Missoula Fall Scholastic & Simul
Twenty-seven scholastic chess buffs turned out for the 4th annual MIS fall chess competition, Saturday, November 16. That number is the highest yet for the fall tournament. Another plus for the event was having 10 players with USCF ratings even though US Chess membership was not required.
The five-round event was separated into three sections by grades (mostly), 1-5 (juniors), 6-8 (junior varsity) and 9-12 (varsity). The twelve-player junior varsity was the largest contingent even after 7th-graders Aden Fisher and Molly Tefft were obligated to move up to the varsity section.
Justyn Shamp topped the Junior group with 4.5 points edging Vahn Thelen who finished at 4.0. Pierce Coulter came third at 3.5 and Teron Fisher fourth at 3.0.
Cody Bradford led the 6-8 Junior Varsity group winning four games against a single loss. Joshua Walthall and Josiah Fitch, at 3.5, finished 2nd–3rd with tiebreaks favoring Walthall. Rio Thelen, Felix Bourguignon, Gabriel Hendrix, and Parker Hurst all scored 3 points and rounded out the group finishing with plus scores.
In Varsity action, Thomas Walthall nailed the day’s only perfect score at 5.0. Colton Quirk and Caleb Vanregenmorter came in 2nd—3rd at 3.0 with Quirk having an edge in tie-breaks.
In the Simul wrap-up, Greg (the Octopus) Nowak took on 25 challengers scoring 24.5—0.5. In the drawn game, Molly Tefft stole a rook early on and only a last gasp swindle recovered the draw for the Octopus.
Dari Quirk organized and promoted the event. Eric Walthall operated the software and directed traffic. Wilton Strickland, Scott Caldwell, Frank Miller, and Dan McCourt refereed, umpired, and otherwise monitored on the front lines. Thanks once again to Missoula International School for providing the facility at no charge.
Simul Action at MIS 2019
Late-in-the-going “simul” action from the November 16 Fall Chess Fest at Missoula International School. Clowning at right is Justyn Shamp, owner of 4.5 points and top score in the ‘Junior’ division. Seated at the first two boards from left to right are Colton Quirk and Thomas Walthall. Walthall outlasted all opponents in the ‘Varsity’ section to finish at 5-0 but his game against Greg “the Octopus” Nowak is about out of life. Likewise Quirk, who finished 2nd in the ‘Varsity’, is watching his game slowly slip away. He does have, however, the fond memory of once bringing down the Octopus in a past simul.
Immediately in back are Aden Fisher and Caleb Vanregenmorter also from the ‘Varsity’ section. They finished 4th and 3rd respectively but exited early in the Simul.
The former adversaries are now teammates looking for redemption in the contest against Nowak. Eyes are on the third board where former opponent and now “teammate”, Molly Tefft, is riding high in an endgame. Bishops of opposite color and a couple pawns on both sides of the board looks dull but the Big Squid has a passed pawn marching down the center. Normally a winner, the passer is looking a lot less formidable coming up against Molly’s extra major piece. (Earlier, the Octopus had ‘overplayed his optimism’ and Molly torched him for a rook.) This game is “age and guile” versus “youth and exuberance”.
Fifty years of chess at expert and master level gives “age and guile” a good shot and the “Octopus” did find a swindle to salvage the draw.
Molly leaves with solid draw and the Octopus finishes at 24-1-0. Honor was served!
(author – Dan McCourt)
