM’s in the field at once.

The Championship Division itself is a star studded cast of players, with 16 titles in the mix. Averaging at a blitz rating of 1958, the six teams will compete in a ten double round robin, from 2-7pm, next Saturday 9/26. This includes former participants, Prospect Park, Bushwick, Astoria, and Williamsburg Chess. Along with the inclusion of newcomers, Union Square Bughouse, and the first-of-it’s-kind Women’s Championship team, Promoting Queens 2026, led by Najee-Ana Walthrust in her first departure from Bushwick after a three year run.

2026 has seen a shift in a few known names in the NYCR. NM Alex Fikiet for one, has moved from Prospect Park Chess to Bushwick after a series of successful tournaments with the club. Williamsburg Chess has also cultivated a massive following since last year, with previous Bushwick Chess Olympiad players NM Danny Vulis, NM Alexis Paredes and Hendrik De Cuyper all joining their new home team at Radegast Hall on Wednesdays.

The team to beat this year seems to be Union Square Bughouse for sure, averaging at a FIDE/NYCR blitz rating of 2063. But, two time champs Prospect Park Chess are just behind at a 2019 average rating and the rest of the teams are following just behind, so it’s anyone’s game this year.

The Challengers Division is seeing it’s largest bulk yet with a total of nine clubs, averaging a 1591 rating, playing in a single round robin even, spaced out over a total of nine rounds, each team receiving a one round bye. The Casual Division, averaging a 1327 rating, has the lightest load with only five teams competing in a ten double round robin with two byes per team.

We’ve got so much more chess to talk about before the big event, but we’re going to get the rest of the messaging collected for pairings and posts before confirming the rest of the tournament details. The NYC Chess Club Olympiad started as a fun way to see the relative strength of the “casual chess bars”, that Gotham Chess once notably remarked upon, and how they fit alongside the institutions of chess. But, it’s become more of a community than any of us dreamed of.

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.

Good morning chess players, may you never dream of labor (day sales) again. We’re back for another week of Bushwick Chess, with a full recap of last week’s Premiere Blitz along with buzzing with updates as we near the fourth annual NYC Chess Club Olympiad.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Rapid Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 Rapid Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Monthly Club Rapid/Blitz split into Open and U1600 sections to encourage a healthy mix of casual and competitive play.

So, we’re officially two weeks and a few days from the biggest event our community has put on to date, with upwards of 160 players projected to play at this years event. While we haven’t fully confirmed the list of teams it is at this point known that Bushwick Chess, Prospect Park, Astoria and Williamsburg Chess will all bring three teams totaling 96 players, alone matching the total player count of last years event.

With a few new teams and hopefully many returning squads this year will likely see a 20 team tournament, with around 5-7 teams per division.

Captains for this years event may be reminded that a full team roster is required next Monday, 9/14 to ensure we have our round robin event ready to pair before tournament day. Players can prepare to arrive between 12-1 pm, with sign ups closing at 1:30 and game one beginning at 2pm sharp. You can find example text regarding last year’s event, which began about two hours earlier than this years event.

Now, let’s look at last week’s Premiere Blitz results.

Oops, who left this here? Bushwick Chess has merch??? It’s available in person only through the end of September? 64 comfort fit tee-shirts $30-40 sliding scale to help us buy new clocks, sets and re-up on merch, with a very limited run of 10 hats to a few lucky friends of the club before we do another run of merch for fall. If you want to see specific types of merch from the club please email bushwickchess@gmail.com. Now, back to chess.

Everyone Love Blitz

The crew at Bushwick Chess has been getting stronger every week with players from Williamsburg Chess and Astoria Chess coming through for the September Premiere Blitz. A remarkable 35 players averaging 1727 NYCR competed for first in our bi-monthly test of speed, with nine rounds of 3|2.

FM William Graif and FM Juan Pereyra, along with Jack Nugent all went into round five on 4/4. But after a win against house champ FM Pereyra, FM Graif went on to best FM Abimbola Osunfuyi the round after, clearing the way to a perfect score of 9/9. He defeated an average rated opponent of 2062 NYCR along the way, finishing rated 2314. Second place went to FM Juan Pereyra losing only to FM Graif, finishing 8/9 rated 2367 NYCR. FM Abimbola Osunfuyi finished top of the chasing pack on 6/9, finishing rated 2229.

U2000 went to 1855 rated Jack Nugent on 6/9, finishing 1882. U1800 went to 1718 rated Kirill Agishev on 5.5/9, finishing 1779. Top Unrated went to newcomer Thomas Coulon on 5/9, finishing rated 1984. U1600 went to 1516 rated Julian Warren on 4.5/9, finishing 1619. U1400 went to 1366 rated Charles Jarowski on 2.5/9, finishing rated 1328. Upset prize went to 1820 rated Ben Smith for his win against 2262 rated FM Osunfuyi, a 442 rated upset which goes down in the books as one of our highest for sure.

You can find the full cross table 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.

Good morning chess players, it’s officially September and we’re back for another round of Bushwick Chess. Last week’s Club Blitz tested some of our stronger players, of which many will be playing at this years Chess Club Olympiad on 9/26.

Reminder! Tonight is the bi-monthly Premiere Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for nine rounds of 3|2 Blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Premiere Tournaments are the ultimate test, with a healthy mix of free casual play alongside every week.

Yesterday, we received interest in most parties and a handful of new teams looking to play in this years biggest tournament in Brooklyn, set to take over Troutman Open Streets on September 26th 2-7pm. Players and spectators can expect the largest scale we’ve put on yet. Of the teams confirmed, Prospect Park, Bushwick, Astoria, and Williamsburg Chess will bring three teams each, totaling 94 players overall. With the inclusion of returning clubs like GP Chess Club, Chess Chat, NYU Chess, we will also see some newcomers like Chess Mates, Union Square Bughouse Team and Najee-Ana Walthrust’s first ever NYC Women’s Team.

The 2026 NYCC Olympiad is looking to be something we’ve been looking forward to since the beginning of our journey together as a chess community. While the deadline has closed for the statement of interest phase, we’re leaving the door open for last minute sign ups until this Friday, 9/4 so teams can submit payments and team names.

Our next big deadline is 9/14, the date in which all chess clubs attending the NYCC Olympiad must announce their full player roster of eight players per team. Emails will be sent out this Friday to all final attendees

Our Crescendo To Fall

At last week’s August Club Blitz, we saw 27 players across two sections competing for glory and the microcelebrity of the Nook podium. In the Open Section, 19 players faced off with an average rating of 1705 NYCR. Newcomer Evan Chowdhury put up a strong fight against the usual suspects, but in a show of tested strength the usuals took on fierce laurels at the finish. Top Player went to FM Juan Pereyra on a perfect 7/7, finishing the event rated 2344 NYCR. Second Place went to 1861 rated Najee-Ana Walthrust on 6/7, losing only to FM Juan Pereyra and gaining 51 rating to hit 1912. Third Place went to 1897 rated Atharva Washimkar on 4.5/7, also pushing past 1900 to end the event rated 1910 NYCR.

Top Unrated went to newcomer Evan Chowdhury on 4/7, finishing the event rated 1844. U2000 went to 1725 rated Nirupam Kushalnagar on 4/7, ending rated 1741. U1800 went to 1655 rated Benjamin Douglass on 4/7, ending rated 1750.

The U1600 section saw a lighter crowd with eight players competing, rated on average 1450 NYCR. 1402 rated Elisha Amadasu won the section on 6/7, finishing rated 1500. U1600 Second Place went to 1356 rated Felix Phillips on 6/7 losing only to Elisha Amadasu, finishing the event rated 1466. U1600 Third Place went to 1524 rated Daniel Wang on 4.5/7, ending rated 1514.

You can find the full cross table 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.

Good morning chess players, it’s almost showtime. Bushwick Chess is fielding three teams of eight across all three divisions for this years upcoming NYC Chess Club Olympiad, and tonight we’re gearing up for the first of two finale tests to decide who in fact are our best players for the job. The monthly August Club Blitz tonight, along with next week’s nine-round 3|2 Premiere Blitz, will showcase who is in best shape as the deadlines for the fourth annual Olympiad near.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 Blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Monthly Club Rapid/Blitz split into Open and U1600 sections to encourage a healthy mix of casual and competitive play.

All teams must be accounted for by next Monday 8/31 along with each chess club required to fully lock in all eight players in up to three teams by Monday 9/14. While invitations to our 2025 clubs have already occurred we’re seeing interest by returning and newcomer teams alike, so if you think you’ve got what it takes to challenge us in the Open, Challengers or Casual divisions we have a place for your chess club.

With deadlines and information dumps coming like a storm ahead of the NYC Chess Club Olympiad, we’re ensuring to get readers their dose of data from the club goings nonetheless. Last week we took over the newsletter to discuss who has played for Bushwick Chess over the years. Today, let’s take a look at how things faired at our monthly Club Rapid.

August Club Rapid Hits Another High

At the August Club Rapid two weeks ago, we saw almost 40 players facing off in two sections for our monthly test of strength. The whole house saw some healthy combat, with the U1600 section seeing an average strength of 1465, with the Open section hitting 1767 averaging rating. After five rounds and a dog named Apple later, FM Juan Pereyra came out on top with a score of 4.5/5, drawing only his talented pupil Jack Nugent in the final round, securing Top Player and ending the night rated 2400 NYCR. Second Place went to Adam Serota who finished with 4/5, ending the night rated 2036. Third Place went to 1817 rated Hendrik De Cuyper on 4/5, gaining 20 rating for the troubles.

U2000 went to 1888 rated Jack Nugent on 3.5/5, ending the event rated 1913 NYCR. Top Unrated went to Williamsburg Chess player Marcus Sutton on 3/5, finishing the event rated 1858. U1800 went to 1685 rated Ben Smith on 3/5, ending the night rated 1706.

The U1600 section saw 1593 rated Adam Rosenfeld graduate the section once again after a perfect 5/5 performance brought him to 1639 NYCR. U1600 Second Place went to 1454 rated Cameron Stanfill on 4/5, gaining 67 rating. U1600 Third Place went to Bundesliga Captain, 1473 rated George Rodnikov with a score of 3.5/5, ending the night rated 1507. You can see the full cross table HERE.

Apple won Top Dog, a completely unanimous decision.

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.

By Micah Jameson

In September 2023, I tried to do what I became known for in the nyc chess world, organize an event while also playing in it. I played for board eight in the first ever NYC Chess Club Olympiad, at the time hosted in the esports bar known as BrookLAN (2026 gentrifiers won’t get the nuanced reference). Notably my number one contribution that year, outside of inventing the Chess Club Olympiad, was to do a king takes against Prospect Park’s Karan Iyer, but ultimately learning the ropes.

Attention! Tonight is Club Night at Bushwick Chess. Come out to Nook 45 Irving from 7-11pm for free play all night.

I had never thrown on a tournament of this size as it was a sixty-four player eight team affair, and so the muddled waters of three time formats, accumulative scoring and lost recordings all made for an extremely exciting story to be told across bars, cafes and chess clubs for years to come.

In 2023, chess was already starting to boom. Our club went from ten or so players a week to 20-30 quickly, and stories from Prospect Park Chess sounded off similar success. Their 2023 victory against Bushwick Chess in tiebreaks made for the type of story you like to tell, even if it meant losing the crown. I became closer friends with almost everyone in that tournament and our little community of 64 players has almost doubled as we near the fourth annual event.

2024 saw a total of nine teams of eight, two more than the year before with 2025 moving into a huge two section event with 12 teams. Each year has seen at least two teams joining the fray and with a third section in 2026 we’re looking at a potential 120+ player tournament.

Board 1 2023-Present

Our top board in 2023 was Alan Morris-Suzuki, a high school senior who genuinely could not be beaten over the board. The one time I saw him facing Grandmaster Aleksander Lenderman, he declined a draw offer with 17 seconds on the clock and decided to push for the win anyways, but didn’t have enough time to convert. He has also the honor of somehow scoring 3-1 against IM Kassa Korley over three years of NYC Chess Club Olympiads. Alan went on to play for Astoria Chess in 2024 and 2025 with college and life moving him back towards his home turf. In 2024 ICN’s NM Alexis Paredes took over the mantle after moving from North Brooklyn Chess and establishing himself as the to-beat player, with FM Juan Pereyra taking the reigns of Bushwick Chess board one in 2025.

Board 2

As the years went by, stronger players took the mantle our team. Board 2 in 2023 went to NM Danny Vulis, a continued titan at Bushwick Chess from the very early days. Danny is one of New York’s top chess tutors in the city, and still frequents the club regularly. 2024 saw NM Michael Finneran take over board 2, with three time Bushwick Chess Olympiad player NM Aakaash Meduri scooping up board 2 in 2025.

Board 3

NM Aakaash Meduri begins the tradition to play on Bushwick Chess’ Olympiad team three years in a row, with his first appearance as Board 3 in 2023. In 2024 NM Danny Vulis played Board 3 but couldn’t make 2025, so newcomer and Australian expert Simon Schmidt took the spot.

Board 4

Board four has always been tricky as the club evolved and the tournament became stronger. Kirill Agishev, the forever u1800 at the club took Board 4 in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, it was Adi Kumar who found his way to our coveted Board 4 with a 1937 NYCR taking precedent at the time.

Board 5

Nick Marino, the sweet prince who was lost. Bushwick Chess has a retention problem. Marino took Board 5 in 2023, but it was 1773 rated Najee-Ana Walthrust who thrust into the position in 2024. By 2025, Nick Marino transferred to Prospect Park Chess after falling in love with the enemy (and his future wife) so it was Atharva Washimkar in the seat rated 1862.

Board 6

Our second three-year player started out as board 6 in 2023. Najee-Ana Walthrust’s growth as a chess player is absolutely terrifying if you’ve been paying attention. Nick Marino swapped spots with her by 2024, but Najee returned to board 6 in 2025 rated 1855 at the time. She’s now in talks to form her own team in 2026 but more news about that later…

Board 7

“A thousand years of Bushwick Chess” say’s our Bundesliga Captain and 2023 Board 7 player George Rodnikov, who became a close friend over the years and our housing benefactor for the epic 2025 Reykjavik Open. But by 2024 the average rating of the seat soared with 1732 rated Atharva Washimkar taking the seat. 2025 saw an even bigger boost when 1856 rated WFM Nino Jalagonia took board 7, noted as maybe an improper spot for the Georgian Woman FIDE Master who went 7-1 that year.

Board 8

And now we get to me, Micah Jameson. My role as a player has only extended to that first year in 2023 though I remained a substitute, with Jimmy Barroso snagging the spot in 2024. Wildly, 2025 saw 1809 rated (at the time) Kirill Agishev, board four in 2023 take over Board 8, putting him as the third and final three time Bushwick Chess player and becoming a looming sign that the gates of an average rating were finally starting to crack as we entered our senior year of 2026…

Final thoughts: God I Love Chess Players. It’s been an honor serving the community of New York Chess since 2021, watching each and every one of you grow into something bigger than an individual. A dear friend recently said “I don’t care about winning, I’m doing it for the love of chess.” I counter this sentiment to say I have always been doing it for the love of chess players like you. Thanks to two time champs Prospect Park Chess, Astoria Chess, Williamsburg Chess, North Brooklyn Chess Club, Chess Meet, Ridgewick Chess, Queers Gambit, Renegades, Park Slope Chess, Daily Press Chess, NYU Chess Club, Bishops Pair, GP Chess Club, Chess Chat, Sapphics For The Bush and all our second teams from 2023-25.

With even more clubs joining this year and 24 seats to fill for our club alone, we welcome everyone with open arms. Much love chess players.

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.

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another week of Bushwick Chess. We’re pushing our way into the second rapid tournament of August tonight with our regular Club Rapid, with the second half of August lending toward a rest before back to back blitz tournaments to decide the final players of the THREE Bushwick Chess teams for the upcoming NYC Chess Club Olympiad. We have a few names locked in across the 24 open slots, and as we close into the official date to lock in our teams roster on 9/14 the club will look over who’s on top and active.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Rapid Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for five rounds of 10|2 Rapid Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels. Monthly Club Rapid/Blitz split into Open and U1600 sections to encourage a healthy mix of casual and competitive play.

While invitations have been sent out to all 2025 competitors across all twelve teams, we’re inviting more players into the fold in 2026. Along with a potential three teams from the likes large clubs Prospect Park, Bushwick Chess, Astoria Chess and Williamsburg Chess, the other clubs from last year may also have more than one team. NYU Chess Club, GP Chess, Chess Chat, Sapphics For the Bush and 2025 Challenger Champs Bishops Pair have all been invited.

When you add confirmed team Check Mates, our sister club at Common Mollie’s every Thursday 7pm, along with murmurs of more new names attending it’s safe to say this year will be the largest tournament we have put on to date. We’re aiming at dropping more information every week until Team Submission closes on Monday 8/31.

That being said we’re ready to talk shop. Let’s get into last weeks results.

Premiere Rapid Winners Share Gold

At last week’s Premiere Rapid, the second of it’s iteration saw 24 players compete in a slower three round 15|10, rated an average of 1523 NYCR. With ten decisive games in round one, 1773 rated Nick Marino faced off against top seed 1886 Jack Nugent on board one in round two. Marino went on to win against 1601 Christian Dittmeier to finish 3/3, gaining 27 rating to finish 1800 NYCR. Only 1886 rated Dmitry Redkin, a returning player from the January Club Rapid, finished the event with 3/3 as well, finishing rated 1969. You can see full results HERE.

A couple fun facts! Ten players from the January Rapid attend both events, almost a 50% double attendance. Marino and Redkin also tied in their third game of the January Rapid, meaning the two share gold among two fronts. This is just like the Magnus Nepomniatchi thing.

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.

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another week of recaps, updates and more. Below you can find a list of all our events this month. Join us for a mix of competitive and casual every Tuesday.

Reminder! Tonight is our bimonthly Premiere Rapid at Bushwick Chess. Join us Tonight 7pm for three rounds of 15|10 slower rapid chess. $20 split prize for Top Player(s). Casual Free Play alongside all night.

At last week’s July Club Blitz, we saw one of our strongest competitions to date as we close in toward the NYCR Chess Club Olympiad in September. While the usual club player strength say around 1900, some strong competition hit the scene to test our top players.

Newcomers like Adam Serota and Ronan McDermott joined one of NYCR’s top performers, FM Abimbola Osunfuyi for a serious competition for first. With the likes of FM Juan Pereyra, FM Will Graif and WCM Madeline Weber regulars holding the high ground the event proved to be a remarkable test of strength. In fact, four of the NYU Chess Club team from 2025 NYCR Chess Club Olympiad were in attendance to test their skills.

The first round saw McDermott drawing FM Osunfuyi, with the rest of the leader pack scoring, but in round two saw FM Pereyra draw Marshall player Brandon Vila and FM Graif took to the front through round three until a loss against FM Osunfuyi brought the halfway mark to two front row leaders.

In the U1600, we saw 16 players averaging 1467 NYCR face off for first. After round four, Justin Choi led the pack with newcomer Ann Zhang right behind on 3.5/4. Zhang went on to beat the 1530 rated player in round 5 and take lead in the U1600.

But two draws from FM Pereyra against both FM Osunfuyi and FM Graif created a final scramble for first place. By the time the dust settled in round 7, all three players had a score of 5.5/7. After tiebreaks were considered, a head to head matchup put FM Abimbola Osunfuyi in first place with the only victory amongst the three, taking home Top Player and gaining a single rating point for the troubles at 2262 NYCR. FM Juan Pereyra came in second with draws against both comrades, ending at 2328 NYCR. Third place went to FM William Graif on 5.5/7 as well, with only a loss against FM Osunfuyi costing the head to head tiebreak score. Graif ended up 11 rating to end at 2254 NCYR.

Top Unrated went to newcomer Adam Serota on 4.5/7, the only person to break out of the pack and finished rated 2035 NCYR. U2000 went to 2025 NYU Olympiad player Jess Hoffman on 4/7, gaining 47 rating to end 1878 NYCR. U1800 went to Nirupam Kushalnagar on 4/7, who also claimed the Upset prize to end the night rated 1725 NYCR.

The U1600 section saw Ann Zhang’s lead continue to become Top Player, finishing the night with 6.5/7 and rated 1563 NYCR. U1600 Second Place went to returning player Hector Corea on 5/7, finishing rated 1576 NYCR. U1600 Third Place went to 1419 rated Ben Bar on 4.5/7 after drawing the section leader, finishing rated 1445 NYCR. You can see the full tournament crosstable 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.

Good morning chess players, we’re back for another night of games.

Last week, Bushwick Chess saw the first time tournament entry of one of if not the New York’s most renowned chess boxer FM William Graif at the Club Rapid Tournament. This week, we train our speed chess skills for the monthly seven round Club Blitz which features the same time control of the annual NYCR Olympiad set for September 26th. With only a handful of tournaments left before the event the club is grinding to decide who will play for the team this year.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

We’re sending out our first round of invitations this week for the Fourth Annual NYCR Chess Club Olympiad to all previous teams from 2023-25, along with opening the door to a host of newcomer clubs. If you would like to hear more information or want your club invited, please email bushwickchess@gmail.com for more information.

» 2024 NYCR Chess Club Olympiad

» 2025 NYCR Chess Club Olympiad

The Regular Crowd Shuffles In

At the July Club Blitz, 28 players across two sections faced off against one another for glory amongst peers. The Open Section averaged 1883 NYCR among the 15 players with three strong newcomers, while the u1600 section saw 13 players averaging 1385 NYCR with three newcomers.

2214 rated FM William Graif joined the fray for the first time in a locally rated event, and faced 2387 rated FM Juan Pereyra in the third round with both players on a perfect 3/3. In a tense back and forth game, the two masters fought out a long, challenging endgame but FM Graif flagged in a dead drawn position.

After two more wins in round four and five against fellow clubmates, FM Juan Pereyra finished the night as Top Player with a score of 5/5, putting the to-beat player at the club at an astonishing 2410 NYCR. Second place went to Jack Nugent after a huge upset against Graif in the final round, finishing 4/5 and gaining 48 rating to hit 1898 NYCR. Najee-Ana Walthrust took third place on 3.5/5, gaining 33 rating finishing 1881 NYCR.

U2000 went to 1857 rated Atharva Washimkar on 3.5/5, gaining 19 rating. U1800 went to 1773 rated and newlywed Nick Marino, finishing 3/5 and gaining exactly zero rating. Top Unrated went to newcomer Nare Khachatryan who bested some serious talent to finish 3/5, ending the night rated 1996 NYCR!

The u1600 event saw sharp play too, with u1600 first place going to 1392 rated Jeffery Ho on 4/5, finishing the event rated 1443. u1600 second place went to Brooks Harris on 4/5, ending rated 1374. u1600 third place went to Justin Choi on 3.5/5, finishing rated 1543 NYCR.

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.

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.

Seven players returned from last months event to attend the Summer Premiere Blitz. 2077 NYCR NM Danny Vulis and June Rapid winner Atharva Washimkar rated 1971 NYCR led the field of returning players. Kirill Agishev, Ben Smith, Justin Choi, Jesse Fast and Ben Bar also joined the fray, finishing in similar placements as before.

But three highlight players bested the field in the Summer Blitz, with returning club champion Argentinian FIDE Master Juan Pereyra taking first place with a perfect 9/9 score, finishing the event rated 2335 NYCR. Brian Wilmeth showed again an astounding performance against the field since his perfect score at the January Club Rapid of 2025, finishing the event on 7/9 rated 2043. WCM Maddie Weber took third place with 6.5/9, finishing the event rated 2057.

U2000 went to Atharva Washimkar on 5.5/9, finishing rated 1958. U1800 went to 1721 rated Kirill Agishev on 5.5/9, gaining 19 points. U1600 went to 1557 rated Greg Feliu on 5.5/9 who also gained the Upset prize finishing rated 1620 NYCR. U1400 went to Brook Harris on 5/9, finishing rated 1413. Top Unrated went to Sava Sobur on 4/9, finishing rated 1519. You can see the full crosstable 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.

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another week of Bushwick Chess. This week we’re taking a pause on the full article, but wanted to send out our updates nonetheless. Next week we’re getting into the Summer Premiere Blitz, future updates and more but tonight is all about the friends we made along the way.

Below you can find the full 2 hour, 22 minutes and 22 second tournament (angel numbers yay) tournament posted on our Youtube Channel. If you haven’t, please take a second to subscribe to the channel, like and comment on our vids to help boost our content.

Next week 7/21, Bushwick Chess meets for our monthly Club Rapid Tournament. Join us for five rounds of 10|2 rapid next Tuesday. 7/28 will feature our Club Blitz Tournament.

Much love chess players. See you over the board TONIGHT for some friendly games and conversation.

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.

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another week of chess. The summer speed chess season kicked off last week for the June Club Blitz. This event marked the first tournaments for the second half of 2026 in both rapid and blitz formats, with the Pride Month Rapid honoring the first tournament of summer on June 23rd. While the Pride Rapid saw 31 players rated an average of 1560 NYCR, the June Club Blitz set a new standard with an average rating of 1593 NYCR across the 27 players.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Premiere Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for nine rounds of 3|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

With two events in the books, we’re looking forward to TONIGHT where some of our best will convene for the tournament for speed demons of all ratings. The Premiere Blitz will feature our returning 9 round 3|2 format, which has not been seen since last September when Aidan Ahram bested the field after a win against FM Juan Pereyra tied the players for first, with Ahram losing only to Atharva Washimkar.

But let’s catch up with last weeks event before we delve further into the history books of Bushwick Chess.

June Club Blitz Fireworks Pregame

As mentioned, the June Club blitz saw 27 players across two sections put up a fight for first. Averaging at 1896 NYCR in the Open and 1368 NYCR in the U1600, the competition across both sections seemed like a solid challenge. In round 3 and with black pieces, 2270 NYCR NM Alex Fikiet scored a crucial victory against 2310 rated FM Juan Pereyra after a tense battle in a Queens Gambit Accepted: Alekhine Variation. FM Pereyra recaptured the c pawn on move 6 (1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 a6 4. a4 Nc6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bxc4), and both parties castled by move ten.

Just after, Pereyra pushes the e pawn but fell for a brilliant sequence played out by NM Fikiet after 11. e4 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nxd4. The fight continued with Fikeit’s pawn advantage holding firm until move 29 when black picked up a second pawn on a5.

Consolidation into a winning endgame followed suit and by move 55 NM Alex Fikiet played checkmate with 55. Qg4#. You can see the full game HERE.

NM Fikiet went on to win all seven games to end the night on a perfect 7/7 and was awarded Top Player along with crossing the 2300 NYCR Blitz threshold, ending the night rated 2303. FM Juan Pereyra won Second Place, scoring 6/7 and ending the night rated 2306. Third Place went to 1860 rated Jack Nugent on 4/7, gaining 22 rating. U2000 went to 1718 rated Kirill Agishev on 3.5/7, earning 3 points. U1800 went to 1743 rated Ben Beardsley on 3/7, earning 14 points.

The U1600 section saw 1576 rated Adam Rosenfeld score 6/7 to take home u1600 top player, graduating the section with a post tournament rating of 1607 NYCR. U1600 Second Place went to 1581 rated Christian Dittmeier on 5/7, earning 7 points. U1600 Third Place went to 1514 rated Justin Choi on 5/7, earning 65 points. Top Unrated went to newcomer Elisha Amadasu on 4/7, finishing the event rated 1470 NYCR. You can see the full cross table 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.

Good morning chess players. We’re back for another week of chess. June has been full of rapid chess with our monthly Club Rapid, Premiere 15|10 and the Pride Month Rapid all taking space as we slow down into the summer haze. But, it’s time to pick things back up a little. We’re finishing June off in style with our monthly Club Blitz, followed by the first 9 round 3|2 Premiere Blitz of 2026 on 7/7.

Reminder! Tonight is the monthly Club Blitz Tournament at Nook! Join us 7pm for seven rounds of 5|2 blitz Swiss, $20 with prizes for all skill levels.

You can see the full list of July events below, so mark your calendars for your favorite nights and come through. Reminder all tournaments are now double section, one for pros and one for beginners. Anyone of any level always welcome!

Pride Month Rapid Set the Standard

At the first of it’s kind Pride Month Rapid, cohosted by our friend and sister club Sapphics Chess Club organizer Sam Sharf, saw a steady turnout with a total of 31 players competing for prizes, along with the coveted Top Sapphic/Non-Sapphic trophies to celebrate our queer family at the club.

With an open tournament, five rounds of rapid sat the field average of 1560 on a goose chase to catch FM Juan Pereyra. But after five rounds he again stood undefeated in the format, taking home top player. FM Pereyra stands now at 2387 NYCR, nearing the coveted 2400 NYCR highlight spot. Second Place went to newcomer Sarkis Agaian on 4/5, finishing the event rated 1918 NYCR. Third Place went to Simon Schmidt on 4/5, gaining 85 rating!

U2000 and the Top Non-Sapphic trophy went to 1836 rated Atharva Washimkar on 3.5/5, gaining 21 rating. U1800 went to 1686 rated Ratan Chinni on 3.5/5, while Top Unrated went to newcomer Masayuki Nagase on 3.5/5, ending the event rated 1812 NYCR. Top Sapphic went to 1730 rated Sam Sharf on 3/5. U1600 went to 1546 rated Justin Choi on 2/5, while U1400 went to 1188 rated Nicole Benito on 2/5, gaining 24 rating.

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.

Good morning chess players, we’re back for another week of chess. Our sister club Sapphics Chess Club, who meet at the neighborhood’s Bush Dyke Bar will be joining Bushwick Chess tonight 7pm for our first collaboration. Sapphics Chess Club, led by NYCR’s Sam Sharf at the 2025 NYCR Chess Club Olympiad, invite queer chess players/allies to our Rapid Tournament, a 10|2 five round two section rapid with a casual friendly u1400 limit alongside an Open tournament for stronger players. Casual Club will run free to play all night. All donations and a portion of tournament entries will be donated to the Black Trans Liberation

Sapphics Chess Club Rapid, 10|2 five round rapid tonight at Nook. $20 with prizes for all. Casual Club will run free to play all night.

We’re also covering last weeks June Club Rapid, ushering in the end of the Spring Season. Who’s on top going into Summer Season?

Bert Leonard Wins June Rapid Open

At last weeks June Rapid Open, 38 players gathered across two sections to end Spring Season ‘26. The Open section consisted of 13 players, averaging at 1778 NYCR. Top seed WFM Devina Devagharan stood alone in the 2000+ category, rated 2083 NYCR after winning the Woman’s Championship in April.

But, after five rounds of rapid it was 1967 NYCR Bert Leonard from Prospect Park Chess Club who took home Top Player, scoring 4.5/5 drawing top seed Devagharan in the fourth round. WFM Devina secured Second Place with 3.5/5. Third Place went to 1867 NYCR Jack Nugent with 3.5/5. U2000 went to 1867 NYCR Kirill Agishev on 3/5, while U1800 went to 1724 NYCR Nirupam Kushalnagar, along with the Upset prize for a surprising win against WFM Devina in round 1.

The U1600 section saw a whopping 25 players with an average rating of 1368 NYCR compete, with six newcomers. After five rounds 1536 NYCR Wei Chen placed first with 4.5/5. Second Place went to 1475 NYCR Justin Choi with 4/5. Third Place went to Chess Forum regular, 1435 NYCR Jesse Fast with 4/5. Top Unrated went to Carmen Garcia-Quiorez with 3/5, finishing rated 1432 NYCR. You can find the full cross table HERE.

Who’s in the Lead at NYCR?

We’re watching the best play their chess across the city with the new stats page for NYCR. Players have been competing across Bushwick, Williamsburg and Astoria. Below you can see the top ten players play performance:

All rapid games in the NYCR are hosted at Bushwick Chess, so 2378 NYCR FM Juan Pereyra bested the field in almost all of his games, losing only to 2014 NYCR Gautam Narula in March.

In the Blitz section all three clubs have multiple entries, with 2486 NYCR GM Nico Chasin scoring nearly perfectly in both of the Williamsburg tournaments losing only to FM Pereyra in the Williamsburg Winter Blitz.

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.