06.18.06 State Champion Joseph St. Pierre and Jarod Bryan both scored 3.5 out of 4 to share first at the 2006 Downeast Open. The tournament, which attracted twenty-four players, was held in the campus center at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland on Saturday, June 17th. The statue is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of Portland's favorite sons who once wrote in the Divine Comedy Paridise Canto XXVIII: Their coruscation all the sparks repeated, and they so many were, their number makes more millions than the doubling of the chess.

Joseph St. Pierre

Jarod Bryan

St. Pierre, fresh off his victory at the Maine Closed Championship, knotched another fine performance with a win over Maine's highest rated player, Stanley Elowitch and a draw with Jarod Bryan, the player with whom he would eventually share 1st place. Bryan delivered a fine performance as well, also knocking off Elowitch in a pretty last round, seventeen-move miniature.

The tournament was played in three sections: Open, U1600 and U1200.

Barry Magda and Nimrod Drizlikh shared the U1800 prize scoring 2 out of 4 in the Open section.

Frank DiRenzo, longtime member of the Portland Chess Club, would have put up a perfect 4 out of 4 if it wasn't for his first round draw with Curt Brock. After the draw, it was one up one down for DiRenzo as he blanked in succession: Matthew Colson, Lucas McCain and David Rice. McCain suffered his only loss to DiRenzo and netted the U1400 prize.

In the U1200 section, Matthew Fishbein a second grader from Cape Elizabeth and current K-3 State Champion, plowed through all opposition to post the tournament's only perfect score. Matthew's dad Dr. Daniel Fishbein, entered his first USCF-rated tournament and scored 2.5 out of 4 in the same section. One of the many great things about chess is that it levels the playing field in every imaginable realm: age, education and socio-economic status are to name but a few. What other sport can second graders compete on equal footing with post-docs?

Elowitch and Bryan shake after Bryan's last round victory.

Maine chess legend Stanley Elowitch, currently Maine's highest rated player and winner of the Maine State Championship an astounding eleven (!) times.

Barry Magda

Nimrod Drizlikh

TD Phil Lowell (left) hands over the U1600 prize of $100 to Frank Direnzo.

Lucas McCain, U1400 winner, already boning up for his next tournament.

U1200 section winner Matthew Fishbein

Rhode Island player, Mike Petrella

David Rice during his last round encounter with Frank DiRenzo.

Crosstable Open Section

2. Jarod Bryan (2212) W5 1; B4 1.5; B7 2.5; W1 3.5; 3.5
4. Joseph St. Pierre (1986) W1 1; W2 1.5; B5 2.5; B7 3.5; 3.5
1. Stanley Elowitch (2271) B4 0; W6 1; B3 2; B2 2; 2.0
6. Barry Magda (1691) W3 0.5; B1 0.5; bye 1.5; W5 2; 2.0
7. Nimrod Drizlikh (1650) bye 1; B3 2; W2 2; W4 2; 2.0
3. Ruben Babayan (2044) B6 0.5; W7 0.5; W1 0.5; bye 1.5; 1.5
5. Mike Petrella (1730) B2 0; bye 1; W4 1; B6 1.5; 1.5

Crosstable U1600 Section

3. Frank DiRenzo (1495) B6 0.5; W7 1.5; W5 2.5; B2 3.5; 3.5
5. Lucas McCain (1305) B2 1; W4 2; B3 2; W1 3; 3.0
2. David Rice (1517) W5 0; bye 1; B4 2; W3 2; 2.0
4. Lee Doucette (1486) W1 1; B5 1; W2 1; B7 2; 2.0
6. Curt Brock (1298) W3 0.5; B1 0.5; bye 1.5; bye 2; 2.0
7. Matthew Colson (1201) bye 1; B3 1; W1 2; W4 2; 2.0
1. Kathy Richards (1548) B4 0; W6 1; B7 1; B5 1; 1.0

Crosstable U1200 Section

4. Matthew Fishbein (777) B11 1; W3 2; W2 3; B7 4; 4.0
3. Martha Witick (724) W9 1; B4 1; B1 2; W12 3; 3.0
8. Scott Overlock (new) W2 0; B12 1; W11 2; B10 3; 3.0
2. Joshua Shuman (906) B8 1; W6 2; B4 2; W1 2.5; 2.5
10. Daniel Fishbein (new) B5 1; W1 1.5; B6 2.5; W8 2.5; 2.5
1. Brian Blake (1005) W7 1; B10 1.5; W3 1.5; B2 2; 2.0
5. Anne Witick (345) W10 0; B9 1; W7 1; B6 2; 2.0
7. Timothy Boulette (new) B1 0; W11 1; B5 2; W4 2; 2.0
6. Garrett Gilliard (new) B12 1; B2 1; W10 1; W5 1; 1.0
11. Jordan Gattine (new) W4 0; B7 0; B8 0; bye 1; 1.0
12. Sabrina Gattine (new) W6 o; W8 0; B9 1; B3 1; 1.0
9. Alec Gagne (unr) B3 0; W5 0; W12 0; B11 0; 0.0