The Pennsylvania State Chess Federation (PSCF) is the official

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

affiliate of the

United States Chess Federation The United States Chess Federation (also known as US Chess or USCF) is the governing body for chess competition in the United States and represents the U.S. in FIDE, The World Chess Federation (FIDE). USCF administers the official national Chess ...

(US Chess). PSCF is a

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non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

. PSCF sponsors about 20 annual state championship events, held throughout the state. The Pennsylvania State Championship rotates between the eastern, central and western regions of the state each year. PSCF publishes a quarterly newsletter, ''The Pennswoodpusher''. PSCF was founded in 1939, in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

under the leadership of William M. Byland. PSCF affiliated immediately with US

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

, which was founded the same year, and has been the official state affiliate for Pennsylvania ever since. In 1943, the PSCF State Championship was the first championship event in USCF history to be paired with the Swiss system. The chief director of that event was George Koltanowski. Currently the highest-ranking member is Grandmaster Alexander Shabalov. The state has two Grandmasters — Shabalov, and Bryan G. Smith. The current PSCF president is Tom M. Martinak. PSCF Presidents: * 2002–present: Tom M. Martinak * 1978–2002: Ira Lee Riddle * 1939–1977: William M. Byland PSCF State Champions 2001–present: * 2016: Grant Xu * 2015: Grant Xu * 2014: Peter Minear, Rodion Rubenchik, Ilya Shvartsman * 2013: Peter Minear * 2012: Daniel Malkiel * 2011: Peter Minear * 2010: Thomas Bartell, Alisa Melekhina * 2009: Mark Heimann * 2008: Peter Minear * 2007: Bryan Smith * 2006: Bryan Norman, Mark Heimann * 2005: Mark Eidemiller, Bryan Norman * 2004:

Edward Formanek Edward William Formanek (born May 6, 1942). is an American mathematician and chess player. He is a professor emeritus of mathematics at Pennsylvania State University,.. and a FIDE International Master in chess.

* 2003: Stanislav Kriventsov * 2002: Rodion Rubenchik, Zakhar Fayvinov, Elvin Wilson, Tom Martinak * 2001: Stanislav Kriventsov, Matthew Traldi PSCF State Champions 1981–2000: * 2000: Stanislav Kriventsov * 1999: Stanislav Kriventsov * 1998:

, Rodion Rubenchik, Albert Bingaman, Jr., Marty Frank * 1997:

* 1996: Wesley Ward * 1995: John Hathaway, Jr. * 1994: Alexander Shabalov * 1993: Igor Khmelnitsky,

, Andrew Rea * 1992: Ruben Shocron, Brent Schwab * 1991: Mark Eidemiller * 1990: Vivek Rao, Stephen Rakowsky * 1989:

HiTech HiTech, also referred to as Hitech, is a computer chess, chess machine built at Carnegie Mellon University under the direction of World Correspondence Chess Champion Hans J. Berliner. Members of the team working on HiTech included Berliner, Murra ...

* 1988:

* 1987: Mark Eidemiller, Craig Jones, Albert Bingaman, Jr. * 1986: Karl Dehmelt, Ruben Shocron, Michael Shahade * 1985: Karl Dehmelt, William Atkinson * 1984:

* 1983: Igor Ivanov * 1982: Albert Bingaman, Jr. * 1981: Boris Baczynskyj PSCF State Champions 1961–1980: * 1980: Alex Dunne * 1979: Anatoly Dozorets * 1978: John Fitzpatrick * 1977: John Fitzpatrick * 1976: Tim Taylor * 1975: Paul Cornelius * 1974: Harvey Bradlow * 1973: Jon Jacobs * 1972: Michael Shahade * 1971: Michael Shahade * 1970: Michael Shahade * 1969: Robert Bornholz * 1968: Bruce Alberston * 1967: Arnold Chertkof * 1966: Richard Abrams * 1965: Richard Abrams * 1964: Clarence Kalenian * 1963: Jeffrey Harris * 1962: Robert Bornholz * 1961: Attilio Di Camillo PSCF State Champions 1939–1960: * 1960: Attilio Di Camillo * 1959: Joseph Schaffer * 1958: Max Cohen * 1957: Robert Bornholz * 1956: Hermann Hesse * 1955: Charles Kalme * 1954: Joseph Schaffer * 1953: Robert Sobel * 1952: Donald McClelland * 1951: William Ruth * 1950: Thomas Gutekunst * 1949: William Byland * 1948: Paul Deitz * 1947: Attilio Di Camillo * 1946: Attilio Di Camillo * 1945: Irving Heitner * 1944: Hermann Hesse * 1943: Thomas Gutekunst * 1942: William Steckel * 1941: Hermann Hesse * 1940: L. W. Gardner * 1939: William Steckel, Hermann Hesse

External links

Pennsylvania State Chess Federation
(official)
PSCF Facebook site
(official) Chess organizations Chess in the United States 1939 establishments in Pennsylvania