The End of 2009 Starts A New Chess Adventure

Tonight I went to the Bangor Public Library to listen to my daughter Anna play the piano for an hour to help celebrate the end of 2009. While I was there, I was fortunate to talk to the activities coordinator and noticed that there had been a chess club for teens this fall. She was very interested in having a chess class or chess activities at the library. I felt that this was a good omen as I start to push chess in Maine over the coming months.

I would like to push chess into the viewing screen of the general public. I want to help existing chess clubs become more viable and to bring chess into new localities in Maine. I will need the help of many volunteers in achieving these objectives, but I think that we can do it without huge commitments. It should be fun and that will be the emphasis.

I also will be starting a new blog with the New Year: The State of Maine Chess. That will be my focus, but I'll still keep this going when I'm just talking about local chess. Thanks to all who have been supportive of Maine chess in 2009. Here's to 2010 being a great year for chess in Maine.

Aurora Winter Solstice Winners

Roger Morin went home with the $60 first prize in the Open Section of the Aurora Winter Solstice while five competitors split the $36 second place prize. In the Under 1000 Section John Xiang scored 3.5 points to win clear first, while Haley Deluca Lowell, Dan Fishbein, and Deanna Power came in second with three points. The Under 600 Section saw Ian Youth score a perfect 4.0 in his first ever USCF rated tournament. The U1400 section was combined with the Open and John Ellison finished ahead of Anna Bryan by a 1/2 point for that top prize.

37 players showed up at the Airline School for a fun day of chess. Dan Deluca will have plenty of pictures and a more detailed report on chessmaine.net

It was especially nice to see so many familiar faces return. The contingent from the Cape Elizabeth area was 11 strong, while 13 members of the Airline School came an extra day to school this week to sharpen their chess skills against some of the best scholastic players around. I was very excited to see so many students come.

A special thank you goes to all those that helped with the food and kitchen duties.

Aurora Winter Solstice Tomorrow

Come check out the menu: Scones, Bagels, Breakfast Sandwiches, Homemade Lentil Soup, Corn Chowder, Fresh Burgers, a great selection of hot and cold drinks, and a homemade sweet selection that is second to none!

Of course, there will be chess for everyone. In its fifth year, this chessmaine.net event is a can't miss on the calendar. Hope to see you in Aurora tomorrow - it's only 40 minutes from Bangor (28 miles east on Route 9).

Exciting Days Ahead!

I have just learned that I am the new president of the Maine Chess Association (MECA). I first would like to thank all those who supported my candidacy along with my daughter Maggie's. (She was elected vice-president.) We will work hard to help expand Maine chess, and we will keep the chess community well-informed about chess activites in the state. Saturday we will be at the Aurora Winter Solstice tournament. After that I will make a more detailed statement about some of the things that I plan on doing to push chess forward. I certainly hope that our competitors in the election will jump on board and help promote chess in Maine.

I hope to see some of you in Aurora on Saturday! Thanks again for your support.

2nd Week of PVC Chess

Orono High School joined Bangor and John Bapst today in the second week of PVC chess. Bapst played better today as both Aaron Spencer and Maggie Bryan won their two matches against the top two boards. Spencer defeated Henry Chai (BHS) and Ryan Vienneau (Orono), while Bryan defeated Andrew Audibert (BHS) and Jiawei Zou (Orono). Orono representatives along with Vienneau and Zou included veterans Avery Cole and Nick Peterson. There should be plenty of good matches between these successful programs; it wouldn't be a surprise to see the state champions come from one of these schools.

Election Eve

Tomorrow Maine Chess Association (MECA) members can start voting. I encourage all MECA members to vote and show that they are interested in the future of Maine chess. I believe that the days ahead are exciting. The number of events already listed for 2010 is already impressive. I would be excited to be a spokesperson for Maine chess. Please consider voting for me, Andy Bryan, for president and my daughter, Maggie Bryan, for vice-president. We would push hard in promoting and expanding chess in Maine over the next two years. Maine chess has given us many opportunities over the last ten years, and we would like to give back and try to provide others with the experiences that we have enjoyed. We eagerly anticipate the results and hope that we have a great turnout. Vote Bryan/Bryan to give us a chance to give back! Visit chessmaine.net for details on how to vote.