Aurora Winter Solstice - A Success

On Saturday, December 11, forty chess players of all ages gathered in the tiny hamlet of Aurora, Maine, to compete in the sixth annual Aurora Winter Solstice. Along with with four competitive sections of chess there was great homemade food that the participants could purchase. Proceeds from the event benefit the Airline Community School chess program.

The chess competition saw Steve Abrahams and Roger Morin tie for first in the Open section when they agreed on a draw in the final round. In the Under 1400 section John Ellison walked away as the clear winner and a new chess set for one of his grandchildren. The Under 1000 section continued to show the rise of Ian Youth as he was also the clear winner in a group of ten. The Under 600 section featured a first time champion in Isaac Vaughn who was the only competitor of the day to win all of his games.

A special thanks goes out to all those volunteers who made this event a success! Check out the illustrated write-up on chessmaine.net.

State Champion Crowned! McCain Wins!

Lucas McCain took advantage of being home on summer break to win the Maine State Closed Championship outright. Denied a state championship during his high school days despite being at or near the top of the ratings, today he took home the title of Maine State Champion by gaining 4.5 points out of five to finish half a point clear of Steve Abrahams and Ruben Babayan. Early in the fifth round in his match with Steve it was clear that the game would be drawn so they accepted their positions on the final wall chart.

It was an evenly contested tournament as evident by top rated David Plotkin only finishing with 2.5. The full write-up should be on Chessmaine.net soon along with the crosstable on USCF. Congratulations also goes to Under 1650 winner Jose Lugo.

Day 1 - Maine Closed Championships

Down a piece defending co-champion David Plotkin pulled a rabbit out of his hat by sacrificing his queen and forcing mate over upstart Derrick Crocker en route to gaining 2.5 points on the first day of the Maine State Closed Championship. Atop the twenty players in the Open is Lucas McCain with 3.0 points. Joining McCain and Plotkin in the unbeaten ranks is Steve Abrahams with 2.5. Six follow with 2.0 points: Ruben Babayan, Phil Lowell, Andrey Savov, Darrell Salisbury, Wesley Parker, and Crocker.

The final two rounds commence are at 9:30 and 2:00 tomorrow.

Ellsworth Chess Club Set to Host George O'Rourke Memorial Tournament

Next Thursday, August 19, at the Ellsworth Chess Club Meeting, there will be a tournament to honor one of their own past members, George O'Rourke. George was a constant member of the club for many years particularly in the summer. Again a chess book or two of his will be given to the top finishers at the event. The Ellsworth Club runs from 6:30-8:00 at Mr. Paperback. Expect some fast action and quality competition. The event is free and unrated and organized by Dick Powell.

Aaron Spencer Goes To Denker

Aaron Spencer, a recent graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School, went to California representing the state of Maine at Denker Championships. The Denker includes one high school representative from each state and there were a couple more from the host state. All in all 49 students participated, and, of these 49, twenty-two had ratings over 2000. The competition was outstanding for Aaron, and he did very well scoring 3.0 over six rounds. He finished tied for 22nd after being seeded 40th. This resulted in his rating jumping 46 points from 1720 to 1766, his highest rating to date. For more information on his games check chessmaine.net. Great job, Aaron! We hope to see you next weekend at the Maine State Closed Championship!

Late Reminder - Presque Isle Event Tomorrow!

If you happen to be in The County, there should be some quality chess in Presque Isle tomorrow. Check out details on the chessmaine.net event page.

K-12 Nationals - A City Discovered, Jewels and Memories Claimed

Eighteen hours in the car and arriving into the 15th largest city in the country, I expected some stress, but no, the traffic was negligible and the hotel was easy to find. Walking into the Hyatt I realized that I was back at another Nationals. There were players pushing pieces in the lobby and others examining games with more anxiety than usual. The real games would begin the next day. After scouting out our room for the next few days, we had the first of many fine meals in Columbus.

On Friday morning we walked outside and realized that this Ohio capital was going to be an easy place to explore. Right away we found a jewel - The North Market. (Check it out - http://www.northmarket.com/ ) Here were delicacies to satisfy any appetite. We staked our claim and knew we would return for more feasts. Now we had to return to the chess venue.

The first day went well for the Bapst students. Deanna Power led the way with two victories while Aaron Spencer, Maggie Bryan, Daniel Honeycutt, and Kurt Eyerer all were even at one win and one loss to start the seven round marathon. They were upbeat and looking forward to making gains on Day Two. Meanwhile downstairs in a more congested room the All Girls Tournament was starting, and I was volunteering helping TD's by pointing out questions and becoming an enforcer at the door to keep distractions to a minimum. (For an excellent read and some interesting observations on this tournament, check out http://main.uschess.org/content/view/10327/141/ . My fellow volunteer had many of the same views as I did.)

As we all know, these tournaments are intense and there are few easy games and opponents because ratings for scholastic players can be very deceiving. The second day was going to follow this form. But first the day started well .. at the Food Court.. with great breakfast choices at great prices. It's very important to eat well on tournament days. Maggie responded on Saturday with wins in Rounds 3 and 5, Kurt drew much higher rated opponents and was able to come away with two draws, and Aaron held his rating by beating one lower rated opponent and falling to two opponents who were rated 2130 and 1919. The 2130, Prashantha Amarasinghe, was one of ten players to share first with 6.0 points. Unfortunately Deanna and Daniel went scoreless on Day 2. Deanna started off by losing to the eventual U1200 Champion, Samuel Stephens, who was one of only two players to finish with a perfect score of 7.0 over the three days. Meanwhile Anna Bryan from the Airline School (battling from bronchitis) managed a win and a loss before taking a bye in round five to bring her total to 1.5. The second day was not the day the players had hoped for, but there were two more rounds ahead and chances to move up in the standings.

Sunday presents its own challenges at these events, and my advice is to stay focused, remember that everyone gets distracted on the last day, and take advantage of your opportunities. Aaron, Maggie, and Daniel made the most of their opportunities and finished with two wins. Anna was starting to feel better and took two draws, while Deanna ran into tough customers and Kurt was distracted by an early get-away flight time. Aaron disposed of his higher rated opponent in the last round in quick fashion, Daniel made a pretty sacrifice that led to his last round victory, while Maggie stayed the course with black and defeated a higher rated opponent in her last game. Maggie's victory was particularly sweet since it allowed her to move into an 18th place tie that assured her a trophy. Coming off two disappointing results the past two years, she was able to score 5.0 and solidify her rating at 1489.

This event was wonderful regardless of the results. The ballroom was spectacular and being able to look down on the games was fascinating and much better than looking from the aisles. The city had a hometown feel that wasn't provided in Atlanta or Nashville. I would encourage anyone to attend at event here and not be disappointed. We drove through Ohio State University and were thoroughly impressed with the campus. We saw a live-size replica of the Santa Maria (for the tourists) and marveled that someone would set out on such a small ship. The only complaint was that there weren't enough cars to give it that big city feel - that was fine with me.

After one more good meal Monday morning we headed north to visit colleges and explore the countryside. It was beautiful; no rain until Maine, a spectacular Lake Erie, a black bear in New York, a visit to Cooperstown, and colleges that were very appealing and friendly. We won't soon forget our Columbus trip, our own discoveries, and our newly acquired memories - our own treasured jewels.

Final Standings

K12 Championship: Aaron Spencer, 4.0, Tied for 87th (127 on Tiebreaks) out of 323

K12 Under 1600: Maggie Bryan, 5.0, Tied for 18th (39 on Tiebreaks) out of 239
Kurt Eyerer, 2.0, T199 (203 on Tiebreaks)

K12 Under 1200: Daniel Honeycutt, 3.0, T217 (277 on Tiebreaks) out of 381
Anna Bryan, 2.5, T285, (315 on Tiebreaks)
Deanna Power, 2.0, T316 (316 on Tiebreaks)

Maggie's tie for 18th was good for her first National trophy, a 25th place and Ties Trophy. Congratulations to all on an excellent showing in a very tough competition and representing Maine so well!

Some Strong Finishes by Bapst Top Two

Aaron Spencer and Maggie Bryan won their last two games of the seven round marathon to spark Bapst players to a successful showing. Spencer finished with 4.0 points in the K12 Championship section, while Bryan finished with 5.0 in the Under 1600 section. These were their best finishes at Nationals over the last three years. The last round victories were particularly "sweet" as they were against higher rated opponents. Maggie's opponent, Antelmo Merlin, was a member of the Chess-In-The-Schools team from New York City that is administered by Julie Solinger, daughter of former Bapst coach Bob Solinger.

Daniel Honeycutt won his last two games to finish 3.0 in the Under 1200 section. He was particularly pleased with his last round victory that featured sacrifices that led to a winning position and eventual victory. Also in the U1200 section Deanna Power of Bapst finished with 2.0 and Anna Bryan of the Airline School finished with 2.5. Kurt Eyerer of Bapst finished with 2.0 in the Under 1600 section to complete the Maine finishers.

When the final places are posted, I'll relay the information.

Day 2 - K-12 Nationals

The results for day two show Maggie Bryan at 3.0, Aaron Spencer, Kurt Eyerer, and Deanna Power with 2.0, and Daniel Honeycutt with 1.0 for John Bapst. Anna Bryan is 1.5 heading into round six, as she took another bye last evening to recuperate for Sunday.

Midway through the last day, Maggie, Aaron, and Daniel had gained another point, while Anna had a draw in Round 6. I've yet to find out how Deanna and Kurt fared.

I'll check in again a little later.

Day 1 - K-12 Nationals

John Bapst students completed their first two rounds with mixed results. Deanna Power scored 2.0 points to lead the way while Aaron Spencer, Maggie Bryan, Kurt Eyerer, and Daniel Honeycutt all finished the day with one win and one loss. Anna Bryan from the Airline School lost her opening round and took a half point bye in the second round to try and recover from a bout with bronchitis.

More results and commentary to follow tomorrow.

Final Round Complete

The two Matthews from Cape Elizabeth won their last round games to finish 20th in the K-8 Team Championship section. Fishbein and Reale-Hatem finished with 4.5 points apiece and tied for 29th overall 2.5 points behind undefeated Nathan Lee (2011) of Washington state. Fishbein was 42nd and Reale-Hatem 51st on tiebreaks.

Jesse Amar (4.5) and fellow Orono student Jacob Chubbuck (3.5) also brought home a 20th place finish in the K-9 Unrated section. Amar was 23rd while Chubbuck finished 72nd out of 131 players.

The other Orono group of Jacob Johnson, Nash Allen-Rahill, and Calem Hamilton came in 27th in the K-8 U750 section.

Congratulations to all of these dedicated chess players and for representing Maine so well!

The next Maine contingent from John Bapst and Airline will descend on Columbus, Ohio for the K-12 Championships next weekend. Good luck to all!

Round 6 - Jr. High Nationals

Jesse Amar dropped his 6th round game to fall into 10th place heading into the final round. In other Maine notable matches Matthew Fishbein lost while Matthew Reale-Hatem won to draw them even with 3.5 points headed into the last round tied for 53rd.

Jr. High Nationals - Round 5

A quick glance at the results shows that Jesse Amar has drawn his 5th round game to move into a tie for 3rd in the K9 Unrated while Matthew Fishbein has moved up into a tie for 23rd in the K8 Championship section with a win in Round 5.

Jr. High Nationals with Mainers

Well, it's nice to check out the Jr. High (K-9) Championship results from Minneapolis and see a Mainer tied for the lead after four rounds. The surprise is that the person is Jesse Amar from Orono in the K-9 Unrated section. In only his third rated tournament he is perfect through four rounds. He is joined in Minnesota by six others from the Pine Tree State. Four of his Orono Middle School compatriots are there as well as K-12 champion, Matthew Fishbein, and highly rated Matthew Reale-Hatem from Cape Elizabeth. Fishbein has 2.5 points in the K-8 Championship section while Reale-Hatem has 1.5.

I'll keep checking the results and keep you posted on our fellow Mainers.

Local Tournaments Start Year In Exciting Fashion

The first two tournaments of the year in the Bangor area were filled with upsets and ended with familiar faces at the top. The John Bapst New Year's Tournament that was delayed to January 10 saw Fritz Eyerer upset Roger Morin before he was upset by current Bapst standout Aaron Spencer which resulted in Morin and Eyerer sharing top prize. While today at the Stillwater Montessori MLK Open, Barry Magda defeated Aaron Spencer in the 4th round for the title. The games in the third round between Magda and Steve Abrahams and Spencer and Curt Brock were both nailbiters that came down to the waning seconds before Abrahams and Brock resigned.

Both of these tournaments drew 25+ players. Only Spencer, Bapst coach Yuri Riabkov, and Dick Powell attended both events. Overall attendance was slightly down at both venues from previous years. Hopefully this is not a trend. There is no question that weather can be a factor this time of year, and I'm sure the economy does not help.

The next tournament in the Bangor area that is posted is the All Saints Tourney, February 20. It's possible there will be Valentine's Day Quads at UMaine, but I haven't heard anything yet. Roger and Lois Morin are hosting a tournament in East Millinocket February 6 if anyone wants to head north for some games.

2010 is off to a good start!

John Bapst Chess Tourney Reset for Sunday, January 10

There's good news. The John Bapst Chess Tournament has been rescheduled for Sunday, January 10 at the school. It may have to be moved to the library and adjacent classrooms, but it will take place at the school. We're excited to have it at the school and we will also sell concessions to help to support the John Bapst chess program. I hope that everyone can still attend this weekend and maybe a few more.

See you then - Andy

John Bapst Tournament Postponed

The John Bapst Chess Tournament has been postponed; we hope to hold it Sunday, January 10. I will confirm its new date and time Monday. Sorry for any inconvenience and I hope that everyone can still make it next weekend.

Bapst Tournament Still On

As of 4:00 on Friday afternoon, we are still planning on having the tournament at John Bapst on Sunday. A definitive decision will be made by 4:00 Saturday afternoon.