The results are in! Sam Grindle led his K-6 U1000 Deer Isle - Stonington team to a tied for 14th place finish with 5.5 points and also received the 18th place individual trophy in the K-6 U1000 section. In the K-5 U900 section, Matthew Reale-Hatem of Cape Elizabeth was Maine's high scorer with 4.0 points. The only Maine player in a Championship section, Matthew Fishbein, tied for 13th place in the K-3 Championship and took home the 17th place trophy.
Continue reading "Elementary Nationals Results" »
After five rounds of the National Elementary (K-6) Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, Maine players are showing their stuff and holding their own against very strong opposition. With two rounds to go, Hayden Ciomei is leading his K-6 U1000 team with 4.0 points and Matthew Fishbien playing in the K-3 Championship section also has scored 4.0 points with his only loss being to second seed Kyle Shin (1675).
Fifteen elementary students from Cape Elizabeth and Deer Isle - Stonington are in Nashville, Tennessee competing in the National Burt Lerner National Elementary Championship. This group is the largest contingent of players from any one New England state. In all, over 2000 players from 45 states will be playing for national titles in K-6, K-5, K-3 and K-1 divisions.
Roger Morin USCF 2020 and Roger Peterson USCF 1828 were seeded at the top of the ten player field in the Open Section of the Washington County Chess Federation April Swiss played in Pembroke on April 14, 2007. Final standings put Roger Morin in first with 4 points, Lily Ann Briggs in second with 3 points, and Hoty Briggs in third with 2.5 points. Here is an illustrated tournament report including USCF crosstables.
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."
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
