Maine's Lois Morin Ranked Second in Nation for Women over 80

February 1, 2016

At eighty-two years young Lois Morin can still pack a punch. Just ask any of her opponents who have had to record a zero in the results column after playing her. Lois's name appears on four of the USCF's top player lists (Top Women over 65, Top Women over 65 regardless of residence or federation, Top Women (Quick Chess) over 65 and Top Women over 80). We caught up with this chessic dynamo and she graciously granted us this interview.

Continue reading "Maine's Lois Morin Ranked Second in Nation for Women over 80" »

Comments (6)

ChessMaine: Half-a-Million Strong!

January 31, 2016

Approaching our 10-year anniversary, on March 11, 2016, ChessMaine.net is pleased to announce our 500,000th website page view. On January 29, 2016 at 12:53 p.m. we topped the half million mark. We have now been visited by chess enthusiasts in every state in the nation as well as dozens of countries around the globe.

Continue reading "ChessMaine: Half-a-Million Strong!" »

6...Nf1 mate: The Solution!

January 25, 2016

In a previous article, we presented you with a confounding problem of the proof game genre and asked you to compose a game that ends with the move 6...Nf1 mate. The time has come to reveal the solution to this Gordian knot. We will discuss the number of possible paths to the solution and share some comments we received from our faithful readers. Warning! If you would still like to have a go solving this problem, do not read this post!

Continue reading "6...Nf1 mate: The Solution!" »

Comments (1)

17th Annual MLK Tournament Report

January 24, 2016

Fifty-nine players turned out on January 18, 2016 to compete in the 17th Annual (!) MLK Chess Tournament hosted by the Stillwater Montessori School and played in Orono, Maine. Chester Young and Ryan Tripp topped the four-player Open section, Joseph Astumian and Aaron Ben Wilson-McFarlane won the K-12 section, Liam Farrell was perfect in the K-8 section and Ben Mock finished first in the K-6 Non-Rated section.

Continue reading "17th Annual MLK Tournament Report" »

Comments (1)

DIS Quick Chess Tournament Honoring Dick Powell

January 23, 2016

It was a great event honoring the greatest scholastic chess coach that Maine has ever seen. Dick Powell was enthusiastically thanked for his monumental contributions to Deer Isle-Stonington chess with some formal remarks, the unveiling of a granite monument and beautiful stained-glass panels, a luncheon, and a quick chess tournament. Here are impressions from the day along with images, and results.

Continue reading "DIS Quick Chess Tournament Honoring Dick Powell" »

Comments (4)

George Cunningham Chess Brilliancy Prize Fund Established

January 13, 2016

The George Cunningham Chess Brilliancy Prize Fund has been established thanks to the generous financial support of a philanthropic chess patron who wishes to remain anonymous. This fund honors George Cunningham for his monumental contributions to Maine chess and welcomes further donations to create a self-sustaining principal that would support quarterly awards of $100 to recipients of the George Cunningham Chess Brilliancy Prize. To make a donation, or receive more information on the fund, please contact Dan DeLuca at dcdeluca@yahoo.com

Continue reading "George Cunningham Chess Brilliancy Prize Fund Established" »

Comments (3)

Another Sixty-plus Player Tournament

January 11, 2016

Less than one month ago, the Aurora Winter Solstice boasted the largest non-state-championship turnout since 2004. That record has already gone by the wayside! Sixty-four players competed in the John Bapst New Year's Tournament in Memory of Bob Solinger played on January 10th at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor. There were clear winners in each section: Dan Robbins (Open), Joseph Astumian (U1200), William Xu (U800), and Ben McIntire (U400). Here's the illustrated tournament report with USCF crostables.

Continue reading "Another Sixty-plus Player Tournament" »

Comments (1)

Deceptively Simple, Fiendishly Difficult

January 9, 2016

The chess problem, or chess composition, is a puzzle in which the solver is asked to find or complete a specific task. Unlike tactical exercises, the chess problem does not necessarily seek to find the objectively strongest move in a given position. There are many genres of chess problems; in this post, we will consider a particular type of chess problem know as the proof game. In proof game problems, the solver is given a move or position and is asked to construct a game that ends in that position.

Continue reading "Deceptively Simple, Fiendishly Difficult " »

Comments (0)

Phil Lowell Receives ChessMaine's Inaugural Brilliancy Prize

January 6, 2016

Throughout the history of chess, players have received awards for particularly beautiful games usually featuring sacrificial attacks and unexpected moves. These awards, known as brilliancy prizes, recognize a player's contribution to both artistic and technical aspects of the game. Because the winner of a chess game is, as Savielly Tartakower quipped, "the one who makes the next-to-last mistake," brilliancy prizes do not require strictly sound play or the best moves by either side. Congratulations to Phil Lowell for becoming the first player in a hopefully long list to receive the ChessMaine Brilliancy Prize for one of his games in the 2016 Bangor Open.

Continue reading "Phil Lowell Receives ChessMaine's Inaugural Brilliancy Prize" »

Comments (4)

MECA Election Results

January 5, 2016

The results of the Maine Chess Association election were dutifully tabulated by outgoing MECA secretary Lee Doucette. The Board welcomes two new faces: Eric Dinnerstein (Secretary) and Lucas McCain (Director). Thanks to all who offered their names in nomination, to those who participated in voting, and to outgoing Board members Lee Doucette and Ron Lewis for their years of hard work and dedicated service to the Maine chess community.

Continue reading "MECA Election Results" »

Comments (1)

Page 67 of 152 |



  • Navigation: