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.

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).