State Champions Crowned!

The High School Championship section went to senior Gabe Borland from Orono. Gabe defeated Andrew Audibert of Bangor in the final round to complete a perfect 4.0 day. Borland benefited from a third round draw between favorites Lukas McCain and Aaron Spencer. McCain took the second place trophy with a final score of 3.5. As is the vagaries of tournament chess, McCain, the highest rated scholastic player in the state by around 250 points, is denied the opportunity to play in the Denker High School Tournament of Champions yet again. He has done a terrific job coming in the second place position three consecutive years. I'm sure he'll have more successes in the years ahead. Borland came in as the fourth highest rated and held his position as the top three were unable to keep pace. Congratulations, Gabe! Good luck at the Denker.

At the K-8 level ratings held to form as Matthew Fishbein faced off with MathCounts champion Paul Rudnicki. Fishbein held a strong position in the final round and was able to wear down Rudnicki. Fishbein now has won at three levels (K-3, K-6, K-8) and is only a fifth grader. He is thinking about challenging the highschoolers next year. Congratulations, Matthew!

The K-6 Championship section came down to a tight battle between teammates Matthew Reale-Hatem and Wesley Parker. It was a pawn endgame that finally tilted Reale-Hatem's way. During the game each player had offered a draw which would have resulted in a four way tie that would have included Anna Bryan and Humza Khan who each scored 3.5 pts. Reale-Hatem finished with a perfect score of 4.0 for the title. Great job, Matthew!

The K-3 Championship saw Max Deluca Lowell of the Airline School and Kinsey Bartlett of Deer Isle-Stonington draw in the final game to share the championship with 3.5 points. It was a tight game with Bartlett approaching the queening spaces with two pawns while Deluca Lowell had a bishop and a knight. When it appeared difficult to queen for Bartlett and Deluca Lowell seeing it would be difficult checkmate with his pieces, a draw was agreed upon. Congratulations to both Max and Kinsey!

We now wish those 30+ students who are heading to Nashville to represent the great state of Maine at Supernationals good luck. The scholastic season is now over. Good luck high school seniors; may we see you soon over the board!