01.07.19 A whopping eighty-one players turned out for Maine's first US Chess rated tournament of 2019. The Bob Solinger Memorial Tournament held at John Bapst High School on Saturday, January 5th, 2019 offered five sections: Open, U1600, U1200, U800, and U400. This tournament attracted a near-record number of participants in a non-state scholastic championship tournament. The record of 104 players is still held by the 2000 St. Mary's Winter Warm-Up. Here's the illustrated tournament report with crosstables.

Thanks to Mike Dudley for contributing to this report.

US Chess crosstable of this event

Maine chess has started 2019 off with a bang. Eighty-one players competed in the Bob Solinger Memorial tournament played on Saturday, January 5th in Bangor. Scholastic chess teams from accross the state were present including teams from Bonny Eagle, Bapst, Machias, Deer Isle-Stonington, Mary Snow School, the Bayless Homeschool Collective, Van Buren, and many students from other schools as well.

Here's a round-up of the results:

In the U400 section: 1st Kaiden Tillman (Bonny Eagle), 2nd Samuel Coldwell (Bonny Eagle), 3rd Emily Wotton (Medomak Valley), 4th Ethan Yu (Mary Snow), 5th Frances Bayless (Bayless Homeschool Collective).

In the U800 section: 1st Tala Bayless (Bayless Homeschool Collective), 2nd Devon Hunter (Bapst), 3rd Henry Penfold (Deer Isle-Stonington).

In the U1200 section: 1st Tobias Coffey (Bangor HS), 2nd Declan Thomas (Bonny Eagle), 3rd Curtis Pierce (Bonny Eagle).

In the U1600 section: 1st Evan Smith, 2nd-4th Tony Freudig, Tristan Cousineau, and Evan Annis.

In the Open section: Equal 1st Ben Amar and Ryan Tripp, Equal 3rd Roger Morin, Bill Hartt, and Daniel Hayes.

If this tournament is a harbinger of things to come, we're in for a great chess season! Thanks to all who participated and thanks to professional photographer Dell Hambleton for the beautiful images.

Brendan (background left) and Benjamin Penfold (foreground left) of Deer Isle-Stonington play Bruce Sherwood and Antony Freudig in the U1600.

This image of Bruce Sherwood recalls a quote from the great chess writer Harold C. Schonberg that appeared in the New York Times on May 8, 1988: The one about to make a capture daintily takes up his own piece between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. Observe how his arm comes down in a deliberate swoop of terrible finality toward the piece to be captured. Observe the slight anticipatory tremble of the third, fourth and fifth fingers as they approach their goal. If fingers can ever be said to salivate, these fingers do. Observe how in one blurred swoop the wrist pronates, the third, fourth and fifth fingers snatch the captured piece out of the way while, simultaneously, the player's own piece now occupies the captured square.

Zachary Brislin (left of Bonny Eagle) faces off against Tristan Cousineau (Orono Middle School) in the U1600 section.

Frances Bayless discusses her position with Zackary Metayer (Bonny Eagle) in the U400 section.

Ayden Brown (Machias) considers his position in the U400 section.

In the U800 section, Leonardo Bintabara (Hermon) squares off against Xavier Deschaine (Van Buren).

Walker Bayless and Skyler West consider their position in Round 1 of the U800 section.

Athena Saucier (Orono Middle School) and Nicholas Freeman (Bonny Eagle) play their first round game in the U800 section.