Thanks to Dan Fishbein, Andy Bryan and Phil Lowell for contributing to this report.

After two long days of chess, it came down to the final game became Jarod Bryan and Josh Quint to decide the final standings. Quint needed the win to match Matthew Fishbein's and Aaron Spencer's total of 4.0 points, while Bryan only needed a draw. Quint resigned himself to the draw as time was winding down for both players. Fishbein's only blemish was a loss to Bryan, while Spencer's only defeat was a loss to Fishbein. Bryan went undefeated with three wins and two draws. With each player posting 4.0 points Bryan, Fishbein and Spencer will share the title of 2012 Maine State Champion. On the strength of opponent tiebreak Fishbein earned the 1st place plaque. This was the 54th consecutive state championship and the first three-way tie.

Class prizes went to John Phythion in Class A, Jon Buxton in Class B, Lee Doucette and Isaac Marnik in Class C, and Dan Lavallee and Bill Loring in Class D. The 29 players played five rounds of Game/120 at the Best Western Inn Plus in Waterville. The accommodations were excellent this year, and we hope to return there next year.

The next MECA chess player of the year event is in Portland. Spencer (16.0) jumped to second in the standings, while Lance Beloungie, competing in his 3rd tournament, took over first with 17.5 points.

Thanks to Tournamnet Director Phil Lowell and tournament organizer Lee Doucette on running an excellent State Championship.

Portland Press Herald staff writer Glenn Jordan wrote an interesting article highlighting Matthew Fishbein as Maine's newest state co-champion. You can read his article here.

USCF crosstable of this event

2012 Maine State Co-champion Aaron Spencer (right) plays Mark Woida.

Tournament organizer Lee Doucette (left) vs John Jones.

Dan Lavallee (foreground right) plays John Brady while Bill Gallagher (background right) takes on Jon Buxton.

Just off the lead: Joshua Quint (left) and John Phythyon scored 3.5 points along with Jon Buxton to share 4th-6th place.

Darrell Salisbury (left) matches wits with Rob Shore.

Steve Abrahams (left) vs Isaac Marnik

Brian Roderick (right) got the best of Steve Kaluzynski in this one.

Curt Brock (left) and Bill Loring both chalked up 2.5 points.

Maine Chess Association President Andy Bryan (right) plays Joseph Fishman in round 4.

Lance Beloungie (left) takes on Jim DuBois.

Thanks again to all players and organizers of this year's state championship!

This from the tournament organizers Barry Magda sand Brian Roderick: We had a great turnout for the UMA YACT 'Roll your Own' Quads, with 31 players playing at least a game or two, four rated and one unrated quad, and a six person, three-round Swiss (unrated). Part of the incentive for having unrated sections was to allow chess players a chance to 'get their feet wet' in the world of tournament chess.

Thanks to the University of Maine at Augusta for hosting us once again. Student Life Director Rose Pelletier also contributed coffee, tea, donuts, door prizes and snacks. Other door prize contributions, school supplies and medals, were provided by Barry Magda. The Royal Court of Maine was the sponsoring USCF affiliate Brian Roderick and Barry Magda were the tournament directors. To get on the mailing list for future events in Augusta area, please email bajmagda@juno.com with 'chess' in the subject line.

USCF crosstable of this event

Colin Hickey playing the black pieces vs...

Dan LaVallee in round 1 of the unrated quads.

Quad 1 in action

David Oshana, playing the white pieces, could not control Phil Lowell. 0-1

Ruben Babayan looks over his position against Fide Master Jarod Bryan in Round 1. 1/2

Curt Brock

Quad 2 winner Barry Magda

Lee Doucette (foreground) and George Spahn fight in round 1, Quad 3. George Spahn won a medal for his upset againt Yuri Riabkov.

Bill Gallagher (foreground) and Yuri Riabkov duly record their moves.

Demeka Roderick (left) takes a break from the chessboard with Ryan Hinkson.

Quad 3 winner Lee Doucette (left) pushes for the win in his game vs Bill Gallagher.

Pete Johanson (left) did not prevail with white against Daniel Keliher. 0-1

With the "Big Board" in the foreground, players relax on the comfortable seating of the RJ Randall student center lounge.

Pat Gallagher (left) almost fresh from a 4 out of 5 performance at the Eastern Class Championships in Sturbridge, MA the week previous, studies the board against Curt Brock.

Ruben Babayan on the way to victory in round 3, for 2nd place in Quad 1.

Former Maine Chess Association President Phil Lowell was unable to hold FIDE Master Jarod Bryan. 0-1

Brian Hurst (right) went undefeated in the unrated quad.

Augusta Chess Presence Norman Dostie helped with the tournament.

Dr. Bill Gallagher (left) punches the clock during his game with Yuri Riabikov. 1/2

Our snack table was a bit hit! Thanks UMA and Rose Pellitier of Student Activities for their support!

Nick Gestwicki at the board.

Pete Johanson was one of the lucky door prize winners.

Quad 4 winner Daniel Keliher considers a move en route to an undefeated day.

A happy Yuri Riabkov.

Quad 3 winner Lee Doucette

MECA Board member Daniel Keliher

Augusta resident Bill Loring in front of the tournament room fireplace.

Nick Gestwicki played in his first USCF tournament!

The Big Four of Quad 1in the last round: Phil Lowell (forground left) plays Ruben Babayan and Jarod Bryan (background left) plays David Oshana.

Alexander Roy shows off his winnings for 2nd place in Quad 2.

Keep in touch with Maine tournaments in the Augusta area and statewide at www.ChessMaine.net!

The Maine Closed (Players must be Maine residents or attending a Maine university or college and be MECA members to participate.) Chess Championship is a five-round, G/120; 5d, tournament with a $500+ prize fund based on 40 entries.

For more information about the tournament click: Maine Closed Chess Championship

Hope to see you there!

Thanks to Ron Lewis and Steve Abrahams for contributing to this report.

USCF crosstable of the K-3 Championship Section

USCF crosstable of the K-6 Championship Section

USCF crosstable of the K-8 Championship Section

USCF crosstable of the High School Championship and U1200 Sections

To view Steve Abrahams's photographic impressions of this event please click here.

Winners of the K-6, K-8 and K-12 championship sections become the 2010 State Elementary, Junior High and High School Champions. Trophies are awarded to the top three finishers in each section. In cases of ties, the top players become co-champions or share that tied position, and the awarding of trophies is done based on how well the players score in the early rounds and/or how well their opponents do. Younger players may play higher than their current grade level in the Individuals, as skill and rating levels are more important than age.

In the K-3 section, Vetri Vel of Veazi Community School scored a perfect 4.0 (four wins, no losses) to take top honors. Second place went to Ross Stewart of Deer Isle-Stonington (DIS). Tied for third were Cole Stewart and Rylee Eaton of DIS. On tie-breaks, the third place trophy went to Cole Stewart.

In the K-6 section, Michael Hayden of All Saints in Bangor scored a perfect four points and is the 2010 Maine Elementary School champion. Soozin Cha of DIS scored 3.5 points and took second. Three players tied with 3.0 scores for third place: Eric Youth (Breakwater), Nicholas Kawamura (Veazie), and Brendan Penfold (DIS). On tie-breaks, Eric took home the third place hardware.

In the K-8 Junior High section, Matthew Fishbein of Cape Elizabeth posted four straight wins to become the Maine Junior High Champion. Matthew, one of the highest rated players in the State, again qualified as the Maine representative to the Barber National Tournament for Junior High players. In second place, five players tied with three points. These were Ian Youth (Breakwater), Krisford Melanio (DIS), Conor Thompson (Bangor), Bethany Humphrey (DIS), and Cameron Wendell (DIS). In awarding the second and third place trophies on tie-breaks, second went to Ian, and third to Krisford.

In the K-12 Under 1200 section (referring to the players' US Chess Federation ratings), entrants from George Stevens Academy (GSA) featured prominently. First place was a tie between GSA players Jinran Tian and Kaiyue Zhou, receiving the first and second place trophies, respectively. Third place was a tie between Matthew Spear (John Bapst) and Tianjian Yuan (GSA). On tie breaks, the third place trophy went to Matthew.

In the K-12 High School Championship section, hard-fought games were the rule and several went down to the last few seconds on the clock. Five players entered the final round with scores of 2.5 each. When the dust settled, ratings proved to be an indicator of performance. Tied with 3.5 points each were top seeds Ethan Dininno and Bret Parker, both of Cape Elizabeth and who share the title of Maine State High School Champion for the year. On tie breaks, Ethan took the first place trophy and became eligible for the National Denker Tournament of High School Champions. In a clear third-place finish, Gianluca Pane of Mt. Blue High School and the former K-6 champion of 2005-06 scored three wins to one loss.

In the Sidekick quads event held for adults and proceeds benefitting scholastic chess through the Maine Association of Chess Coaches, ten players competed, setting up one Quad section and a second, Swiss section with six players. For the second year in a row, UMO student Max Berube scored a perfect 3-0 in Quad 1 that saw him upset two higher rated players. In the second section Alba Briggs and Ryan Tripp tied with two wins each. The Sidekick event was led and directed by Maine Chess Association president Andy Bryan.

The Leader for the Individuals Tournament was Ron Lewis. Andy Bryan coordinated trophies for the event. Tournament Directors, organized by the Maine Chess Association, were Dan DeLuca for the K-3 and K-6, Philip Lowell for the K-8, and Steve Abrahams for the two K-12 sections. Kathy Richards serves as Treasurer for the Maine Association of Chess Coaches. For more detail and pictures of the events, log on-line to www.chessmaine.net. Thanks to the parents and coaches for their support, and thanks to the University of Maine for again hosting this event.

Winners in the high school championship section (left to right): Brett Parker (equal first), Ethan DiNinno (equal first) and Gianluca Pane (third)

Ethan DiNinno (left) plays Paul Rudnicki in the high school championship section.

Ethan Dininno

William Bonney

Paul Rudnicki finished equal fourth tied with William Bonney

Clear third went to Gianluca Pane with 3.0 points

This third round game between Brett Parker (left) and Paul Rudnicki ended in a draw after a triple repeat of postion claim by Parker which Rudnicki agreed to.

Wesley Parker

Josh Audibert scored 2.0 points and tied with...

George Spahn

Jiawai Zou

Ezra Briggs

The only female player in the high school championship section: Haley DeLuca Lowell

Matthew Clark

Action in the high school championship section

Tied for first in the high school U1200 section: Kaiyue Zhou and...

Jinran Tian

Winners in the high school U1200 section (left to right): Matthew Spear (equal third), Tianjian Yuan (equal third), Jinran Tian (equal first) and Kaiyue Zhou (equal first).

Tianjian Yuan

Matthew Spear

Isaiah Fallon

Jiajun Chen

Cameron Bowie

Zach Hamilton

Yihan Chen

Josh Burleigh

Derek Hoyt

Devon Oppedisano

Matthew Fishbein blanked his opponents 4-0 to take first in the K-8 championship section. This was as expected as he was 895 rating points higher than his closest competitor. Fishbein will represent Maine at the Barber National Junior High School Championship.

How sweet it is! Matthew Fishbein with his first place trophy.

Five players scored 3.0 points and tied for second in the K-8 championship section: Ian Youth

Cameron Wendell

Bethany Humphrey

Krisford Melanio...

and Connor Thompson.

Isaac Vaughn

Aidan Coyne

Nathan Thompson

Alex Fergusson

Sean McAvoy

Kyle Blum

Austin Witham

Joseph Powell

Reid Rauch

Adam Farrington

Hui Kennedy

Riley Coleman

The K-8 championship section

First in the K-6 championship section with a perfect 4.0 points in four games: Michael Hayden

This last round game between Michael Hayden (left) and Eric Youth clinched the tournament win for Hayden.

SooZin Cha took clear second with 3.5 points.

Nicholas Kawamura scored 3.0 points and tied for third with...

Brendan Penfold and...

Eric Youth

Stuart MacKay

Orly Vaughn

Catherine Rudnicki

Zachary Grindal

Eric Youth (left) plays Nicholas Kawamura in the K-6 championship section

Eli Spahn

Duncan Bradshaw

The K-6 championship section

Vetri Vel surprised the field scoring 4.0 points. He received a full point bye in the first round as he was the lowest(!) rated player in the section.

Three players tied for second place in the K-3 championship section: Rylee Eaton

Cole Stewart and...

Ross Stewart

Last year's winner Itai Boss scored 2.0 points to tie for fifth place.

Oliver Brown

William Xu

Atticus Foster

Cyrus Grindal

Tommaso Wheeler

In addition to the scholastic events there was a ten-player adult tournament in two sections dubbed the Sidekick Quads. Section one was won by Max Berube.

Just off the lead in section one: Jon Dearing

Aaron Spencer

Tom Sandford

Atop section two: Ryan Tripp and...

Alba Briggs

Randall Fitzpatrick

Dan Fishbein (aka Matthew Fishbein's dad)

Ed Rudnicki (aka Paul and Catherine's dad)

The driving force behind the spring scholastic chess championships: Maine Association of Chess Coaches President Ron Lewis

Just a small patch of snow was all that was left of winter on the day of the tournament--March 17th.

This robin assured us that spring was close at hand.

Keep on playing and we hope to see you all back next year!

Roger Morin topped the field of six players at the 2nd Holuton Open, played on March 10th, 2012. He was nicked for a draw by the tournament's lowest rated player Glenn Snyder. Following Morin in the top spot were Richard Fontinha (3.0), Roger Peterson and Roger Hardison (2.0), Lance Beloungie (1.0), and Glenn Snyder (0.5).

This event was the third Maine Chess Player of the Year event of 2012; the next will be the Maine State Championship scheduled for April 21-22, 2012. For more information on the Maine State Championship please click here. For more information on the 2012 Maine Chess Player of the Year competition please visit out Maine Chess Player of the Year page.

USCF crosstable of this event

The tournament room adorned with artwork at the 2nd Houlton Open.

Thanks to Ron Lewis for contributing to this report.

USCF crosstable of the K-3 Championship Section

USCF crosstable of the K-6 Championship Section

USCF crosstable of the K-8 Championship Section when available

USCF crosstable of the High School Championship and Reserve Sections

In the K-3 section, team honors were decided by the total of the team's top three scorers. The winning team was the Deer-Isle Stonington (DIS) team over second place tied teams All-Saints and Breakwater; on tie-breaks, the second place team trophy went to All-Saints. Top scorers for Deer-Isle were Ross Stewart with 4 points and Wyatt Eaton and Cole Stewart each with 3.5 points for a team score of 11. Top scorers for the All-Saints team were Seamus Ravan, Charlotte Urquhart, and Liam Ravan. For Breakwater, their top scorers were Davis Drown, Dax Penny, and Max Hogenauer. The top scoring girl was Kaylee Morey, and the top unrated player was Ariel Larrabee, both of Deer Isle-Stonington. Scoring 3 points or better for a free entry to the Individual Tournament on March 17 were Ross Stewart, Wyatt Eaton, Cole Stewart, Andrew Pappianne, Kaylee Morey, and Ariel Larrabee, all of DIS.

In the K-6 section, with team scores being the total of each team's five top scorers, Deer Isle-Stonington captured its third straight K-6 Team title, besting second place Breakwater School 15.5 to 13.5, a nearly identical result to last year's contest. Top team scorers for Deer Isle-Stonington included: Brendan Penfold with 4 points, Soozin Cha, Tyson Rice, and Orly Vaughn with 3 points each, and Avery Reynolds with 2.5 points. The Breakwater team high scorers were Ian Youth,with 4 points, Matthew Hogenauer and Eric Youth with 3 points each, Samuel Rallis with 2 points, and Oliver Sullivan with 1.5 points. The top girl scorer not on a winning team was Katherine Rudnicki of All-Saints. The top unrated players in this section were Omar Kahn and Jacob Cote of Brewer with 3 points each. Twelve players scored 3 points or better, earning them a free entry into the Individuals Tournament on March 17. These were: Ian and Eric Youth, and Matthew Hogenauer of Breakwater; Brendan Penfold, Orly Vaughn, Soozin Cha, and Tyson Rice of DIS; Michael Hayden of All-Saints; Vetri Vel of Stillwater; and Omar Kahn and Jacob Cote of Brewer. In addition, Katherine Rudnicki is also invited.

In the Elementary Novice section, the winning K-3 team was Stillwater edging out DIS 9.5 to 8.5. The top individual performer was William Xu of Stillwater with four wins in four games. He was joined by teammates Porter Hubbard and Lilly Millard as that team's top three scorers. For DIS, the top three scorers were Tommy Hutchins, Annie Reynolds, and McHenna Martin. In the K-6 Novice section, Belfast emerged ahead of Piscataquis by just a half-point, 9 to 8.5. Top scorers for Belfast were Ilianna Kahn, Sidney Sonders, with Isabel Kelly, Jay Sonders, and Kirk Stillman all with 2 points. For Piscataquis, the top scorers were Cody Randall, Eli Campbell, and Ethan Chadwick. Top performers were Ilianna Kahn and Cody Randall, each with 4 points.

In the K-8 Championship section, Deer-Isle Stonington finished a point ahead of Cape Elizabeth, 14 to 13. Top scorers for Deer-Isle Stonington were Bethany Humphrey, Krisford Melanio, Cameron Wendell, Alyssa Chesney, and Isaac Vaughn. Top scorers for Cape Elizabeth were Matthew Fishbein, Wesley Parker, Jasper Hansel, Kyle Russell, and Matthew Yim. The top players were Matthew Fishbein and Wesley Parker of Cape Elizabeth, each with four points. Top unrateds were Adam Farrington and Adam Gagnon of Brewer. The top female (not on a winning team) was Aidan Coyne of the William S. Cohen School in Bangor. Invited back to the Individuals with free entry were: Matthew Fishbein and Wesley Parker of Cape Elizabeth; Bethany Humphrey, Cameron Wendell, Krisford Melanio, and Alyssa Chesney of DIS; Aidan Coyne of W.S. Cohen School; Alex Fergusson and Sean McAvoy of Orono; and Nathan Thompson of Glenburn.

Medomak took first place in the JHS Novice section, edging out Orono 7.5 to 7 points. Scoring members of the winning Medomak team were: Joseph Powell, Hui Kennedy, and Kyle Blum. Scoring members for the Orono team were: Nicholas Pare, Austin Smith, and Dylan Zamos. The top performer was Adam Boehlen of Bucksport with 4 points.

Elementary and JHS players in the championship sections who scored 3 points or better are invited back to play in the Individual Championships on March 17 at with no entry fee. Any other individual may enter by paying the entry fee. Information and entry forms are available at www.ChessMaine.net.

In the High School Championship section, defending champion Cheverus did not make the trip due to the weather, but the title stayed in Southwestern Maine as Cape Elizabeth emerged undefeated in match play for the day to win the State HS Team title. Bangor fought Cape to a draw in the final match, with the contest in the balance to the very last second as Cape's Board 1 defeated Bangor's Board 1 with on 17 seconds left on the clock to secure the match draw and clear first place with a team score of 3.5. The Cape Team consisted of Matthew Reale-Hatem, Bret Parker, Ben Hansel, Robert Freccero, and Colin Smith. In the meantime, the DIS team secured a 3 point total for a clear second place win. The DIS team included Sam Grindle, Andy Turner, Hayden Ciomei, Connor Morey, and Nate Davis. Criteria for invitation to the Individuals for the High School Championship and Reserve sections were to score 3 points or better on Board 1, or 3.5 points or better on any other board. Invited back to Individuals on March 17 with no entry fee on this basis are: Matthew Reale-Hatem and Bret Parker of Cape Elizabeth; Josh Audibert of Bangor; Sam Grindle of DIS; and Johnson Chen of George Stevens Academy. The top unrated player was Johnson Chen of George Steven Academy. The top female performer was Haley DeLuca-Lowell, and she receives an invitation to the Individuals as well.

In the HS Reserve section, Van Buren tied Deer Isle-Stonington, 9.5 to 9.5. The Van Buren Reserve team included John Parent, Sean Cullian, and Richard Michaud. Scorers for Deer Isle-Stonington were Chelsea Brown, David McManus, and Nick Eaton. Top scorers included Ezra Briggs of Maranatha and John Parent of Van Buren, each with 4 points. These two in addition to the top scoring girl, Chelsea Brown, are invited back to Individuals with no entry fee.

In the High School Novice section, Bucksport won out over Camden Hills and Dexter, 9 to 7. The Bucksport top scorers for the team score (based on top three scorers) included Rachel Chen, Douglas Gavelek, and Josh Numan, all with three points. Scoring for Camden Hills were Duncan Dyer, Sam Gimlewicz, and Alice Wong. Top scorers for Dexter were Christopher King, Hunter Belanger, and Richard Ryckam. Top performer in this section with 4 points was Yihan Cheng with 4 points.

Tournament Leaders were Kathy Richards for the Elementary and Junior High Sections, and Kurt Klappenbach for the High School. Tournament Directors were Dan DeLuca for the K-3 section, Steve Wong for K-6, Steve Abrahams and Andy Bryan for the Junior High School, Philip Lowell for High School Championship and Reserve sections, and Tom Sandford for the all Novice sections. Trophy awards were coordinated by Andy Bryan. These were supported by a number of other volunteers, parents and coaches.

The next event on the State scholastic chess schedule is on March 17 when the State chess Individual championships will be contested, with the Maine State representative to the USCF National Denker High School Invitational and a representative to the Barber Junior High Sschool Invitational will be decided. A side event, the Sidekick Quads, will also be held on March 17 for adults. The proceeds of the Sidekick Quads will benefit Maine scholastic chess. All events will be held at the Memorial Union, University of Maine, Orono. Visit ChessMaine.net events page for information and entry forms.

The final-round game between Matthew Reale Hatem of Cape Elizabeth and...

Kellen McDonnell of Bangor...

began simply enough.

But as the clocks ticked and other games in the match were decided (namely Bangor being up 2.5-1.5 with one game remaining)...

things began to heat up...

and up! As the tension mounts, Reale-Hatem, with seventeen seconds remaining on his clock, managed to deliver the knockout blow to win the game with McDonnell, tie the match with Bangor and win the tournament outright with 3.5 points in four rounds.

2012 State High School Champions: Cape Elizabeth (left to right) Colin Smith, Robert Freccero, Ben Hansel, Brett Parker and Matthew Reale-Hatem

The Deer Isle-Stonington Mariners took clear second with 3.0 points (left to right): Coach Isaac Marnick, Conner Morey, Sam Grindle, Andy Turner, Hayden Ciomei and Nathan Davis

The highest scoring (3.5 points) unrated player in the High School Championship section George Stevens Academy student Jiajun Chen receives congratulations and a trophy from tournament director Phil Lowell.

Co-Champions in the High School Reserve section: Van Buren (left to right): coach Dayton Grandmaison, Richard Michaud, assistant coach Steven Giangiordano, Derek Grivois, Sean Cullinan, Devin Berry, John Parent, Cody Maldonado and Nicholas LaJoie

Co-Champion Deer Isle-Stonington tied for first in the High School Reserve section (left to right): Owen Simonds, Cody Eaton, David McManus, Nick Eaton, Noah Gillen, Alex Eaton, Janelle Ciomei, Ivan Zembrusky, Chelsea Brown and coach Isaac Marnik

High scorers in the High School Reserve section with a perfect 4.0 points: Ezra Briggs (left) of Lubec and John Parent of Van Buren.

Action in the High School Reserve section

Erskine Academy's top board George Spahn

Erskine Board 2: Nat Sturgis

Erskine Board 3: Joshua Bois

Erskine Board 4: James Poulin

Erskine Board 5: Adam Bovie

Top gun for Caribou High School: Cody Cherette

Caribou Board 2: Justin Boyer

Caribou Board 3: Rick Perry

Caribou Board 4: Nolan Powers

Caribou Board 5: Andrew Brown

Jiawei Zou, Orono High School's top board

Orono Board 2: Zach Hamilton

Orono Board 3: Jacob Chubbuck

Orono Board 5: Cameron Bowie (Orono's Board 3 was played by Brandon Terra.)

Sam Grindle played top board for Deer Isle-Stonington

Andy Turner: Deer Isle-Stonington Board 2

Deer Isle-Stonington's Board 4 Connor Morey (Hayden Ciomei played Board 3.)

Nathan Davis rounded out the Deer Isle-Stonington championship team on Board 5.

Paul Rudnicki played Board 2 for Bangor.

Josh Audibert filled the Board 3 seat for Bangor.

Charlie Harvey served as sweeper for Bangor on Board 5.

Ian Murray at the helm of the Westbrook team.

Ben Touchette played Board 2 for Westbrook.

Andrew Lamson: Board 3 for Westbrook

Westbrook's Board 4 Josh McCormick

Luke Arsenault played Board 5 for Westbrook.

The George Stevens Academy team was headed by Kaiyue Zhou

GSA Board 2: Jinran Tian

Alexander Speranza took Board 3.

Board 4 for GSA: Jiajun Chen

Tianjian plays the critical Board 5 spot for GSA.

Maine Chess Association President Andy Bryan (center) speaks with Alba (left) and Ezra Briggs while checking the standings in the high school championship section.

Players searched for ways to blow off a little steam after their games: with video games...

or more traditional ways.

Bucksport captured the top spot in the High School Novice section.

Equal second in the High School Novice section: Dexter (left to right): Chris King, Hunter Belanger and Richard Ryckman and...

Camden Hills (left to right): Duncan Dyer, Alice Wong and Sam Gimlewicz.

Yihan Chen of George Stevens Academy was the top scorer in the High School Novice section.

Matthew Fishbein led Cape Elizabeth to victory in the K-8 Championship section.

Aidan Coyne was the top-scoring female in the K-8 section.

Wesley Parker

Airline Community School's Oliver Sheehan

Gergory Dimoulas

Cameron Wendell

Krisford Melanio

Alex Fergusson

Max DeLuca Lowell

Isaac Vaughn

Laddy DeLuca Lowell

Alyssa Chesney

Benjamin Hov Amar

Jasper Hansel

Christian Goddard

Josiah Grace

Stillwater Montessori player Jonathan Kish

Matthew Yim

Nate Wilcox

Nathan Thompson

Austin Witham

Adam Gagnon

Noah Olsen

Sean McEvoy

Philomena Mattes

Daniel Pilecki

Kyle Russell

Adam Farrington

Kylee Atwood

Alison Eaton

Bethany Humphrey

Zachary Grindal

When the dust settled it was Deer Isle-Stonington capturing first place in the K-8 Championship section (left to right): Isaac Vaughn, Philomena Mattes, Alyssa Chesney, Krisford Melanio, Cameron Wendell, Bethany Humphrey and Ali Eaton.

Second place in the K-8 Championship section: Cape Elizabeth (left to right): Noah Olsen, Wesley Parker, Matthew Fishbein, Jasper Hansel, Kyle Russell and Matthew Yin.

In the Junior High School Novice section Medomok took top honors (left to right): Greg Wadsworth, Elizabeth Prescott, Hui Kennedy, coach Bill McClellan, Jerin Brooks, Patrick White, Kyle Blum, Joseph Powell, Ian Goode and Grant Bodine.

Orono Middle School finished second in the Junior High School Novice section. Nick Pare is pictured without teammates Dylan Zaymos and Austin Smith.

Deer Isle-Stonington rose to the top of the K-6 Championship section (left to right): Ennis Marshall, Brendan Penfold, Orly Vaughn, Rylee Eaton, Soozin Cha, Addie MacDonald, Cameron Stewart (kneeling), Benjamin Penfold, Kinsey Bartlett, Tyson Rice, Colby Haskell and Avery Renyolds.

The Breakwater School finished clear second in the K-6 Championship section (left to right): Eric Youth, Oliver Sullivan, Samuel Rollis, Matthew Hogenauer and Ian Youth.

Catherine Rudnicki of All Saints School in Bangor won the top-scoring female trophy in the K-6 Championship section.

Top unrated players in the K-6 Championship section: Omar Kahn (left) and Jacob Cody.

Playing on Board 1 in the K-6 Championship section Soozin Cha.

The Breakwater School's Ian Youth

Michael Hayden

Orly Vaughn

Eric Youth

Brendan Penfold (older brother of...)

Ben Penfold

Stuart MacKay

Tyson Rice

Samuel Rollis

Avery Reynolds collects her thoughts before her third round game in the K-6 Championship section.

Catherine Rudnicki

Omar Kahn

Rylee Eaton

Colby Koelsch

Oliver Sullivan

Cameron Stewart

Colby Haskell

Liam Farrell

Ennis Marshall

Billy Griffith

Vetri Vel

Travis Terra

Noah Ravan

Asa Honey

Paul Fortier

Sean Adams

Eamon Laskey

Jacob Cote

Matthew Hogenauer

David Fernandez

Kinsey Bartlett

Ryan Watson

Isaiah Sprague

Cody Jones

Adeline McDonald

Cody Ross

Jack Decker

Natalie Sheehan

First in the Elementary (K-6) Novice section was Belfast (left to right):Henry Saggese, Ilianna Kahn, Isabel Kelly (black and white skirt), Sawyer Carson, Chase Sanders, Kirk Stillman (kneeling), Sydney Sanders, Ronin Deschamps, Tanner Carson and Corey Deschamps.

Piscataquis took second in the Elementary Novice section (left to right): Colby Chadwick (an interloper from the K-3 team), David Hession, Cody Randall, Eli Campbell, Morgan Smith and Ethan Chadwick.

Top scoring players in the Elementary Novice section Ilianna Kahn (left) and Cody Randall

Deer Isle-Stonington was victorious (again!) in the K-3 Championship section (left to right): Andrew Pappianne, Kaylee Morey, Wyatt Eaton, Ross Stewart, Myles Brown, Henry Penfold, Cole Stewart and Ariel Larrabee

All Saints School tied with the Breakwater School for second place in the K-3 Championship section and received the trophy on tiebreaks (left to right): Liam Raven, Seamus Raven and Charlotte Urquhart.

Kaylee Morey received the top scoring female player trophy in the K-3 Championship section.

Ariel Larrabee: top scoring unrated player in the K-3 Championship section.

The Breakwater School's second place team consisted of: Davis Drown

Dax Penney and...

Max Hogenauer

Andrew Pappianne of Deer Isle-Stonington was the highest rated player in the field.

Seamus Ravan

Charlotte Urquhart

Ruby DeLuca Lowell

Daniel Fernandez

Henry Penfold

Ariel Larrabee

Liam Ravan

Myles Brown

Ross Stewart

Cyrus Grindal

Kaylee Morey

Cole Stewart

Jacob Pung

Wyatt Eaton

Representing the Stillwater Montesorri School's first place Primary (K-3) Novice team William Xu flanked by his coaches Al Duplessis (left) and Joe Alex.

Second place in the Primary (K-3) Novice section: Deer Isle-Stonington

Much appreciation to all who supported this event: parents, coaches, volunteers and players!

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Ryan Tripp overcame a draw in the first round to go on and win the next three for 3.5 points to take first place in the open section. He was followed by Bangor High School students Paul Rudnicki and Josh Audibert who put up 3.0 points.

Andrew Turner topped the four-player high school section with 2.5 points in three games. Ezra Briggs and Patrick Coyne shared second with 1.5 points apiece.

The Breakwater School's Ian Youth blanked his competition with 4.0 points in four games to take first place in the middle school section. Stuart MacKay and Aiden Coyne were close behind, each scoring 3.0 points to tie for second place.

Nicholas Kawamura also had a perfect outing with four wins in four games in the elementary section. Kawamura was trailed by Henry Penfold with 3.5 points and four players with 3.0 points: Orly Vaughn, Catherine Rudnicki, Michael Hayden and Noah Raven.

In the non-rated K-3 section Verti Vel won all his games to take first place.

We are looking forward to seeing all these talented players at the scholastic teams state championships on March 3rd.

USCF crosstable of this event

Open Section winner Ryan Tripp

Paul Rudnicki shared second place with...

Josh Audibert

Isaac Marnik scored 2.0 points to tie for fourth with...

Colin Calhoun (pictured) and Alba Briggs.

Andy Vaughn (left) and Dick Powell play in round two.

The open section tournament room

Father Ed Rudnicki (foreground left) plays son Paul. Youth triumphed in this one.

Andrew Turner won the high school section with 2.5 points.

Ezra Briggs shared second place in the high school section with...

Patrick Coyne

Bethany Humphrey took fourth.

The high school group

Ian Youth went 4-0 to take first in the middle school section.

Stillwater Montessori School player Stuart MacKay scored 3.0 and shared second in the middle school section with...

Aiden Coyne

Brendan Penfold tied for fourth with...

Isaac Vaughn and...

Shawn McAvoy

The middle school players

Nicholas Kawamura won the elementary section with a perfect 4.0 points in four games.

Henry Penfold took sole second place with 3.5 points.

Third place was a four-way tie between Orly Vaughn...

Catherine Rudnicki

Michael Hayden (pictured) and Noah Raven

The Brewer contingent!

The (large!) group of elementary players

K-3 section winner Verti Vel

Daniel Fernandez

Liam Raven

Jaelin Roberts

Cody Ross

Asa Honey

Players in the K-3 section show off their awards

Tournament Director Steve Wong pores over tournament data

Each player received a hand-made trophy created by the TD himself Steve Wong!

Orly Vaughn and her Dad, Andy, take a look at one of her tournament games.

Steve Abrahams (left) and Isaac Marnik take the opportunity to play some lightning (1-minute) chess.

Colin Calhoun (right) takes a look at one of his games with assistant TD and son of head TD Steve Wong.

Student artwork in the skittles room

Total Chess Website

To order a copy contact the publisher at herronjt@hotmail.com or (248) 476-5283.

Yuri Riabkov was the only player in Quad 1 who could match Todd Snyder in their individual game--the two players agreed to a draw in round two. Tournament Director and Quad 1 player Tom Sandford put up 2.0 points, his only loss being to Snyder in round one. Roger Morin, the Quad's highest-rated player, finished in third with 1.0 point.

Max Berube was perfect in Quad 2 with 3.0 points. He was followed by Collin Calhoun and Haley DeLuca Lowell each scoring 1.0 point. Dan DeLuca went scoreless in the first two rounds.

Patrick Coyne nicely padded his rating with three wins in three games in Quad 3. He was followed by Peter Johansson and his sister Aiden Coyne with 1.5 points. Lois Morin finished fourth.

This event was organized and directed by Tom Sandford.

USCF crosstable of this event

Tom Sandford scored two nice wins in Quad 1, his only loss being to Quad winner Todd Snyder.

Roger Morin scored 1.0 point in Quad 1 to take third place.

Yuri Riabkov went head-to-head with the winner of Quad 1 and held him to a draw in round two.

Quad 2 winner Max Berube (left) plays Dan DeLuca in the second round.

Colin Calhoun and...

Haley DeLuca Lowell each scored 1.0 point in Quad 2.

Patrick Coyne shows the concentration he used to win Quad 3 with a perfect 3.0 points in three games.

Peter Johansson...

and Aiden Coyne tied for second place in Quad 3 with 1.5 points apiece.

Lois Morin

Playing to a tie in their individual encounter, International Masters David Vigorito and Justin Sarkar scored 3.5 points to tie for first place in the open section of the Saco Open on February 4-5, 2012.

Just off the lead were Jarod Bryan and Joshua Quint with 2.5 points. David Carter, Frederick Kleist and Alan Schalk scored 2.0 points, John Phythyon and Phil Lowell put up 1.5 points, Matthew Fishbein and Joe Wrba netted a single point and Gregory Anderson and Nita Patel rounded out the crosstable with 0.5 and 0.0 points respectively.

In the U1750 section Donald Plummer went unbeaten to score 3.5 points and earn the top spot.

Curt Brock and Brett Parker tied for second place with 3.0 points apiece. Trailing the leaders were: Michael Corrigan and Rob Shore (2.5 points), Wesley Parker, Jon Malev, Bradley Workman, Daniel Franke and Gary Brimstim (2.0 points). William Bonney (1.5), Alex Wallach (1.0), Brian Roderick (1.0) and Sara Dinyari (0.0) closed out the section.

The U1500 prize and U1250 prize were split three ways between Bradley Workman, Daniel Franke, and Gary Brimstin each scoring 2.0 points.

This tournament was organized and directed by Alex Relyea and Nita Patel.

Thanks to Dan Fishbein and Alex Relyea for contributing to this report.

USCF crosstable of this event

FIDE crosstable of this event

Co-champion Justin Sarkar (right) plays Frederick Kleist in round two.

After a long hiatus Jarod Bryan (left) gets back into tournament play. Here he is playing 2011 Maine State Champion Alan Schalk.

Joshua Quint (left) plays Saco Valley Chess club member Joe Wrba. Quint scored 2.5 points and tied for 3rd in the open section.

John Phythyon (left) tangles to a draw with Gregory Anderson in round two.

Master and Padawan: Phil Lowell (right) plays his former student Matthew Fishbein to a draw.

U1750 section winner Donald Plummer (left) plays Alex Wallach.

Curt Brock (right) and Brett Parker tied for second in the U1750 section with 3.0 points.

Brett's younger brother Wesley (left) crosses swords with Rob Shore.

William Bonney (left) plays Daniel Franke

Sara Dinyari (left) plays Bradley Workman.

Jon Malev (right) got the best of Brian Roderick in this U1750 section game.

At the controls: Tournament Directors Alex Relyea (left) and Nita Patel

Thanks to Dick Powell for contributing to this report.

The 6th Annual Joe Brown Memorial Chess Tournament took place on Saturday, January 28th at the Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School cafeteria with thirty-four K-8th grade chess players honoring a former teammate. Joe is remembered as always having a smile on his face and a kind word in his heart. His sisters, Chelsea and Whitney were on hand to award trophies and ribbons to players.

In the Kindergarten-2nd section, Ruby DeLuca Lowell of Aurora came out on top with a perfect score of four wins in four games. Henry Penfold took second, and newcomer to tournament chess Dexter Brown was third. The Martin family took 4th and 5th with McHenna besting her brother Brayden on tie breaks. Trace Brophy and Sean Morey, both in their first competition scored 1.5 and 1.0 respectively to round out the section.

In the 3rd-4th grade division, Rylee Eaton fresh off her victory at the MLK Tournament in Old Town last Monday, batted a perfect 4 for 4 again. Ben Penfold was 2nd, Cole Stewart 3rd, Wyatt Eaton 4th and Ross Stewart took home the 5th place trophy. Cameron Stewart was 6th followed by Ariel Larrabee, Kaylee Morey, Myles Brown, Gifford Proper, Ella Marshall, Tommy Hutchinson, and Peyton Rice.

Another Old Town winner, Brendan Penfold, repeated his 4-0 MLK record and took home the Joe Brown 5th-6th section award. SooZin Cha was 2nd and Orly Vaughn 3rd. Just out of the "money" were Max DeLuca Lowell, (Ruby's brother), Tyson Rice, Colby Haskell and Addie McDonald. In the oldest section, 7th-8th, six very even-strength chess players competed in many games that changed leaders and could have gone to either player before the final gun. When all was said and done, it was Bethany Humphrey in first, followed closely by 2011 Joe Brown Memorial champion Krisford Melanio and Cameron Wendell. Fourth through sixth were: Isaac Vaughn, Paul Zoephel and Alyssa Chesney.

Many thanks to the Deer Isle-Stonington Chess Boosters for the ever-present excellent food and drinks, to parents and players and to ChessMaine.net webmaster Dan DeLuca who kept the pairings coming when it seemed that everyone was finishing at once!

Tournament Results

Kindergarten-2nd Grade
1. Ruby DeLuca Lowell 4.0
2. Henry Penfold 3.0
3. Dexter Brown 3.0
4. McHenna Martin 2.0
5. Braden McHenna 2.0
6. Trace Brophy 1.0
7. Sean Morey 1.0

3rd-4th Grade
1. Rylee Eaton 4.0
2. Ben Penfold 3.0
3. Cole Stewart 2.5
4. Wyatt Eaton 2.5
5. Ross Stewart 2.5
6. Cameron Stewart 2.0
7. Ariel Larrabee 2.0
8. Kaylee Morey 2.0
9. Myles Brown 2.0
10. Gifford Proper 2.0
11. Ella Marshall 1.5
12. Tommy Hutchinson 1.0
13. Peyton Rice 1.0

5th-6th Grade
1. Brendan Penfold 4.0
2. SooZin Cha 3.0
3. Orly Vaughn 3.0
4. Max DeLuca Lowell 2.0
5. Tyson Rice 2.0
6. Colby Haskell 1.0
7. Addie McDonald 1.0

7th-8th Grade
1. Bethany Humphrey 4.0
2. Krisford Melanio
3. Cameron Wendell
4. Isaac Vaughn 2.0
5. Paul Zoephel 1.0
6. Alyssa Chesney 0.0

K-2nd grade section winner Ruby DeLuca Lowell (right) makes a move in her game vs Sean Morey.

McHenna Martin scored 2.0 points and took 4th place in the K-2nd grade section.

Players vie for position in the 3rd-4th and 5th-6th grade sections.

Cole Stewart took third in the 3rd-4th grade section with 2.5 points.

Perfect in four: Brendan Penfold scored 4.0 points to take clear first in the 5th-6th grade section.

Orly Vaughn scored 3.0 points and took home the 3rd place trophy in the 5th-6th grade section.

Bethany Humphrey displays the concentration that helped her win the 7th-8th grade section with an unbeaten and untied 4.0 points.

Cameron Wendell scored 2.0 points and took 3rd in the 7th-8th grade section.

Joe Brown is seen in this archival photo (kneeling to the right of trophy) at a Maine scholastic chess championship.

Works of art fill the halls of Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School.

Stonington Harbor with Arno Day Lobster Boat by Chris Baker was commissioned for Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School in 2001.

Maritime themes abound

And even some chess art!

Refreshments were plentiful!

Tournament winners (left to right): Bethany Humphrey (7th-8th), Brendan Penfold (5th-6th), Rylee Eaton (3rd-4th) and Ruby DeLuca Lowell (K-2nd).

The K-2 players

The 3rd-4th grade players with Whitney (left) and Chelsea Brown.

The 5th-6th grade group

And the 7th-8th grade players

Tournament organizer Dick Powell at the awards ceremony

Thanks to all who participated and hope to see you at next year's event!