Baczynskyj is USCAK's 2002 chess champion (10/27/02)

Baczynskyj is USCAK's 2002 chess champion

by Dr. Orest Popovych

GLEN SPEY, N.Y. - The 2002 chess championship of the Ukrainian Sports Federation of the U.S.A. and Canada (USCAK) took place on October 5 at the Verkhovyna resort in Glen Spey, N.Y. The 12 participants included representatives of five Ukrainian American sports clubs plus two unaffiliated recent arrivals from Ukraine.

Five rounds of composition using the Swiss system produced a clear winner in Borys Baczynskyj (Tryzub, Philadelphia), a chess master and winner of many Ukrainian tournaments, who posted a score of 4:1. Although Mr. Baczynskyj was upset in Round 1 by Alex Pelekhaty, 12, a recent arrival from Ukraine, he recovered by winning the remaining four games, which included victories over the reigning USCAK champion, Olexa Podebryi, and Peter Radomskyj, the only other master in this year's event. The winner's prize was $200.

Tied for second through fourth places, with 3.5 points each, were Peter Radomskyj (Chornomorska Sitch), Dr. Ihor Podebryi (Popel Club, Buffalo, N.Y.) and Alex Pelekhaty (Brooklyn, N.Y.). All three were awarded prizes of $100 each.

Twelve year-old Alex, who won the top junior prize, is receiving professional coaching and enjoying top-level competition in New York, all of which promises a bright chess future.

Tied for fifth-seventh places were the Rev. Marian Procyk, Olexa Podebryi (both of the Popel Club) and Stepan Pelekhaty (Alex's father) at 2.5 points. Mr. Pelekhaty won the $100 prize for the top player rated under 2000.

There followed: eighth-ninth (tied), Sydir Nowakiwsky (Tryzub) and Dr. Roman Andrushkiw (Sitch) at 2 points; 10th-11th, Leonid Charczenko (Sitch) and Orest Kociuba (Ukrainian Center, Passaic, N.J.), 1.5 points; and 12th, Lew Markiw (Dovbush, New Haven, Conn.), 1 point.

The participants heard addresses by Omelan Twardowsky, president of Chornomorska Sitch, Newark, which sponsored the tournament, and Myron Stebelsky, president of USCAK.

Mr. Stebelsky stressed that the activity of the USCAK Chess Division extends to Ukraine as well, in the form of sponsorships. To date USCAK has provide major financial assistance to three international chess tournaments in Lviv dedicated to the memory of Stepan Popel. Also, one-time grants were provided to several young Ukrainian chess stars, among them the current world champion, Ruslan Ponomaryov. The other USCAK grant recipients were Tetiana Kononenko, Andriy Volokytin, Anya Muzychuk and Kateryna Lahno.

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