AUGUSTA – Sweating bullets for five hours as he tried to keep his opponent from calling checkmate, Joe Wrba was ready for a break.

“That game was real close!” said the Kennebunkport man as he sank gratefully into a chair.

“I thought I had him two or three times, but I just had to grind it down! That’s the kind of game I like most.”

The competitive spirit was alive and well Saturday as 47 chess aficionados gathered at the State House for the annual Maine State Chess Association tournament. Each contestant plays five games during the two-day event.

“Chess is like an insolvable puzzle to me,” Wrba said as he relaxed before his second round.

“Every game is different. I look ahead three or four moves, always asking myself why my opponent did that – did it pose a threat to me or present an opportunity for him? I won’t make a move until I find out the answer.”

Patience, concentration and problem-solving skills are needed to be a success at chess, said Wrba, a father of four.

To eliminate distractions during a game, he listens to the Andrews Sisters and The Doors through headphones. “That way I can zone everything out,” he said.

The 1998 Player of the Year, Wrba has another technique. “I never look at my opponent until the game is over,” he said.

Having one successful game under her belt, Margot Riley, 41, can afford to relax a little.

“My goal is to win two games,” said the Waldoboro resident.

She can’t believe how far she’s come in her two years of playing. “I’m so much better than I was!” she said.

Riley credits her improvement to weekly speed chess competitions at an Augusta bookstore where each game must be played in five minutes.

“It’s coffeehouse chess, more social, less intense,” she said. “We razz each other, but we learn a lot.”

Taking a breather before his next round, Ted Seney was disgusted with himself. Unnerved by his opponent, the 87-year-old Waterville chess teacher lost the first game.

“My concentration was thrown off,” Seney admitted with an embarrassed smile. “I can’t help getting all excited – everything boils inside me!”

He would do better next game, he vowed.

Wearing a T-shirt and flip-flops, 13-year-old Jared Littlefield said he tries to go to as many tournaments as possible.

“They help me improve a lot,” said the Sidney junior high school student who is always looking for a chess game.

“There aren’t many people I can play with,” he said.

That’s something the state association wants to change, according to Vice President Michael Moore of Bangor.

Members of the group are available to speak to schools and to organize games called “simuls” in which one person competes against a group of youths, he said.

“Lots of kids play chess but don’t always have access to strong players,” he said. “We’re trying to promote chess as an activity that expands the mind.

“Kids who play do better in school,” he continued. “They see the correlation between effort and results. The game helps their organizational skills because they need to think linearly.”

Chess is particularly popular among Bangor teen-agers, according to Moore. The city ranks among the top five in the country for the number of youngsters who belong to the United States Chess Federation, he said.

With 150 to 200 members, the association recently became incorporated and is seeking nonprofit status so that it can accept tax-deductible donations.

The hope is to offer a college scholarship, said President Michael Angelone of Poland Spring.

“Scholastic players are the future for the Maine Chess Association,” he said.

Asked about his own future, Littlefield couldn’t help but smile. Silly question.

“More chess!” he said.

Winners were: first place overall, Tim Bishop of Bangor; expert class, Alan Schalk of South Berwick; Class A, Ghezai Menelik of Bangor; Class B, Greg Shields of Chelsea and Ray Simmons of Newcastle; Class C, George Zimbis of Lewiston; Class D, Alex Jackimovicz of Boothbay Harbor; Class E, Blake Gray of Rockport and Kevin Townsend of Orono; Class F, Sarah Dibden of Oakland.

For more information call Angelone, 998-2195, or e-mail him at Angelone@gwi.net. The chess association’s Web site is Mainetoday.koz.com/Maine/MCA.