No. 19-ranked U.S player wins third annual event.
Robert Kozlowski, Derek Meredith, Sergey Kudrin, Piotr Kowalczyk, Nathan Gotman, Thomas Mendola.
What
started out as idle conversation five years ago is starting to develop into a
nationally recognized event.
Bryan Desautell of
Charlotte Hennegan, owner of Thames River Greenery, and friend Fred Argilagos asked Desautell if he
thought an outdoor chess tournament would fly in
ChessFest III took place July 26 and was bigger and
better than ever at a new, improved venue — Custom House Pier at Waterfront
Park. Sergey Kudrin of Stamford, the No.19 nationally
ranked player in the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF), won the first place prize of
$1,000. His presence, plus the fact the USCF rated the tournament as a Grand
Prix event; put ChessFest on a higher pedestal.
“The tournament
has grown each year” Desautell said “I’d like to see
its presence and popularity continue to the point
where it becomes the New London Open, a national USCF event. The appeal of ChessFest is the outdoor venue. We were one of only two
outdoor Grand Prix events in
Forty-six
competitors, 23 adults and 23 kids, entered ChessFest
III, compared to 38 in 2006 and 44 in 2007.
Tables chessboards, and time clocks were placed
under tents at Custom House Pier during competition, commencing from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. All competitors were required to
be USCF members and pay an entry fee ($40 for adults and $20 for children). Divisions
were split into Open, Amateur, and Junior sections.
‘We give all the
money back in prizes,” Desautell said. “People
enjoyed the location. There was a nice breeze, beautiful views of the
The tournament is
a Swiss format, meaning everyone plays four times. The first three rounds have
a 30-minute time control for each player and the final round is 60 minutes for
each. Match-ups were determined by each
player’s chess rating, and winners advanced to play winners. Thames River
Greenery provided lunch.
Bob
Kozlowski, president of New Britain Chess Club, raved about the site and the
tournament.
“The venue was ideal for a summertime chess
event,” he said. “The coolness effect of the sea breeze was totally refreshing
and this allowed temperatures to remain in the comfortable range of 80 to
85. I and others felt like we were
playing chess on a tropical island.”
Desautell received some valuable tips on producing a
chess tournament while attending the Foxwoods Open three years ago. While in
the tournament area, he noticed a random piece of paper on a table.
“It was an announcement, promoting Rob Roy of
Connecticut as a tournament director.” Desautell said.
“He is senior tournament director of the USCF and involved with chess in
This year’s
tournament included ChessFest’s first two winners: Ayman Karsou of East Lyme in 2006
and Derek Meredith of
All Open
competitors realized the race was for 2nd place with the presence of an
international grandmaster such as Kudrin. He beat
2007 ChessFest winner Derek Meredith in the 1st
round. Meredith tied for second with Piotr Kowalczyk of
In
the Amateur section Tom Mendola of Chester NY., tied
for 1st place with Nathan Gotman of
In the Junior section, Leonid Stolov of West Hartford and Ian Lomelli
of
More
Photos USCF Report Crosstable NLChessFest-II 2007
Leonid
Stolov and
Ian Lomelli
Junior
Co-Champions,
Connecticut Chess & Backgammon www.RobRoy8.com
I am in search of hosts and/or sponsors
for backgammon tournaments and for chess tournaments. I have 30 years experience organizing and
directing tournaments. I am a USCF
Certified Senior TD & Life Member. RobRoy@RobRoy8.com 860
887-5052
