Some New Looks Ahead

Six MECA members met Sunday, November 13 for the organization's annual meeting. Those six members were Andy Bryan, Lee Doucette, Jon Malev, Phil Lowell, Brian Roderick, and Ron Lewis. We took care of some 2011 business by recognizing MECA player of the year Roger Morin and runner-up Lance Beloungie and approving the cash prizes of $150 and $75 for their efforts. The MECA player of the year competition rewards two MECA members for their participation in MECA player of the year (POY) specified events with added points added for their results in these tournaments. Morin and Beloungie worked hard from the first tournament in Aroostook County to the Eastern Maine Open to garner the top spot. The competition was incredibly tight coming down to a less than one point difference. They should both be commended for the effort they made to participate in so many MECA POY events.

Next year the competition has been expanded to include 12 MECA recognized events. There will be three events in each part of the state that will be sanctioned. The areas are Northern Maine, the Bangor area, Central Maine (Waterville/Augusta), and Southern Maine (south of Augusta). Players will accumulate points from 8 of the 12 events toward their POY standing. A player must be a member of MECA to participate. A player may play in more than 8 events but will only take points from just 8 events - their best 8 events. Points are earned by rounds played and points accumulated. (Half-point byes will not be scored.) Each event will be worth 8 points except for the Maine State Closed Championship which is worth 10. For examples: if an event is three rounds, points will be worth 1 and 1/3, while in a quick-rated event of 12 rounds, points would be worth 1/3. For complete rules be sure to read the specifics on chessmaine.net. The tournaments will be announced as soon as the events have been sanctioned by MECA.

MECA is still looking for multiple officers. Lee Doucette is running for Secretary again, and Phil Lowell is running to be a member of the Policy Board. The rest of the positions are looking for candidates for a December election. All positions are now two-year terms. The Policy Board positions are now two year terms after approval of the change made at the annual meeting. I, Andy Bryan, will continue to fill the presidency until a MECA member decides to step forward and run for this position. Please contact a member of the board or Dan De Luca to announce your intentions. The role of MECA is to help promote chess in Maine, and it is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. Check on MECA's website, chessmaine.net, to learn more about the Maine Chess Association.

I've enjoyed the experience as president, but I also feel frustrated that I haven't been able to spend as much time as I would have liked on helping Maine chess. That is the main reason that I am hoping that someone else will step forward who has more time to promote chess than I have had the last few months. As I stated earlier, I will continue in the position until someone else expresses their interest. Please contact me if you have any questions - bvbryan@aol.com.

New Elections and New Volunteers Needed

As we enter the last four months of 2011, the shape and leadership of the Maine Chess Association will be changing. I, along with three others, will no longer be members of the board in 2012. The president and vice-president Bryan team is resigning due to changes in our work lives while policy board members Steve Abrahams and Brian Roderick also have announced their intentions to not seek reelection due to similar reasons.

Below is my letter to the board -

Hi Everybody -
It's been a while since I last posted anything on my blogs or corresponded with you all. I have had a very busy summer, and my school year is looming. This year I will be the teaching principal again at the Airline Community School. I last held that position eight years ago. With the added responsibilities I feel that I will be unable to spend as much time as I would like as MECA president. I also wish that I had been able to accomplish more of the goals that I had set for myself and MECA. (Of course if I had met them all, I should have set more!) I do feel that we had become an active working team that strove to promote chess in Maine. It is not easy to do when the state is so physically large and all of us on the executive board and policy board live full active lives away from chess. We have represented a cross section of chess enthusiasts from Kittery to Fort Kent and have been able to give many different perspectives. Sometimes this has not made consensus that easy, but it has helped us all understand better the vagaries of chess in Maine.
I hope that I can continue to provide a productive voice in Maine chess for many years, but at this time I feel that it is best to allow someone else with more time to commit to the leadership of Maine chess to step forward. I will continue to serve until a new president is voted on in the fall and will preside over our annual meeting in October. In a separate mailing I will put forth my thoughts for the future and the tentative agenda for our annual meeting.
Thank you Maggie, Lee, Steve, Jon, Brian, Andrey, and Phil for your support throughout my term. Let's hope that we can finish this year on a constructive note that will make it a smooth transition to new leadership.
Sincerely, Andy

I will add that I intend to see the course through and work hard to have a MECA Chess Player of the Year competition set for 2012 as well as an announcement regarding the 2012 Closed Championship. We will be having our annual meeting in central Maine either in October or November.

Maggie has started her college career at Bowdoin in Brunswick and plans to continue playing chess when her schedule allows her. She very much appreciates the opportunity that the state membership has given her. Steve will be transitioning from college in 2012 and is not sure where his plans will take him at this point. For sure he will be active in chess, and I suspect you will see him at many Maine events in the coming year. Brian also will be active in Maine chess, but he feels that he does not have the necessary time to commit to serving on the Policy Board.

I hope that MECA will find parties interested in serving Maine chess who will be inclusive and willing to reach a common ground in determining the direction of Maine chess. There are still many, many people in Maine who love chess, and the new leadership will have to find ways to secure their support. It will take time and cooperation. Anyone who is considering a leadership position in MECA is welcome to contact me to talk about the positions. I will stay involved in Maine chess and hope that at some point in the future to have more time to serve MECA again.

A special thanks go to those who have been so supportive during the last twenty months.

Andy

Chess Player of the Year Standings With One Event to Go

With just the Eastern Maine Open remaining Lance Beloungie leads Roger Morin by the slightest of margins.

Lance Beloungie 36.5
Roger Morin 36.2
Alan Schalk 23.7
Matthew Fishbein 22.6
Steve Abrahams 21.3
Yuri Riabkov 19.5
Phil Lowell 13.0
Curt Brock 12.5
Barry Magda 12.4
Andy Bryan 11.5
Andrey Savov 12.4
Aaron Spencer 9.0
Jim Dubois 8.0
Don Plummer 8.0
Mark Woida 7.5
Dan Fishbein 7.5
Ruben Babayan 7.0
Richard Judy 7.0
Lee Doucette 7.0
Aaron Falzerrano 7.0
Tom Sandford 6.5
Dan La Vallee 6.5
Nicholas Parsons 6.5
Jose Lugo 6.5
Anna Bryan 6.5
Phil St. Jean 6.5
Jon Buxton 6.0
Kathy Richards 6.0
Maggie Bryan 6.0
Bill Loring 5.0
Mark Seedner 4.0

MECA Chess Player of the Year Standings

There will be the 7th event in the MECA Chess Player of the Year competition this weekend in Portland. This is the next-to-last event in the competition. The last event will be the Eastern Maine Open this fall in Orono. Points are awarded for the number of rounds played plus the amount of points garnered in that tournament.

The current standings are as follows:

Lance Beloungie 24.5 + 6.0 = 30.5
Roger Morin 21.7 + 7 = 28.7
Alan Schalk 16.6 + 7 = 23.7
Steve Abrahams 21.3
Yuri Riabkov 14.5 + 5 = 19.5
Matthew Fishbein 15.6
Curt Brock 6.5 + 6.0 = 12.5
Barry Magda 12.4
Andy Bryan 7.0 + 4.5 = 11.5
Andrey Savov 10.4
Aaron Spencer 9.0
Jim Dubois 8.0
Don Plummer 8.0
Mark Woida 7.5
Dan Fishbein 7.5
Ruben Babayan 7.0
Richard Judy 7.0
Lee Doucette 7.0
Aaron Falzerrano 7.0
Tom Sandford 6.5
Dan La Vallee 6.5
Nicholas Parsons 6.5
Jose Lugo 6.5
Anna Bryan 6.5
Phil St. Jean 6.5
Jon Buxton 6.0
Kathy Richards 6.0
Maggie Bryan 6.0
Bill Loring 5.0
Mark Seedner 4.0

Player of the Year Standings with Updates

The Maine Player of the Year Competition will continue at the Chessmaine.net Championship in Waterville, Sunday, June 19. Here are the current standings including points received from the Quick Chess event in Portland.

Lance Beloungie 24.5
Roger Morin 15.5 + 6.2 = 21.7
Steve Abrahams 14.5 + 6.8 = 21.3
Alan Schalk 10.0 + 6.6 = 16.6
Matthew Fishbein 9.0 + 6.6 = 15.6
Yuri Riabkov 14.5
Barry Magda 8.0 + 4.4 = 12.4
Andrey Savov 5.0 + 5.4 = 10.4
Aaron Spencer 9.0
Jim Dubois 8.0
Don Plummer 8.0
Mark Woida 7.5
Dan Fishbein 7.5
Ruben Babayan 7.0
Richard Judy 7.0
Lee Doucette 7.0
Aaron Falzerrano 7.0
Andy Bryan 7.0
Tom Sandford 6.5
Curt Brock 6.5
Dan La Vallee 6.5
Nicholas Parsons 6.5
Jose Lugo 6.5
Anna Bryan 6.5
Phil St. Jean 6.5
Jon Buxton 6.0
Kathy Richards 6.0
Maggie Bryan 6.0
Bill Loring 5.0
Mark Seedner 4.0

MECA Chess Player of the Year Competition

Hello everybody!

It looks like there is some controversy over the MECA Chess Player of the Year competition. In our discussion of a POY competition we decided to approve eight events with two events in four different areas of Maine: northern Maine (Aroostook County), eastern Maine (Greater Bangor area), central Maine (Augusta/Waterville area), and southern Maine (Greater Portland area). The suggestion was that these events be G/45 or longer with four rounds in one day with the exception of the five round Closed State Championship. The following TD's based on location and past tournaments were asked if they wished to participate: Steve Wong (All Saints Winter Warmup), Dan DeLuca (ChessMaine.net Championship), Tom Sandford (Eastern Maine Open), Roger Morin (Two Aroostook Tournaments), and Phil Lowell (Portland Open and Downeast Open). They all accepted MECA's invitation. Points garnered from their tournaments must be obtained in the Open sections of their tournaments and players must be MECA members to gain points.

Roger Morin felt that two-day tournaments were best for northern Maine and was allowed to keep his events as part of the POY competition. Phil Lowell expressed a desire to change the format to a Quick Chess setup, and he would use the past formula to apply results to the competition. Games would be worth one half the point value of other events.

Looking at Phil's setup for the Quick Chess Marathon it would mean that this event would be worth a potential 14 points whereas the Closed Championship was worth ten and the other events worth eight. I believe that if the Portland Quick Chess Marathon is to remain part of the POY competition then each point should be worth 0.3 points making the tournament worth 8.2 points; that makes it more equitable and does not have a skewing effect on the POY competition.

At our annual meeting in the fall we will evaluate the events that were part of the POY competition and decide which events will be part of the POY schedule for 2012. We would love to hear recommendations from our membership.

I appreciate the fact that Roger brought attention to the inequity of the set-up and to the fact also that the MECA POY competition guidelines were not spelled out on the MECA website like they were in the past. I do hope that future questions are directed to either me or another board member before going through a comment or letter to chessmaine.net. We are doing our best to make MECA a viable organization and promote Maine chess. Despite our busy schedules we have had more meetings than in the past and have been able to involve more areas of the state than in the past; I firmly believe that we are moving in a positive direction.

As President of MECA I realize that the buck stops with me, and I hope that people appreciate the responsibility that I have taken. I was pleased with the State Closed Championship, and I believe there are many excellent events scheduled for Maine chess players in the coming months. Hope to see everyone at an event soon.

Andy Bryan
bvbryan@aol.com

Updated MECA Player of the Year Standings

MECA Player of the Year Standings (after Closed Championship)

Lance Beloungie 24.5
Roger Morin 15.5
Steve Abrahams 14.5
Yuri Riabkov 14.5
Alan Schalk 10.0
Matthew Fishbein 9.0
Aaron Spencer 9.0
Jim Dubois 8.0
Barry Magda 8.0
Don Plummer 8.0
Mark Woida 7.5
Dan Fishbein 7.5
Ruben Babayan 7.0
Richard Judy 7.0
Lee Doucette 7.0
Aaron Falzerrano 7.0
Andy Bryan 7.0
Tom Sandford 6.5
Curt Brock 6.5
Dan La Vallee 6.5
Nicholas Parsons 6.5
Jose Lugo 6.5
Anna Bryan 6.5
Phil St. Jean 6.5
Jon Buxton 6.0
Kathy Richards 6.0
Maggie Bryan 6.0
Andrey Savov 5.0
Bill Loring 5.0
Mark Seedner 4.0

The next event is a Quick Chess event at Southern Maine Community College May 14 in South Portland.

Schalk Runs the Table to Win State Championship

Alan Schalk defeated Jim Dubois in the final round to score 5.0 points and become the 2011 State Champion. Matthew Fishbein, the youngest player finished a clear second with 4.0 points. Richard Judy and Ruben Babayan tied for third with 3.5 points - both of which included half-point byes. Finishing with 3.0 were Jim Dubois, Barry Magda, Curt Brock, Don Plummer, and Dan Lavallee.

Cross table for event:

http://main.uschess.org/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,181/

Round Four Results

Alan Schalk continues to show why he has the highest rating as he won his fourth consecutive game; this time with a quick victory over Aaron Spencer. Matthew Fishbein and Barry Magda won their games to advance to three points as well as Jim Dubois and Don Plummer. At 2.5 are Ruben Babyan, Richard Judy, and Aaron Spencer.

Key final round match-ups include Dubois vs. Schalk, Magda vs. Fishbein, Judy vs. Plummer, and Babayan vs. Spencer.

Round Two and Round Three Results

In the second round at the top board Alan Schalk defeated Matthew Fishbein in what Matthew described as a very strange game that was in the balance for quite some time before Schalk won. Aaron Spencer continued his strong play by defeating Richard Judy. Aaron completes his day with 2.5 points as he has requested a bye for the evening round. Maggie Bryan played Mark Woida to a draw to finish her day with 2.0 points as she also is taking a draw in the third round.

Schalk continued his strong play in the third round defeating Andrey Savov to move to 3.0 points and clear first. Spencer is in second with 2.5, while eight competitors have two points. The other heavyweight battle in the third round pitted Fishbein vs. Abrahams with Fishbein coming out on top. The fourth round begins at 9:30 Sunday morning.

Players with two points include: Savov, Fishbein, M. Bryan, Woida, Dubois, Barry Magda, Don Plummer, and Yuri Riabkov.

First Round of Closed Championship Complete

The top two rated players Alan Schalk and Ruben Babayan won their first round games although Schalk needed all his time to defeat Barry Magda in a very tight match. Other first round winners were Matthew Fishbein, Andrey Savov, Aaron Spencer, Maggie Bryan, Kathy Richards, Don Plummer, Phil St. Jean, and Aaron Falzerano. Many draws due to accelerated pairings resulted in six players with 0.5 points: Steve Abrahams, Mark Woida, Curt Brock, Jon Buxton, Jose Lugo, and Dan Lavallee. There are 28 players competing in the two-day event. The playing room at Rooster's is excellent, and there is geniune comraderie among the players.

Key matchups in the second round are Schalk vs. Fishbein and Savov vs. Babayan. Richard Judy who took a bye in the first round is black against Aaron Spencer while Steve Abrahams is playing Kathy Richards. Jon Buxton will be playing Mark Seedner (1/2 point bye first round). Don Plummer will play Jim Dubois, and Maggie Bryan will meet Mark Woida in a battle of Ellsworth Chess Club members.

More after Round Two.

Sign Up for Closed Championship, Take Advantage of Chess Rate at Hotel

The chess rate for the Best Western and Comfort Inn (formerly the Augusta Civic Center Inn) is good until Friday, April 1. Take advantage of this promotion and be able to go to your room between rounds. The Closed Championship playing room is connected to this hotel and makes it very convenient for players.

Now is also the time to send in your registration for the State Closed Championship before rates rise on April 6. We are pleased to have the Championship centrally located and in April again. The prize fund ($540) is not as large as last year, but it is comparable to past events. It also provides a chance to become State Champion or win a class prize.

MECA Chess Player of the Year Standings

After three MECA Chess Player of the Year Events. Here are the current standings:

Lance Beloungie 17.0
Roger Morin 15.5
Steve Abrahams 7.5
Yuri Riabkov 7.0
Tom Sandford 6.5
Rob Shore 5.5
Aaron Spencer 3.0

Players receive one point for each round played in a Chess Player of the Year event plus the score received in the tournament minus any half-point byes.

The remaining events are the State Closed Championship (5 rounds/2 days), two South Portland events, the Chessmaine.net Championships (4 rd/1 day), and the Eastern Maine Open (4 rd/1 day). Players must be MECA members and play in the open section of these events to qualify for the competition. Check the events page of chessmaine.net for specifics of the above events.