275 students take part in chess championships

ORONO – An estimated 275 chess warriors gathered over the weekend at the Memorial Union at the University of Maine for the 35th annual State of Maine Scholastic Chess Championships.

From kindergarten to grade 12, players came from across the state to joust for team honors in what is believed to be the biggest single chess event held in Maine. The tournament was supported by the University of Maine admissions office and the College of Engineering.

Contests open to kindergarten through grade 12 players in Maine determined elementary, junior high and high school team champions.

In the new K-3 section, Deer Isle-Stonington continued its impressive run of championships while the Airline School of Aurora took second place. Deer Isle team members are Eric Babbitt, Andrew Turner, David McManus, Lucas Oliver, Ivan Zembrusky, Walter Kumiega, Tyler Robbins, Doug Heansster, Tyler Bartlett, Sasha Zembrusky, Cameron Wendell and Zach Chmiel. Playing for Airline were Haley DeLuca Lowell, Anna Bryan and Andrew Jones.

Invited back to the individuals were Haley DeLuca Lowell, Eric Babbitt, Tyler Robbins, David McManus, Ivan Zembrusky and Anna Bryan. Tyler Robbins took top unrated honors.

In the kindergarten through grade six section, Deer Isle-Stonington was the winner, with All Saints of Bangor taking second place. Deer Isle team members are Andrew Babbitt, Ian Pelletier, Hayden Ciomei, Sam Grindle, Goldie Garcia, Connor Morey, Chelsea Brown, Janelle Ciomei, Nathan Davis, Nick Eaton, Alec Eaton and Jacob Starkey. Playing for All Saints were Drew Fahey, Paul Rudnicki, Cara Rudnicki, Nathan Dee, Fletcher Hand, Brett Caron, Michael Jacobs, William Lindell and Nathan Fitzpatrick.

Invited back to the individuals were Goldie Garcia, Ian Pelletier, Andrew Babbit, Connor Morey, Sam Grindle, Hayden Ciomei, Janelle Ciomei and Chelsea Brown, all of Deer Isle; Paul Rudnicki and Drew Fahey of All Saints; and Michael Riley of Maranatha Homeschool in Washington County, who took top unrated honors.

In the junior high section, 13 teams competed, with Orono emerging as the champion and Deer Isle-Stonington second. Orono team members are Nikolai Renedo, Avery Cole, John Robinson, Gabe Borland, Darren Casey-Covell, Henry Chai, Ari Dimoulas, Thomas Gillett, Paul Robinson, Connor O’Donnell and Blake Eden. Playing for Deer Isle were Jay Boyce, Brian Eaton, Evan Rollins, Deven Haskell, Kevin Eaton, Nick Haskell, Ian Betts, Blake Bartlett, Mario Bartlett, Gareth Warr, Holly Brewer and Josh Weeks.

Sixteen players qualified for invitation to the individuals. Avery Cole and James Haller had perfect 4-0 scores, while Nikolai Renedo, Jay Boyce, Kurt Eyerer, Samuel Touchette, Gabe Borland, Deven Haskell, Evan Rollins, Brian Eaton, Henry Chai, John Robinson, Nicholas Beal, Scott Dennis, Ian Betts and Niles Bond all had scores of 3-1 or better. Margaret Bryan was the top girl finisher and was invited to the individuals. Nicholas Beal took top unrated honors in the section.

In the high school championship section, with 14 teams vying for the title, John Bapst Memorial High School took first in a tight contest against Orono in the final round. John Bapst team members in the five-player match play format were Kevin Townsend, Ray Soliger, Jordan Trundy, Fritz Eyerer and Colin Campbell. Playing for Orono were Ryan Tripp, Zening Chen, Cullen Edes, Mike Zheng and Dan Kittredge.

Invited back to the individual competition with perfect 4-0 scores were Eyerer and Campbell from John Bapst, Vassil Kakaradov, Cullen Edes, Eugene Abramov, Daniel Bourgeois-Capozzi, Seth Hamilton, Shane Eaton, Fritz Eyerer and Colin Campbell. Also qualifying for invitation to the individuals were Ray Solinger, Ryan Tripp, Nick Ciomei and Brian Chick.

John Bapst was also first in the high school reserve section. Orono won second place. Murray Bridges was invited back to individuals with a qualifying score of 3.5, as was Martha Wittick, the top female scorer in the section.

In the novice section for pupils in kindergarten grade through six, South Bristol took first place, Stillwater Montessori School placed second and Isaac McKillen-Godfried was top scorer.

South Bristol took first place in the junior high novice section, while Piscataquis Community Middle School came in second. Top scorers were Michael Mitchell and Tyler Dama.

In the high school novice section, Deer Isle-Stonington and Bucksport tied for first, with the first-place trophy going to Deer Isle on tie-breaks. Craig Kneeland and Shane Grosswere top unrated scorers, with Kneeland taking home the trophy on tie-breaks.

The individual championships are set for March 19. For entry information, e-mail Ron Lewis at raltiger@aol.com.

An adult quads competition to benefit Maine scholastic chess will take place the same day. For information, e-mail RalphTownsend@umit.maine.edu. For information about scholastic chess in Maine, visit the www.mainechess.org.