First girl in 20 years wins state chess championship

ORONO – Orono High School’s Germaine Kickert became the 2008 Maine High School Chess Champion on March 29 with a perfect score of 4.0.

Playing four rounds in the Maine Scholastic Individual Chess Tournament at the University of Maine’s Memorial Union, Kickert took a clear first place in what ChessMaine’s Dan DeLuca described as “the elite scholastic tournament of the year.” The last girl to win the individual high school title was Emily Giambalvo of Hampden Academy in 1988.

Kickert, a native of Germany, earned a Congress-Bundestag scholarship to participate in the AFS exchange program with Orono High School where she attends as a junior.

Second-place finishers were Fritz Eyerer, John Bapst Memorial High School; Lucas McCain, Yarmouth Academy; Aaron Spencer, John Bapst; Alba Briggs IV, Maranatha Home School Fellowship, Lubec; Margaret Bryan, John Bapst; and Andrew Audibert, Bangor High School.

Eyerer garnered the second place trophy on tiebreaks while McCain garnered the third place trophy on tiebreaks.

Orono’s Ryan Vienneau took first place in the High School Reserve section for players rated under 1200.

Orono’s Nikolai Renedo tied for second with Ben Morgan of Westbrook High School, Andrew Seavey and Samuel Touchett. Renedo garnered the second place trophy on tiebreaks.

The week before, Sorel Edes of Orono High School won first place in the Girls’ Scholastic Championship.

More information is available at www.ChessMaine.net.