03.02.11 K-8 chess players from eight communities participated in the K-8 Open Chess Day and Steve Abrahams Simultaneous Exhibition at Ellsworth Middle School on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. The event was a precursor to the upcoming state scholastic team championships (the largest chess tournament in the state) to be held at the University of Maine on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

This event brings together chess players in grades K-8 for an afternoon of informal, non-rated chess. Over 100 players were on hand to play with each other and to challenge Steve Abrahams--currently the seventh-highest rated player in the state.

It was difficult to determine exactly how many players challenged Abrahams in the simul because as one player resigned or was mated another player would immediately take his or her seat! With twenty boards going at once it's a safe bet that close to forty simultaneous games were played in all. Abrahams accepted resignations from all players except Paul Wlodkowski a professor a Maine Maritime Academy with a rating of USCF 1717.

We thank Deer Isle-Stonington chess coach Dick Powell for organizing this event, Steve Abrahams for thrilling us with his chess wizardry, Ellsworth Middle School for hosting and all of the players, coaches and parents who participated in the event.

Event organizer Dick Powell (right) introduces Steve Abrahams.

Players await the arrival of the simul-giver...

...and we're under way!

Abrahams moved quickly and confidently through all of his games dismissing one player after another.

Here's a look at some of the players on the receiving end. Karli Clark of Bucksport Middle School.

Krisford Melanio of Deer Isle-Stonington.

Anna Bryan of Airline Community School.

Current K-6 State Champion Bethany Humphrey.

Current K-8 State Co-Champion Haley DeLuca Lowell.

The only player to nick Abrahams for a loss, Paul Wlodkowski.

In the meantime K-8 players on the other side of the room were having some fun of their own.

Philomena Mattes (left), who, later in the day after this event, went on to become the Hancock County Spelling Bee Champion (congratulations Philomena!) plays Christian Goddard.

Noah Scanlon of Bucksport Middle School thinks on his next move in his game with Ella Marshall of Deer Isle-Stonington.

Sustenance is required for this kind of chess!

And then there were two. Haley Deluca Lowell (left) and Paul Wlodkowski were the last two players still fighting at 5:00 p.m. DeLuca Lowell resigned deep into an endgame with Abrahams a knight and a pawn up and Wlodkowski managed to queen a pawn to force Abrahams's resignation in the last game of the day.

After the game the players look at some of the possibilities during the post-mortem.