National School Grade Championships in Florida

By Rachel and Michelle Farell

     Chess and Disney World – the perfect combination for fun! On December 8-10, 2006, scholastic chess players from 40 different states across the nation gathered at Disney’s Coronado Springs resort, in Orlando, Florida, for the highly anticipated 2006 National Grade Chess Championship. Players eagerly looked at their pairings, and made their way to the playing room, where all 1,500 kids could be seen scurrying to their boards. A moment of silence followed, then the banging of clocks and pieces echoed around the room. The tournament had begun.

     The Knight’s Quest Chess Club (Devin Hughes, Rachel, Michelle, Ryan, and Hannah Farell) had the opportunity to participate in this competitive event. We were able to meet many dedicated chess players, and all of us had a great time going over games, laughing, playing cards in between rounds, and hanging out as friends.

     The team came out with an average of 4.0/7.0 wins each. Our overall experience was very enjoyable and instructive, and will not soon be forgotten. We learned from all of our games, especially those we lost. We have emerged with a deeper desire to hone our skills and benefit from our mistakes. Here are a few highlights:

     Ryan’s last round was against Raven Sturt of New York. With a clear advantage in the endgame, Ryan persistently stayed with this 1829-rated player, but made a fatal blunder in the end which led to mate in one.

Sturt, Raven (1829) - Farell, Ryan (1502)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bc4 0-0 9. 0-0 d6 10. Qd2 Bd7 11. Rad1 Qc7 12. f3 Rfd8 13. Bf2 c5 14. Bd5 Bc6 15. b3 Bxe5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Rab8 18. Rd2 Rdc8 19. Rfd1 Qc6 20. c4 a5 21. Kf1 a4 22. Qxc6 Rxc6 23. Rb1 axb3 24. Rxb3 Rxb3 25. axb3 Rb6 26. Rd3 Kf8 27. Ke2 Ke8 28. Bc1 Kd7 29. Bc3 Bxc3 30. Rxc3 Ra6 31. Kd3 Ra3 32. h3 Kc6 33. Kd2 Kb6 34. Kc1 Ka5 35. Kb2 Kb4 36. Rd3 Ra7 37. g4 g5 38. e5 dxe5 39. Rd8 Rb7 1-0

     Devin Hughes’ second round was against Abby Marshall of Virginia, the 2006 Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girl’s Champion. Devin gained a significant advantage out of the opening and played an impressive game; however, Abby is known for her strong tactical play, and eventually went on to gain the full point.

Marshall, Abby (2024) - Hughes, Devin (1601)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. c4 Qa5 5. Bd2 Qb6 6. Nc3 cxd4 7. Nd5 Qd8 8. Bb4 e6 9. Nf4 Nc6 10. Ba3 Qa5 11. Qd2 Qxd2 12. Nxd2 Nge7 13. Nb3 0-0 14. Ne2 Rd8 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. Nexd4 d5 17. exd5 exd5 18. c5 Nf5 19. 0-0-0 a5 20. a4 Bd7 21. Nb5 Be6 22. Nc7 Rac8 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Kb1 Ra8 1-0

     Hannah had the best tournament of the Knight’s Quest club. Although she ended up with 4.0 points, she played several outstanding games. In round three, Hannah faced Andrew Freix of Virginia. After a long game, she came out with a smile. We were all impressed with her after-game analysis as she showed where her opponent make his mistakes and how she took advantage of them.

Farell, Hannah (1167) - Freix, Andrew (1704)

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nc6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bg2 e6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. c4 h6 7. Nc3 g5 8. Qa4 Bd7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Qb3 Na5 11. Qc2 Bb4 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Qxc3 Nc4 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Ne4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. e6 0-0 18. exd7 Qxd7 19. b4 f5 20. Bb2 Kh7 21. Rfd1 Qf7 22. Qd4 Rad8 23. Qc3 Re8 24. Rac1 Re7 25. Qd4 f4 26. Qd5 Qh5 27. Be5 Rf5 28. Qxe4 Rxe5 29. Rxc7 Kg8 30. Rd8 Rf8 31. Qh7 1-0

     The three days we spent playing chess at nationals went by very quickly. Being in Orlando made the experience even more magical. On Sunday night, the tournament ended, and each participant was awarded a medal. Although we were hoping for better results, competing against the top players in America was an eye-opener, and we all discovered the talent and diligence that many of these chess players possess.

     The tournament was run very smoothly and efficiently, and it made us realize how much work goes into each scholastic tournament hosted in Oklahoma. We greatly appreciate OSCO and everything it has done to promote scholastic chess.