Fourth grader wins MVP
BELFAST — Capt. Albert Stevens School fourth grader Lucas Canning, who was voted Maine State Chess Tournament Most Valuable Player after winning three and a half matches out of four, was “floating on air," the day after the contest, he said.
RSU 71 teams, players and results:
Capt. Albert Stevens School (K-5 division) - First Place State Champions Lucas Canning: 3.5 wins Alex Miller: 3 wins Silas Ociepka: 3 wins Avery Adams: 3 wins Avery Gobin (Ames Elementary): 3 wins Pierson Dietz: 1.5 wins Miles Fleming: 1 win _________________
Troy Howard Middle School (K-8 division) Rohan Joseph: 2.5 wins Brogan McAvoy: 2.5 wins Ibis Bird: 1 win
The April 10 tournament, which was held online with students from kindergarten through eighth grade, included 14 schools from across the state. Students competed from their schools through the chess.com platform and were supervised by a local certified tournament director.
In all, Regional School Unit 71 had 10 players in grades four through eight competing, including six from CASS, one from Ames Elementary School, and three from Troy Howard Middle School. This was down from 28 participating students last year because of the inability to hold live practices after school and during recess.
Because of the pandemic, a number of districts were unable to continue their programs. The chess program at RSU 71 was kept alive through online venues, including regular Zoom lessons from Midcoast chess coordinator Bruce Haffner and two online chess sites, Chess.com and Lichess.org.
While the CASS team had enough players to make a team, the THMS team was short two players, which took it out of the running. According to an RSU 71 press release, Belfast and Camden were neck and neck in the K-5 division throughout the tournament, with the final games determining the outcome.
In the end, Belfast defeated Camden by one point, while Brunswick placed third.
The Republican Journal met with the CASS chess team April 16 at the school library, where members talked about their experiences throughout the competition while two of them played a quick game.
While many members have been playing chess for years, the team began preparing for this competition over a month ago. As a group they said that playing with Haffner helped their game. “He would tell us what was a good move and what was a bad move, and how it was a disadvantage for us,” Lucas said.
Fourth grader Pierson Dietz said Haffner was the person he played who made him want to continue playing chess.
CASS Principal Glen Widmer said Haffner has sponsored family chess nights in the past to introduce everyone to the game. All of the CASS chess team members said they are much better players than their parents.
Avery Adams, who is in fourth grade, said she has taught her mom how to play chess, and her sister. She has been playing chess since second grade and said the competition was “really cool.”
“We played four games, but they were spaced out, and not in a row,” she said. “It helped to go outside between games.” Technology got in the way a few times according to Avery, who said sometimes “you misclicked and it counted.”
Pierson agreed, adding, “It is really frustrating that you lose just because of a technical glitch.”
“Everybody was completely focused playing their games and I loved the experience,” he said, though at times, he added, it felt a little overwhelming.
Fifth grader Alex Miller said, “Camden beat us three years in a row and we finally beat them. I’m excited about that.” When asked if he ever doubted they would win, Alex said confidently without looking up from his game, “We called it.”
Silas Ociepka, who is in fifth grade, said it was a “great competition,” even though at times he felt it was hard to focus on the computer because of ads popping up on screen, and moving the track pad was a distraction, he said.
“My big sister showed me how to play chess,” he said, “then I started lessons with Bruce after school. That’s when I started getting pretty good.”
The games were generally played at a fast pace with each player having 30 minutes total to finish. Silas said all his games took about 15 to 20 minutes.
Lucas said he learned to play chess when he was 4 years old, but really began in earnest when he was in second grade. For those interested in learning the game, he recommends playing the puzzles from Chess.com, which he said helped him become a better player.
“I think we all played a good game,” he said, finishing with plenty of time. The reason Lucas did not win all four games, he said, was that one match ended in a tie. “I had a stalemate,” he said. “I was up points, but had two rooks in the wrong spot and I couldn’t move anywhere.”
Lucas said the experience was fun and a lot of his friends came. “It was easier to deal with stress because my friends were there.” And after the fourth round, “we had whoopie pies.”
Widmer said all members of the chess team are “incredible math students.”
He also said he is thankful for the help and guidance of Haffner and RSU 71 Extended Learning Program and Chess Coordinator Jacquie Gage, who worked hard to get the program to this point. “They have dedicated a lot of time and enthusiasm,” he said.
