April 29, 2007 marks the 107th anniversary of the birth of Fred "Monte" Wren. Mr. Wren was probably best known for his chess columns The Old Woodpusher and Tales of a Woodpusher. Born in Sherman, Maine and a resident of Perry, Maine, Wren had an unimitable style that inspired Fred Reinfeld to write of him, "Chary as I am of superlatives, I have no hesitation in saying that nobody has written more entertainingly or more charmingly of the joys and tribulations of 'the unknown chessplayer.' " During an interview, Mr. Wren stated he began to master chess in 1926 but when asked the date he finally mastered the game he replied, "Leave that space blank, son."
Continue reading "ChessMaine Profiles: Remembering Fred Wren" »
Fourteen players turned out for the Friday Night G/35 tournament at The University of Maine, Orono on April 27, 2007. This was the first in a series of Friday night tournaments organized and directed by ChessMaine.net. The three-round G/35 format was planned to give players an option other than the well-trodden full-day or full-weekend tournament. The Friday Night G35 was contested in two sections: Section 1 was won by Ed Hatch with a perfect 3.0 points and Section 2 was also won by a player who scored 3.0 points, Orono Middle School student, Avery Cole.
Joseph St. Pierre three-peats as state champion but has to share this year's title with Bowdoin College student Jason Spector. With this victory, St. Pierre joins an elite group of only three other state champions who have won the title three or more consecutive times including: Harlow B. Daly, Stanley Elowitch and Graham Cooper. Spector breaks into the list of state champions with this his first Maine state title.
This weekend at the University of Maine, Orono two tournaments with different formats will take place. The first, on Friday April 27, 2007 is ChessMaine presents Friday Night G/35. This will be a three-round Swiss in eight player groups with a time control of Game in 35 minutes beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the UMO Memorial Union FFA room. The second, on Sunday April 29, 2007 is the no entry fee UMaine Bughouse Tournament also in the FFA room. The first bughouse round will start shortly after 10:00 a.m.
Five players from Deer-Isle Stonington, Maine made the trip to Sacremento, California to compete in the 2007 National Junior High School (K-9) Championship. The event was held at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento on March 30 - April 1, 2007. In the U750 team section, Maine players Janelle Ciomei, Gareth Warr, Jacob Starkey and Holly Brewer took home the 21st place trophy scoring 8.5 points. In the U1250 section, Ian Pellitier scored 3.0 points and placed 93rd out of 150 students. Congratulations to the Deer-Isle Stonington players and coaches!
All three of Maine's teams picked up trophies at the National High School Championship in Kansas City, Missouri this weekend. John Bapst took 21st place in the Under 1500 section and 23rd in the Under 900 section and Orono Middle School took 23rd in the Under 1200 section. The Bapst Under 1500 team's best round of the tournament was also its last. The team scored 3.5 out of 4 in the final round to finish strong. In the Championship section, Catalina Foothills High School of Tucson, Arizona and Edward R. Murrow High School of Brooklyn, New
Orono Middle School gave a sparkling performance today in the Under 1200 section. Led by Jouwei Zou, who scored three in a row in Rounds 3, 4, and 5, the team rolled on to collect 9 out of a possible 12 points for the day. Zou's stellar performance was supported by each of his teammates kicking in 2 points on the day. For John Bapst, Fritz Eyerer and Murray Bridges lead their team with 3.5 points after 5 rounds.
Murray Bridges is the high scorer for Bapst after two rounds with 1.5 points, followed by seven players who split the round scoring one point apiece. Here is the illustrated tournament report for Rounds 1 and 2. We are remiss for not recognizing the Orono Middle School Chess Team in yesterday's report, as they are at the tournament as well, represented by Avery Cole, Nick Peterson, Nikolai Renedo, and Jouwei Zou. Images of the Orono team and a more detailed update on their results will appear in the Day 2 report.
The National High School Championship is getting underway at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This seven-round tournament will be take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 13-15, 2007. ChessMaine has travelled to the Show Me State with the John Bapst High School Team and will bring you daily coverage. Here's the first of a series of reports.
Sixteen players turned out to perfectly fill four quadrangular sections at the John Bapst Fundraising Tournament held at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor on Saturday, April 7, 2007. The event was held to raise money to help send the Bapst state champion team to the High School National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri later this month.
Lubec, Maine is the first town in the lower forty-eight to see the sun rise each morning. Lubec is also a bright spot on the Maine chess landscape as it's the home of the 2007 Maine Scholastic Girls Champion Lily Briggs. In this interview, Lily shares her thoughts on many topics including the Girls Championship, growing up in a chess playing family and homeschooling.
John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor is having a fundraising tournament on Saturday, April 7, 2007 to help support sending their state champion team to the 2007 High School National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri. The tournament will use a 3-round quad format based upon rating and a time control of Game in 60. The winner of each quad will receive $30. Please help send our state champion high school team to the Nationals!
Players from Westbrook, Cheverus, Marshwood and Yarmouth gathered at Cheverus High School in Portland to compete in match play on Saturday March 31, 2007 for the title of Southwestern Maine High School Champions. It turned out to be a tight contest with a clear claim to the title resting on the final game of the Championship section. Yarmouth with two match wins and Cheverus at one win and one loss were tied at two games each with Reed Wommack playing Ivan Ivanov on Board 3.
