06.14.10 Being seeded sixth in a field of eight players didn't stop Lance Beloungie from essaying a winning performance and topping the crosstable with 3.5 points in four rounds at the 3rd Houlton Open played in Houlton, Maine on June 12, 2010.

Thanks to Roger Morin for contributing to this report.

This small tournament has an ardent group of supporters. Case in point: two players, Rob Shore and John Ellison, drove 200 miles and 140 miles respectively to participate. The tournament was held at the Roger Morin Art Gallery in Houlton, a delightful setting for an afternoon of chess.

Suprising the field, sixth-ranked Lance Beloungie (1602) had a super-strong tournament defeating both top-rated Roger Morin (1925) and the tournament's second highest rated player Todd Snyder (1906). Beloungie played Richard Fontinha (1717) to a draw in the last round to settle into the top spot. Morin (3.0 points) and Snyder (2.5 points) finished in second and third. Fontinha scored 2.0 points and tied for fourth place with John Ellison (1290). Roger Hardison (1619) took sixth place with 1.5 points followed by Rob Shore (1629) with 1.0 point and Lois Morin (638) with 0.5 point.

USCF Crosstable of this event

Round 3 action: Rob Shore (foreground left) plays Roger Hardison and Lance Beloungie (background left) takes on Todd Snyder

The tournament was played with a backdrop of stunning artwork at the Roger Morin Art Gallery. The artist himself (right) here plays Richard Fontinha in Round 3.

Tournament Director Lois Morin makes a move in her game vs John Ellison.