Sunday, May 1, 2022

State No. 29 - Maine

I took a short trip to Maine to cover my 29th State. Unlike most state trips on the #fiftystatesofchess journey, I drove to Maine, as it seemed taking an airplane or train ride was too inconvenient. The Maine State Open was played in Waterville, Maine, about 90 minutes north of Portland. For possible additional pictures please see the two instagram links below. 


So on Thursday, after running into a few traffic pockets & stopping at the wrong welcome center (I stopped at the New Hampshire Welcome Center rather than the Maine one) out of necessity, I took a detour to the Portland Lighthouse (officially the Portland Head Light) at Fort Williams Park (in Cape Elizabeth, Maine). If you see postcards from Maine, many of them contain a picture of this lighthouse. It was windy & cold, & definitely not near sunrise when I went. But I knew in the back of my head I might not make it back here, so I made sure I took a few pictures of it.
After that, I took a trip to Becky's Diner. Somehow, it was the second-liked place for lobster roll in Portland according to Trip Advisor, but I guess my taste buds just don't like lobster roll.
They do have a nice chocolate cream pie, so be sure to get some! 

I had talked with a parent of one of the players in between rounds. On the last day (Sunday) of the tournament, this parent mentioned a two-cent bridge within the town boundary that might be worth checking out. Since my 4th round on Sunday ended really quickly, I opted to make a quick trip to the Two-Cent Bridge.
It was built & washed away several times, & the toll to get across between 1903 & 1960s was two cents, which is how it got its name. They added some bicycle racks that they designed in the shape of the bridge, which was a really nice touch. 

I played acceptably in the tournament. I struggled against two of the three lower rated players, but won all 3 games, & lost against both higher rated players. Since the rating spread of the lower rateds was very high, it wasn't enough to outweigh the losses & my rating dropped to my floor of 1800. 

I had the pleasure of playing the tournament organizer & current Maine Chess Association president Michael Dudley. He's a good person & is really passionate about promoting Chess in Maine. Very friendly & welcoming, I hope to return at some point in the future! 

Below is our third round game.

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Be2 I am not sure if I have ever played this variation before, but I have struggled using the Bind recently & I would rather try something different. Nf6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bf3 Qc7 8.0-0 Be7 9.Re1 d5 10.exd5 This is simply so I don't have to be stuck guarding the e-pawn. cxd5 11.Be3 Bd7 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Qd2 Rac8 14.Rad1 Bb4 14...Rfe8 Based on his admittance in the post-mortem that this two move Bishop shuffle wasted time, this preparatory move first is better. Bonus if he can ever play . ..e5 without losing the ...d5 pawn. 15.Bd4 Be7 The d5-pawn now hangs because an e6-pawn capture exposes the unprotected Be7. 15...Qd8 16.Nxd5 I chose this move because I thought the two Bishops would be better in the open position than the BIshop & Knight. 16.Bxd5 exd5 16...Nxd5 17.Nxd5 exd5 18.Rxe7 is even better as the path to g7 is even clearer if Qg5 is allowed. 17.Rxe7 16...Nxd5 17.Bxd5 Qxc2 18.Qxc2 Rxc2 19.Bb3 19.Be4 Rcc8 19...Rc7? 20.Be5 hits both the c7-Rook & the d7 Bishop. 20.Bxa7 is even better than the move I originally saw in the game. 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Rxd7 wins a pawn but I have to be careful about how I trade pieces as opposing bishops now lurk. 19...Rc7 20.Be5 Rb7 21.Re3 a5 22.Red3 Bb5 23.Rd4 Rc8 24.h3 Some luft in case I get careless about my first Rank. h5 25.R1d2 Bc5? 26.Rd8+ Rxd8 27.Rxd8+ Kh7 28.Bc2+ f5 I take no objection to 28...g6?? 29.Rh8# 28...Kh6 29.Bf4+ g5 30.Rh8+ Kg7 31.Be5+ f6 32.Rh7+ Kf8 33.Rxb7 29.g4 hxg4 30.hxg4 Kg6 30...Rd7 may be Black's best chance here. 30...Bd7? 31.gxf5 exf5 32.Rxd7 Rxd7 33.Bxf5+ Kg8 34.Bxd7 31.gxf5+ exf5 32.Rd5 Be7 33.Bc3 Bd7 34.Rxa5 Bb4 35.Ra6+ Kh7 36.Bxb4 Rxb4 37.Bb3 Rg4+ 38.Kh2 38.Kf1?? Bb5+ 38...Rf4 he offered a draw here 39.Kg3 Rg4+ 40.Kf3 Bb5 41.Rd6 Bf1 42.Bc2 Bg2+ 43.Ke3 g6 44.Rd4 Rxd4 44...Rg5 gives slightly better chances for survival, but not much. 45.Kxd4 Kg7 46.Ke5 Kf7 47.f4 Not allowing any ...g5 counterplay later. Ke7 48.Bb3 Bc6 49.Bc4 Bb7 50.b4 Bc6 51.b5 Bb7 52.a4 Bf3 53.a5 Kd7 54.Bd5 1–0
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Chen,K1804Dudley,M15411–0

I also got to talk to Chief TD Alex Relyea in between Rounds. I have a feeling that since I have not yet played in Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, & Massachusetts, I will happily see him soon. 

Interesting tidbits: The son of one of my prior opponents has won this tournament a few times, & I faced last year's champion Max Berube in the last round. 

That concludes State No. 29. I hope to see Michael & Alex soon, & you will see State No. 30 later this year. 

#fiftystatesofchess