Andy Catlin

SAULT STE. MARIE — Lester Bedell made his first chess tournament in Michigan a memorable one this past weekend.  Bedell, a Bay Mills Tribal member from Atlanta, Ga., captured the 37th annual Upper Peninsula Chess Open tournament, held at the Kewadin Casino.  Bedell accumulated four wins and a draw in five games, finishing first overall to collect the top cash prize of $200 in the United States Chess Federation (USCF) sanctioned event.   Bedell was in the area to attend the funeral of his sister Debbie, and dedicated his tournament triumph to her memory. A two-time Georgia amateur state champion, Bedell has played in over 860 tournaments since 1991 and has attained a FIDE expert chess rating.
 Kimmo Karvinen of Helsinki, Finland finished second overall with four points, losing only against Bedell.  Karvinen, who was also visiting relatives in the Sault, defeated the highest-rated player in the tournament — expert Anthony Nichols (2045) of Lansing.  Nichols, who also served as tournament director, ended up in third place with three wins, a loss against Karvinen and a draw against Bedell.  Karvinen also picked up a cash prize for second place overall.

Rob Roos of Sault Ste. Marie was the highest-scoring Upper Peninsula finisher, and claimed the title of U.P. champion. Roos placed fourth overall with 3.0 points, with three wins and two losses against Karvinen and Nichols. Roos, who also collected a cash prize in the Top-Under 1800 category, is the first Sault resident to win the U.P. championship in the 37-year history of the tournament.   Pat Brewster of Sault Ste. Marie won the U.P. Junior Championship (21-under) title. A Sault High senior, Brewster scored 2.5 points, and along the way he pulled off the biggest upset of the event with a win against a Class A rated player. Brewster received a box of chess books for the biggest upset prize, donated by Tom LaForge of Standish. Brewster also won the cash prize for best in the 1400-under division.
 In other class prizes, Robert John of Marquette, David Curtis Jr. of Commerce and Chris Irwin of Lansing each scored 2.5 points and tied for first place in the Under-1600 division.    Stan Beckwith of Battle Creek, David Sundeen of Lansing and Glen Schmiege of Sugar Island tied for second in the Under-1800 with 2.5 points each.

The U.P. Open was held at the Kewadin Casino for a fourth time overall, but for the first time since 2003. The event was held at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba the last four years.   Traditionally held the third weekend of August, the U.P. Open is sponsored by the Lake Superior Chess Association. The 2009 U.P. is planned to be held in Marquette County.