DeKalb Chess Club brought the year to a close with a small but pleasant four-round tournament Saturday.
In the adult division, Nathan Kozinski and Don Reyes tied for top honors with 3.0 points out of a possible four.
The top upset prize of the day went to Cliff Adams with a shocking first round victory over Nathan. But Kozinksi kept his cool, and was perfect for the rest of the afternoon to gain a share of first place.
In the junior division, Kelbrant managed to go undefeated to take the first place gold medal. Siblings Brian and Lily took silver and bronze respectively.
The event was profiled on the Daily Chronicle's website here and here.
It was exciting to include a pair of four year olds in the junior field participating in their very first chess tournaments. Moose and Joey acquitted themselves well. At four, some of us were still trying to figure out how checker pieces work. These two not only had piece movement mastered but if you observed their games in just the right light, there were some gleanings of strategy going on. Keep up the good work, Moose and Joey!
Thanks to all those who participated in the club's unrated tournament, meaning results are not submitted to the US Chess Federation. Should you be interested in playing in similar events, please contact the club through this site. Otherwise, we hope to bring more USCF-events to the Northern Illinois area in 2012.
In addition to providing some mental stimulation to kick off the new year's eve celebrations, the event raised $75 for the host facility's building maintenance! Every little bit helps, I suppose! Thank you, First Congregational Church for being such a gracious host to our events.
