Chess in Alaska
| Chess in Alaska | |
|---|---|
| Top Player | Matthew Parshall (2034 USCF) |
| Champion | TBD (October 4, 2025) |
| USCF Affiliate | Alaska Chess Federation |
| Active Players | 77 |
Chess in Alaska refers to competitive chess played within the state of Alaska. As of August 2025, Alaska only has 77 active players registered with the United States Chess Federation, one of the lowest player counts in the United States.[1] The current USCF Alaska state affiliate is the Alaska Chess Federation.[2][3]
History
[edit]As a non-contiguous state, Alaska has had limited chess opportunities.[4] The cost of traveling to and from the contiguous states has discouraged chess participation across the state. For example, Alaska was one of three states that did not send a participant to the 2015 Dewain Barber Tournament of K–8 Champions.[5]
In 2012, Grandmaster Bryan Smith recounted his experiences as a child chess player from Anchorage.[4] At age 13, Smith competed in the Alaska junior championship, finishing in third place for his age category. At the 1994 Fur Rendezvous Festival, GM Dmitry Gurevich conducted a simultaneous exhibition that Smith participated in.
At the 2023 World Eskimo Indian Olympics, Vince Gregory displayed a chess set carved out of ivory and baleen.[6]
On National Chess Day 2023, chess players from Illinois competed in a Fairbanks chess tournament.[7] At the tournament, Megan Chen became the first woman to play a rated tournament in all 50 states.
On January 26, 2024, West Homer Elementary School hosted a chess tournament.[8] The event consisted of competitors from Chapman School, Connections, Fireweed Academy, McNeil Canyon Elementary, West Homer Elementary and Homer Middle School. The tournament was orchestrated by a local volunteer.
In 2024, a group of Alaskans established the Alaska Chess Club.[9] The club hosts tournaments at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library conference room in Juneau. A KTOO article documenting the club's seventh tournament was published on December 20, 2024. In the article, tournament organizer Maen Wolf stated that he started the club to expand over-the-board chess opportunities in the area.
The state's largest chess tournament in 2024 was an event in Soldotna hosted by the Arctic Chess Club.[10] The tournament consisted of 33 players.
On May 18, 2025, the Sitka Chess Club hosted its first USCF chess tournament at Harrigan Centennial Hall.[11]
The first state championship since 2013 will take place on October 4, 2025.[12]
Competitors
[edit]As of August 2025, the following people are the top rated active USCF players from Alaska:[1]
| Position | Name | USCF Rating | USCF Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Parshall | 2034 | 1st Category |
| 2 | Benjamin Emmanuel Hoback | 1879 | 2nd Category |
| 3 | Jim Hanlen | 1837 | 1st Category |
| 4 | Eric Partyka | 1706 | |
| 5 | Charles A. Jacobs Jr. | 1675 | |
| 6 | Russell B. Ridlington | 1652 | 4th Category |
| 7 | Mark Stanley Millspaugh | 1575 | |
| 8 | Colton Ray Evans | 1567 | |
| 9 | Katherine Weddleton | 1523 | |
| 10 | Weston Joseph Howard | 1520 |
Other top Alaska chess players who aren't currently active USCF members include NM Rafael Castaneda (2240 Rating), NM Edward G Sawyer (2234 Rating), and NM Artem Edmund Ruppert (2229 Rating).
State championship
[edit]Alaska has not had an in-person state championship since 2013.[12] The next Alaska State Championship will take place on October 4, 2025, at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Top Rated Players in AK". The United States Chess Federation. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ^ "Club Search and Affiliate Directory". The United States Chess Federation. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ^ "Alaska Chess Federation". Alaska Chess Federation. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ^ a b Smith, Bryan (2012-03-01). "Chess in Alaska". Chess.com. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Borsuk, Ken (2015-08-01). "Greenwich teen competes in elite chess tournament". GreenwichTime. Archived from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Kinneen, Joe (2023-07-15). "Alaska Native artist carves cultures into crafts". Alaska's News Source. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Lang, J. J. (2023-10-23). "National Chess Day: A Review in Photos | US Chess.org". new.uschess.org. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Springer, Emilie (2024-01-31). "West Homer Elementary hosts chess tournament". Homer News. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Krumrey, Yvonne; KTOO, Yvonne Krumrey (2024-12-21). "Juneau chess players test their skills on the board at in-person tournaments". KTOO. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Lang, J. J. (2024-10-18). "National Chess Week Rewind: National Recognition for Olympiad Teams and More | US Chess.org". new.uschess.org. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ KCAW News (2025-05-09). "Sitka to host sanctioned US Chess Federation tourney May 18". KCAW. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ a b "2025 State Championship". Alaska Chess Federation. Archived from the original on 2025-08-09. Retrieved 2025-08-08.