02/13/25 Chess competition can be hard to come by Downeast. This year has been especially tough with regional tournaments at All Saints Catholic School and John Bapst High School in Bangor cancelled this year. A more recent tradition, the MLK Day tournament at Cobscook Institute in January, was also cancelled due to a snow storm. So it is safe to say that student chess teams from Washington Academy, Machias Memorial High School and others were anxious to test their skills at this past weekend's Cobscook Institute's Winter Classic Chess Tournament

>> US Chess Crosstable of this event <<

Thanks to Dan Monahan for contributing to this report.

Organized by Dan DeLuca of the Maine Chess Association, this Trescott tournament has been an annual favorite especially for students gearing up for the state chess championships in March. Twenty-six chess enthusiasts, from as far away as Orono and Bar Harbor, arrived ready to play in three separate sections based on ability or rating. They vied for various prizes including chess sets, medals, trophies and even cash prizes at the top level.

The biggest field of play was in the rated under 800 section with 16 players competing. Washington Academy and Machias Memorial High School's chess teams wound up dominating the top spots. Thuong Phan and Tien Vo from WA came in first and second place tied with 3.5 wins out of 4 possible. In third and fourth place were WA's Marcus Teran and MM's Jason Yang with a solid 3 wins, followed by WA chemistry teacher Mindy Dean securing a nice 5th place finish with 2.5 wins.

In the rated under 1200 section, WA math teacher Noah Dean scored a perfect 3 wins out of 3 to take home the 1st place trophy. Conners Emerson 6th grader Finn Monahan placed second with 2 wins and Lubec Chess Club member Alba Briggs III held 3rd place with 1 win.

In the open section, which typically has the highest rated players, Hancock Grammar School ed tech Isaiah Fallon was victorious in all three of his games while Lubec Chess Club member Chris Chrittenden scored second with two wins.

The top PK-8 players, that were rated under 400, were Ashton Anderson of Hancock Grammar School, Elam Monahan of Rose's Little School in Bar Harbor, Shane Mourino of Trenton Elementary School, and newcomer Nolan Robinson of Lubec Elementary School.

The Open section contingent

Elija Cox (right) plays Cedar Lenke-Beeftink.

UMaine student Tyler Fultz

Winners in the U1200 section (left to right): Noah Dean, Finn Monahan, and Alba Briggs.

Action in the U800 section

William Good (left) plays Jason Yang.

Washington Acadamy faculty member Mindy Dean (left) considers her position.

Oren Nobel Brown (left) play Elam Monahan.

Action in the Open section

Prizes included trophies, medals, chess sets, boards, and bags and cash prizes.

Bennett Beverly (left) plays Nolan Robinson.

Noah Dean (right) assesses his options vs. Finn Monahan in the U1200 section.

Alba Briggs bones up on the literature between rounds.

Four-year-old Elam Monahan (left) plays Shane Mourino.

Bennett Beverly (right) make a move in his game vs Alba Briggs.

Marcus Teran (left) and William Good in the zone.

Tien Vo (left) vs Tyler Fultz

Niek Luuring (left) trying to conjure some magic in his game vs Chris Crittenden.

Ezra Sassaman playing in his first US Chess rated tournament.

Chess is the ultimate field-leveler. Where else can a player with a Ph.D. in mathematics compete on equal footing with an elementary school student?

Thanks again to all who helped make this a great event and thanks to the Cobscook Institute for their support of chess in the Downeast community.