02.25.17 One of the longest-running tournaments in Maine, the All Saints Winter Warm-Up, attracted sixty-seven players in five sections. The tournament is opportunely timed two weeks before the State Scholastic Team Championships and serves as a final get-the-kinks-out session before that upcoming huge scholastic event. We bring you the illustrated tournament report and USCF crosstables.

USCF Crosstables of this event

Crosstable of the non-rated K-4, K-4 section

Ban Amar, playing outstanding chess, won the Open section with a perfect 4.0 points in four games. He and Andrew Nevells had 3.0 points after three games and met each other in the final round for a dramatic showdown to determine the Open section winner. Slightly down in material, Amar found a nice tactical shot to win the exchange. He kept the pressure on and managed to trade down to a winning endgame a Rook up.

Nathan Gates won his last-round game vs Bob Bridgham in an exciting nail biter. With three seconds remaining on Gates's clock, his opponent touched his Rook and, after a second look, had nothing better than to trade it for a pawn. That left Gates with King and Rook vs King. No problem you say? Every schoolchild knows how to win this one but not so easy when you only have three seconds and, luckily for Gates, a five-second delay. For the next twenty or so moves hands and pieces moved in a lightning blur. When the dust settled, Bridgham turned over his King one move before the denouement. That left Gates and Nevells tied for second with 3.0 points behind Amar.

Tony Freudig was the only 2.5 point getter in the Open ahead of six players who put up 2.0 points.

The twenty-two player K-12 section was won by eighth grader Oliver Brown-Patricio with 4.0 points in four rounds. Six players trailed Brown-Patricio with 3.0 points.

In the K-8 section, Evan Smith was perfect on the day with 4.0 points. Atticus Foster took clear second with 3.0 and Magali DeLannee, Emma Freudig, Evan Astbury, and George Pitt shared equal third with 2.0 points.

William Xu followed suit winning all four of his games in the K-6 section. Jacob Klein held clear second place with 3.0 points and Liam Hillary, Bridget Frazier and Lukas Modrusian shared equal third at 2.0 points.

If you're going to win you may as well do it in style. John Li did just that as he put up 4.0 points in as many games to win the combined non-rated K-3 and K-4 section. Zachary Arnold scored 3.0 points to take first in the breakout K-4 section. Will Grover (2.0) and Kevin Carpenter (1.0) finished second and third respectively in the K-4 section. Sixth grader Charles Kolisch, who inadvertently played in this section, scored 3.5 points. Second place in the K-3 section were Rajdeep Nayak and Surya Vel each who put up 3.0 points.

This tournament was another community effort with support from the tournament organizers and directors Steve Wong and Ed Rudnicki as well as parents, coaches, and volunteers who helped the event run smoothly. Let's not forget the sixty-seven players without whom no tournament would have happened. Thanks to all for supporting Maine chess!

Tournament winner Ben Amar (left) plays Andrew Nevells in the last round of the Open section.

After a great game, Nevells tips his King over giving the game and the tournament to Amar.

The trophy inscription says, All the Marbles

Very close to winning the tournament: Andrew Nevells

Equal second: Nathan Gates

Always in the running: Bob Bridgham

This will be the last State Scholastic Championships for Joseph Powell who is heading off to MIT this fall.

Ed Nevells

Dan Robbins

Tony Freudig won a fine last-round game over Powell to finish with 2.5 points.

Greg Wadsworth

Chester Young

Michael Dudley

Tom Sandford

Stephen Wong

Solid until the end: Oliver Brown-Patricio won the K-12 section with an unbeaten and untied 4.0 points.

Aaron Wilson-McFarlane finished on top of the 3.0 tiebreak heap that included:

Lihn Nguyen

Sean Adams

Kaleb Pendleton

Benjamin Mock and Nate Reid (not pictured).

The "K-12'ers"

First in the K-8 section: Evan Smith

Atticus Foster finished clear second in the K-8 section.

Magali DeLannee tied for third with:

Emma Freudig

Evan Astbury and George Pitt (not pictured).

Caitlyn Warren rounded out the K-8 crosstable with 1.0 point.

Winners all in the K-8 section

No stranger to the top of the crosstable: William Xu won the K-6 section with 4.0 points.

K-6 players at the boards.

K-6 players at the prize giving.

K-6 parents at the ready.

The tension was palpable in the combined K-4, K-3 section.

But spirits were high at the awards ceremony.

Willing the pieces to levitate in he K-3 section.

Sofia Brown-Patricio and her mom take a look at a game in the skittles room.

Some beautiful trophies were handed out thanks to TD Steve Wong.

Each player received a handmade ceramic trophy courtesy of the Creative Arts Center.

When the going gets tough this one is good to remember.

And you won't go wrong following this advice either.