The NRST (North Regional Scholastic Tournament) and Winter Open was hosted by the Lakeland High School Chess Club attracted 41 players to the LHS Library to engage in a qualifier for the State Scholastic Championships to be held on March 15 in Boise. To qualify, players needed to score 3.0 or above and/or place in the top 3 for their grade. Most grades were represented however Kindergarten, 8th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade lacked any participants.
The tournament was an education for some though the battles over the board serious business for most. Players learned how to prevent Scholar's Mate, use clocks, experience touch move, claim draws, understand checkmate and stalemate, and sportsmanship. Parents were even pleased to see the results and improvements as the day progressed and also learned how to read cross tables, pairings, and how to appreciate their players newfound independence.
NM Jim Maki was on hand to lend expert analysis for the players and Inland Chess Academy board members also stopped by to see how the tournament was progressing. ICA (Inland Chess Academy) and ICA (Idaho Chess Association) partnered for this Groundhog Shadowday Tournament. Plans for a scholastic Washington vs. Idaho event were also discussed by tournament organizers.
In the 6-12th grade sections, Alex Brown won first place in 9th grade (and overall) with a perfect tournament score and secured his place among the State qualified players. Gideon Jones scored 4.5 points and won the K-5th grade section.
Qualified players for the state chess championships include:
Ethan Nuss
Alex Brown
James Casteel
Cole Hanely
Jack Casteel
Gabriel Brown
Clayce Grow
Allister Smith
Jack Chase
Jonas Brown
Results of the NRST were:
The Winter Open Tournament was also held in conjunction with the NRST and included 10 players . Michael Cambareri and Kenneth Erickson split 1st and 2nd place cash prizes and four split the 3rd place prize. The top scholastic students included: Zihan Wang, Tiernan Waggoner, Darwin Porth, and Justin Clark won scholastic trophies.
Results of the Winter Open were:
