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Revision as of 08:29, 16 January 2025 by ParanoidParabola (talk | contribs) (Established this page.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Chess in Wyoming refers to competitive chess played within the state of Wyoming. As of January 2025, Wyoming only has 84 active players registered with the United States Chess Federation. The current USCF Wyoming state affiliate is the Wyoming Chess Association.
History
The first recorded Wyoming state championship in chess took place in 1949. The state championship would continue to be held annually except in 1960 and in 2020 (due to the COVID-19 lockdowns).
Dan Joelson won the state championship 21 times, first winning at the age of 17 in 1984. As of January 2023, Joelson wanted Cheyenne to have an active local chess club of its own.
Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov's visited the state in November 2014. He spoke with a math professor from the University of Wyoming, who touted the educational benefits of learning to play chess.
Sheridan Chess Association
From April 30th to May 1st in 2022, the Sheridan Chess Association (founded in December 2021) began hosting an annual chess tournament in Sheridan, Wyoming at Sheridan College.
In 2022, 76 players competed with a guaranteed prize pool of $3,875 and a top prize of $1,600. Some players in attendance included Alexander Fishbein, Justin Sarkar, and masters Sullivan McConnell, Joel Johnson, Richard Shtivelband, James Neal, and Brian Wall. Sarkar won the Open section while Kevin Kuehnel and Karl Lehman tied for first place in the Under 1600 section. Prior to the start of the tournament, Fishbein conducted a simultaneous exhibition against 26 other players at the local YMCA, winning 25 and drawing 1.
In 2023, the tournament expanded to include $7,575 in prizes.
The Sheridan Chess Association promotes chess education at Sheridan schools.
List of state champions (1949 - 2024)
| № | Year | Winner(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1949 | Frank Dillon | |
| 2 | 1950 | S.D. Ferris | |
| 3 | 1951 | Chester Ingle | |
| 4 | 1952 | Chester Ingle (2) | |
| 5 | 1953 | Vic Stalick | |
| 6 | 1954 | Wilmer E. Stevens | |
| 7 | 1955 | Robert F. McGregor | |
| 8 | 1956 | Robert F. McGregor (2) | |
| 9 | 1957 | Chester Ingle (3) | |
| 10 | 1958 | Bob Wendling | |
| 11 | 1959 | Mohamed Omar | Omar was a student at the University of Wyoming from Afghanistan |
| 12 | 1960 | None | No tournament was held this year |
| 13 | 1961 | Rohland Pohle | |
| 14 | 1962 | W. E. Stevens | |
| 15 | 1963 | J. Bulinga | |
| 16 | 1964 | Bob Wendling (2) | |
| 17 | 1965 | Bob Wendling (3) | |
| 18 | 1966 | Bob Wendling (4) | |
| 19 | 1967 | Bob Burley | |
| 20 | 1968 | Bob Wendling (5) | |
| 21 | 1969 | Bob Wendling (6) | |
| 22 | 1970 | Bob Wendling (7) | |
| 23 | 1971 | Bob Wendling (8) | |
| 24 | 1972 | Bob Burley (2) | |
| 25 | 1973 | Bob Burley (3) | |
| 26 | 1974 | Steve Smith | |
| 27 | 1975 | Marc Lynn | |
| 28 | 1976 | Marc Lynn (2) | |
| 29 | 1977 | Steve Smith (2) | |
| 30 | 1978 | Daniel M. Finucane | |
| 31 | 1979 | Steve Smith (3) | |
| 32 | 1980 | Marc Lynn (3) | |
| 33 | 1981 | Steve Smith (4) | |
| 34 | 1982 | Alex Fishbein | |
| 35 | 1983 | Alex Fishbein (2) | |
| 36 | 1984 | Daniel E. Joelson | |
| 37 | 1985 | Alex Fishbein (3) | |
| 38 | 1986 | Roger L. Sample | |
| 39 | 1987 | Daniel E. Joelson (2) | |
| 40 | 1988 | Marc Lynn (4) | |
| 41 | 1989 | Ronald A. Matous | |
| 42 | 1990 | Ronald A. Matous (2) | |
| 43 | 1991 | Daniel E. Joelson (3) | |
| 44 | 1992 | Daniel E. Joelson (4) | |
| 45 | 1993 | Daniel E. Joelson (5) | |
| 46 | 1994 | Daniel E. Joelson (6) | |
| 47 | 1995 | Daniel E. Joelson (7) | |
| 48 | 1996 | Daniel E. Joelson (8) | |
| 49 | 1997 | Daniel E. Joelson (9) | |
| 50 | 1998 | Daniel E. Joelson (10) | |
| 51 | 1999 | Daniel E. Joelson (11) | |
| 52 | 2000 | Daniel E. Joelson (12) | |
| 53 | 2001 | Daniel E. Joelson (13) | |
| 54 | 2002 | Daniel E. Joelson (14) | |
| 55 | 2003 | Andrew M. Smith | |
| 56 | 2004 | Bruce Johnson | |
| 57 | 2005 | Daniel E. Joelson (15) | |
| 58 | 2006 | John L. Pedry | |
| 59 | 2007 | Daniel E. Joelson (16) | |
| 60 | 2008 | Bruce Johnson (2) | |
| 61 | 2009 | Dan W. Tanner | |
| 62 | 2010 | Guy Hadley | |
| 63 | 2011 | Guy Hadley (2) and James Kulbacki | Tie |
| 64 | 2012 | Timothy Schoessler | |
| 65 | 2013 | Daniel E. Joelson (17) | |
| 66 | 2014 | Stefan Heinz | |
| 67 | 2015 | Daniel E. Joelson (18), James Kulbacki (2), Timothy Schoessler (2), Guy Hadley (3), Stefan Heinz (2), Bruce Johnson (2), Richard Cohen, and Todd Crawford | Tie |
| 68 | 2016 | Andrew Smith (2) and Guy Hadley (4) | Tie |
| 69 | 2017 | Andrew Smith (3) | |
| 70 | 2018 | Will Aepli | |
| 71 | 2019 | Daniel E. Joelson (19) | Tie |
| 72 | 2020 | None | No tournament was held this year |
| 73 | 2021 | Will Aepli (2) and Bradley FIck | Tie |
| 74 | 2022 | Daniel E. Joelson (20) and Timothy Schoessler (3) | Tie |
| 75 | 2023 | Will Aepli (3) | |
| 76 | 2024 | Daniel E. Joelson (21) and Will Aepli (4) | Tie |
References
- "Top Rated Players in WY". The United States Chess Federation. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- "About Us". Wyoming Chess Association. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- "Club Search and Affiliate Directory". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "Wyoming State Chess Champions 1949-2024". Wyoming Chess Association. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- Haderlie, Carrie (January 7, 2023). "Cheyenne's Dan Joelson sees art in chess". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- Schweizer, Micah (December 18, 2014). "UW Professor Touts Educational Benefits Of Chess". Wyoming Public Radio. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ Kuehl, Brian (June 14, 2022). "Sheridan Open Brings Big Chess to Small Town". uschess.org/news. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- Cook, Hugh (May 6, 2022). "A Sheridan chess tournament brings new and old chess players together". Wyoming Public Radio. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- Fishbein, Alex (2022). "REBIRTH OF HIGH-LEVEL CHESS IN WYOMING". American Chess Magazine (27): 56–63.
- Steurer, Mary (May 6, 2022). "What happens when 25 people in Sheridan take on a chess grandmaster?". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- Corr, Wendy (May 3, 2023). "Sheridan Hosting Players From Across Nation In Wyoming's Largest-Ever Chess Tournament". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- Snoozy, Ashleigh (January 3, 2023). "Schools pick up chess club". The Sheridan Press. Retrieved January 16, 2025.