by
Dick Powell
On Saturday, March 19, the 2011 Maine State Scholastic Chess Tournament season came to a close at the Memorial Union on the campus of the University of Maine. After the last checkmate was recorded, Deer Isle-Stonington individuals came over the bridge with a first-place trophy and two second-place ones from play in five divisions. (We were represented in four of the five.) Combined with three team titles and a first and second in the two girls’ divisions last week, 2011 will go down as a record one for chess—and for weather!
Rylee Eaton won another trophy this past week after leading the K-3 to a state title and taking second in the under 600 division of the Girls States. She came away with second place in the K-3 division losing only in the championship game to Itai Boss of Old Town, who took first. The Island’s Stewart brothers, Cole and Cameron, and Ben Penfold all tied for third place with two points each for four rounds of play.
In the K-6 division, Brendan Penfold also reached the championship game, only to fall to undefeated Eric Youth of the Breakwater School in Portland. Penfold got the runner-up trophy, however, and DI-S took three other places in the top 10. Orly Vaughn with three wins was fifth (although technically tied for second), Soozin Cha was seventh (she tied Youth in the third round giving him his only blemish of the day) and Kinsey Bartlett was ninth. Kylee Atwood also participated and got some experience for the nationals.
Finally, high school freshman Andy Turner continued his unbeaten streak from the team event two weeks ago, besting Colin Smith of Cape Elizabeth and David Bickford-Duane of John Bapst, who took second and third respectively. Turner was crowned the under 1200 champion of 2011 and with it was the first DI-S player to ever win in that category. Counting Bethany Humphrey’s girls win last week, that brings the Island’s total of individual chess titles to 14. Humphrey has three, and Turner, Isaac Marnik, and Nick Ciomei now have two each.
In the K-8 section, Isaac Vaughn, Bethany Humphrey and Cameron Wendell all gained some experience that will help them at the nationals in Columbus, Ohio, but nobody earned an individual trophy. Krisford Melanio came close, but it wasn’t in the cards.
