Morenilla win chess Grand Prix

Mohak Agarwalla, at left, upsets favored Om Badhe in the final round of October’s Sunny Street Cafe Grand Prix Tournament. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Luis Morenilla posted his second win in the Sunny Street Cafe Chess Grand Prix.

Morenilla scored three wins out of four rounds on Oct. 3. He was helped in the third round when 11-year-old Mohak Agarwalla upset Madison expert Josh McClellan and bumped him into second place in the premier section, Don Maddox said. Maddox is club manager of Space City Chess Club.

Morenilla leads the first annual Sunny Street Grand Prix with 12 points, followed by Josh McClellan with 9 and Om Badhe at 8.5. Om’s father Nitin Badhe won the reserve section with 3.5 points, followed by Victor Lundy and Pranaav Satheesh with 3 points.

Nitin leads the reserve section of the Grand Prix with 9 points, followed by Victor Lundy and Puja Chopade with 8.

In the Grand Prix, players rack up two points for a win, one per draw. At year-end, each section’s top two players will be awarded chess sets from House of Staunton. Space City Chess Club is conducting these tournaments.

In addition, Space City Chess Club is launching weekly chess scrambles. On Oct. 21, MadVille Quads start as chess tournaments with participants stacked in order of club rating (playing strength), divided into four-person groups. Players will earn SCCC Club ratings and earn MadVille Grand Prix points weekly.

Each player will receive 4 GP for first, 2 for second, 1 for third and 1/2 for fourth. Weekly entry fee will be $1. At year-end, MadVille Grand Prix Prizes will be awarded to the top three scorers. The tournament’s strongest and weakest players will have an equal chance.

Members who don’t participate in weekly quads will find plenty of pick-up games and opponents of all strengths. “Teaching chess is the heart of the Space City Chess Club’s mission, so new players are welcome,” Maddox said.

The club meets at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at Sunny Street Cafe on Slaughter Road at U.S. 72.