08.09.21 Forty-six players from five states came out to compete in the Maine State Championship at the Waterville Grand Hotel in Waterville, Maine, from July 16-18, 2021. This iteration of the tournament offered two sections in two schedules, and was the best attended state championship in almost a decade.

Thanks to Mike Dudley for contributing to this report.

US Chess Crosstable of this event

South Portland native Max Berube turned in a dominant performance over the Open section of 34 players, scoring 4.5/5 to take sole first place and the title of Maine State Chess Champion. Tied for second place were Matthew Fishbein, FM Jarod Bryan, Wyatt Hendrix, and William Ravn, each scoring 4.0/5. Benjamin Amar and Tommy Owen tied for seventh place with 3.5/5. Seven players finished out the tournament with 3.0/5: Alan Schalk, Eli Slaughter, Brad Workman, Michael Dudley, Daniel Pi, Stevie Baston, and John Phythyon. Finishing with 2.5/5 were Evan Smith, Daniel Hayes and Jonas Hamilton. Aaron Spencer, Alex Relyea, Ed Nevells, Benjamin Mock, Lance Beloungie, Zachary Ravel, Ryan Huard, and Gabriel Eaton finished with 2.0/5. Stephen Morse, John Brady, and Stephen Ravel came across the finish line with 1.5/5. Charles Jones and Alan Worcester finished with 1.0/5, and Phil Lowell rounded out the crosstable with 0.5/5.

In the U1500 section, Thomas Poole went 4.5/5 to take the top prize out of a field of 14 players. A pack of players were on his tail at 3.5/5: Andrew Nevells, Oscar McNally, Declan Thomas, and Hayden Tittle. Harry Hayes turned in a solid 3.0/5 tournament, and Miles Kaplan scored 2.5/5 to break even. Five players came in with 2.0/5: Tony Freudig, Marquis Garrett, Molly Tefft, Nathan Tefft, and Nick Quinn. Eric Fochesato scored 1.0/5, and John Ragnar rounded out the crosstable scoreless.

This year's Maine State Championship marks a strong return to over-the-board chess after a long hiatus; we look forward to seeing over-the-board play return at the Morin Memorial Tournament in Orono on September 11!

Tournament winner Max Berube (left) begins his last round game with Jarod Bryan.

Ben Amar (left) plays Matthew Fishbein.

Maine Chess Association President Michael Dudley (left) takes on Ed Nevells.

Alan Schalk (foreground right) plays Daniel Hayes while International Arbiter Alex Relyea (background right) plays Daniel Pi.

Gabriel Eaton (left) plays Charles Jones in the final round.

The tournament room

Winners in the U1500 section.

Thanks to all who participated in the 2021 Maine State Chess Championship and much gratitude to the organizers, directors, and the Waterville Grand Hotel for hosting.

And a very special thanks to FIDE Arbiter Nita Patel for serving as Chief Tournament Director for the event.