12.13.22 The 2022 Kennebunk High School chess tournament, played on Saturday, December 10th, attracted thirty-five players in three sections: Open, U1400, and U800. Winners were Will Ravn (Open), Xander Pettis (U1400), and Abby Therriault (U800). We bring you the tournament report with crosstables.

Thanks to David Cimato for contributing to this report.

US Chess Crosstable of this event

Chess Manager Open Section Crosstable

Chess Manager U1400 Section Crosstable

Chess Manager U800 Crosstable

On Saturday, December 10, 2022, the Kennebunk High School Chess Club hosted a Maine Chess Association Scholastic Grand Prix event. Over eight different school districts were represented as well as an elite field in the Open section. All together 35 players participated in this Scholastic Grand Prix event.

Will Raven won the Open section with a perfect 4.0 points. Alessandro Orjuela took clear second with 3.5 and Lewiston High School chess coach Hayden Tittle and Ambrose McCullough finished equal third with 2.0 points.

In the U1400 section Xander Pettis blanked all comers to take first place with 4.0 points. Tied for second were a logjam of five players who scored 2.0 points including: Anthony Benoit, Visethreach Sothy, Avery Lytle, Gilbert Doughty, and Bo Miller.

The U800 section was won by Abbey Therriault with 4.0 points in four games. Michael Hardy took clear second with 3.5 points and Kody McGregor, Kenneth Bryant, and Mustaf Hussein finished equal third with 3.0 points.

The main tournament room at the Kennebunk High School chess tournament.

In the U1400 section, Xander Pettis (playing the black pieces in the above diagram) of Kennebunk High School went 4-0 to win the section. In Pettis's final round game with Avery Lytle, the position seemed headed for a draw. After White played 1. Kh4, Black's King can infiltrate the position with 1...Kf5. Curiously, 1. Kf3, 1. Kg3, and 1. Kf4 are all theoretical draws. Black was able to capture the remaining pawns and win the game.

Experiment with this position and have a go for yourself:

Thanks to all who participated in this event and to David Cimato and the Kennebunk High School Chess Club for organizing and hosting.