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MD Chess History

by John D. Rockefeller V

The MD Open Champion is the highest-finishing MD resident in the Championship section.

The MD Amateur Champion is the highest-finishing MD resident in the highest section with a ceiling below 2000: Under 2000, Under 1900, Under 1800, etc.

To update this list or correct an error, contact MD Chess at tournaments@mdchess.com.

Year MD Open Champion MD Amateur Champion
2023 Jesse Kraii Steven Pettit
2022 Kevin Wang Konstantin Molodtsov
2021 Bijan Tahmassebi Emerson Holcomb
2020 None—COVID None—COVID
2019 Tegshsuren Enkhbaht Edgar Gracia
2018 Ralph Zimmer William Gallagher
2017 Levan Bregadze Matthew Orye
2016 Larry Kaufman Andre Gomes
2015 Shelby Getz Douglas Malcolm
2014 Tegshsuren Enkhbat Terence Coffee
2013 Aaron Khan Michael Spencer
2012 Larry Kaufman Bruce Till
2011 Shelby Getz Sambarta Rakshit
2010 Larry Kaufman Benjamin Krause
2009 Tegshsuren Enkhbat Ronnie Colman
2008 Larry Kaufman Benjamin Yastrov
2007 Zhi-Ya Hu Adithya Sundar
2006 Alex Wojtkiewicz Sathish Nath
2005 Alex Wojtkiewicz Sathish Nath
2004 William Morrison Harry Cohen
2003 Alex Wojtkiewicz Bruce Till
2002 Alex Wojtkiewicz Bruce Till
2001 Paul Yavari Dan Elliott
2000 Dmitriy Barash Chris Sevilla
1999 Larry Kaufman Scott Webster
1998 Larry Kaufman Daniel Elliott
1997 Larry Kaufman Steve Mallis
1996 Boris Zisman Art Buchanan
1995 William Morrison David McDuffie
1994 Boris Reichstein Roger Smith
1993 David Sherman Robert Addison
1992 Alex Sherzer Bruce Till
1991 Richard Delaune Mark Saunders
1990 Allan Savage Roy Collins
1989 Alex Sherzer Bruce Till
1988 Allan Savage Roy Collins
1987 Boris Gulko Mark Saunders
1986 Alex Sherzer Tommy Heintschel
1985 Stank Fink John Holmes
1984 Michael Bury Fritz Gougy
1983 Denis Strenzwilk Mark Wellman
1982 Mark Ginsburg Toney Simuel
1981 Floyd Boudreaux Glen Smoot
1980 Roberty Joynt jr. Movi Mardirossian
1979 Herbert Avram Robert Holcomb *6
1978 Steve Odendahl Paul Zeigler *4
1977 Steve Odendahl David B. Cross
1976 Russell Chauvenet Georges Rosenmann
1975 Larry Kaufman Paul Zeigler
1974 Berry Bayus James McCollough
1973 Duncan Thompson George Bayles
1972 Robert Raven Mark Allen
1971 Larry Kaufman Larry Adler
1970 Ross Oliver *8  
1969 Russell Chauvenet Allen Sheldon
1968 Jack Kempler *7  
1967 Phil Geffee  
1966 N. Darrell Legore *3  
1965 Peter Graves  
1964 Norman MacLeod *2  
1963 Russell Chauvenet  
1962 Richrd McComas *1  
1961 Robert Raven *5  
1960 Richard McComas  
1959    
1958    
1957    
1956    
1955 Herbert Avram *9  

MD Chess is grateful to Denis Strenzwilk for researching the history of the Maryland Open & for compiling a list of known MD Open & Amateur Chess Champions, to Allan Savage for forwarding Denis's list to MD Chess in 2016, & to Mike Regan for transcribing & updating the list.

  1. According to Chess Life, June 1962, page 129, "McComas Rides Again - Richard McComas has won the title of Maryland Champion for the sixth time!" ... Thus, we can assume from note 2 that the first MD Open was held in 1955 and that McComas won the tournament five additional times between 1955 and 1961.
  2. According to Chess Review, Jun 1964, page 166, "The tenth Annual Maryland Open went to Arum Prosash son of the ambassador of India, Washington DC. He scored 5.5 -0.5 in front of Norman MacLeod." Since MacLeod is from Maryland he should be the MD Champion. Also, in 1964 is the tenth Maryland Open, then the first should have been in 1955.
  3. According to Chess Review June 1966, "A Maryland Tournament, held in Baltimore, was contested in two sections. In the Open section Charles Powell edged A. T. Lee on tie-break points. While William Bragg, Darrell Le Gore, Robert Raven, and Robert Vassar figured in a quadrulpe tie for third. The Amateur Section was won by Stanley Kundin." It is my best guess that this tournament is the 1966 Maryland Open. As Powell, Lee, and Vassar are Virginia players, Either Bragg, Le Gore or Raven should be the Maryland Champion. A letter from ... (missing text - mwr)
  4. I could not find any information in Chess Life and only had some of the Maryland Chess Newsletters from 1977-1978. Odendhal won the championship in 1977, and maybe he also won in 1978? Ed Westing has copies of the MCNL for the last quartar of 1978, adn the first quarter of 1979 which listed Odendhal as the champion and Paul Ziegler as the Amateur Champion. There were no crosstables for the Maryland Open, adn Ed was missing copies of MCNL in this time period.
  5. Chess Life, Vol XVL, No. 5, May 1962, page 143
  6. Chess Life and Review, July 1979, page 427
  7. Chess Review, Sept 1968, page 260
  8. Chess Life and Review, June 1971, page 327
  9. Chess Review, September 1955, page 261, " H. Avram already well supplied with chess honors, scored 6-1 to capture the Maryland State Open Tournament held in Baltimore. M. Tillies matched Avram's game score but fell back to second place on the basis of Swiss points. Third to seventh on Swiss totals with equal game scores of 5-2 were F. A. Sorenson, B. Grarfinkel, H. R. McComas, H. Jones, and N. A. Jacobs in the order names. The Maryland speed title was won by N. T. Whitaker."

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