Ludington Optimists' Chess Tournament
Report by Tracy M. Thompson
Cecilia Tinoco has to look extra hard to see the pieces through those curls.
Photo courtesy of Laurie Bailey
The 56th Annual Ludington Optimist Youth Chess Tournament was held at Ludington High School on Saturday, March 19, 2011. This is the longest-running scholastic tournament in the State. Seventy-two students from throughout Western Michigan played five chess games to determine the winners in three divisions. This was the largest turnout in over a decade. Mario Arnson, a ninth grader from Muskegon, went undefeated and won the High School Division. He won the Middle School Division last year. Seventh grader David Meyer moved up a division and got second place in the High School Division, losing only to Arnson. Those two will be battling for the top prize for several years to come. In the Middle School Division, Tanner Gummere from Buckley went undefeated to claim first place, and in the Elementary Division, Nathan Peterson from Spring Lake went 5-0 for the second straight year to claim the top prize in the Elementary Division again.
The winners in the three divisions were:
High School Division (grades 9-12):
- 1st: Mario Arnson, 15, Muskegon
- 2nd: David Meyer, 12, Traverse City
- 3rd: Austin Payne, 16, Hesperia
- 4th: Bennario Chapman, 17, Muskegon
Middle School Division (grades 6-8):
- 1st: Tanner Gummere, 12, Buckley
- 2nd: Andrew Ducharme, 11, Elk Rapids
- 3rd: Dylan Constantine, 11, Nunica
- 4th: Alec Mitteer, 12, Shelby
Elementary School Division (grades 1-5):
- 1st: Nathan Peterson, 12, Spring Lake
- 2nd: Joshua VanderMeulen, 12, Spring Lake
- 3rd: Bradin Maison, 10, Traverse City
- 4th: Jared Rice, 10, Grand Rapids
The 2011 Optimist Youth Chess Tournament was sponsored by the Ludington Optimists. It was organized by Tracy Thompson, assisted by Fabian Knizacky, Pete Meyer and Greg Bailey. The Ludington Optimists wish to thank Ludington High School for the use of the cafeteria, and the Carrom Company for the donation of chess boards.
Mesick's Chess Legend Greg Bailey gives a new chess set to 2011 Ludington Optimists' High School Champion Mario Arnson of Muskegon.
Spring Lake's Nathan Peterson (in his blue Albert Einstein shirt) makes his opening moves in his Round 1 game. Nathan repeated his 5-0 sweep of the Elementary Division.
Middle School Champions. (L-R) Alex Mitteer, Shelby (4th); Dylan Constantine, Nunica (3rd); Andrew Ducharme, Elk Rapids (2nd); and Tanner Gummere, Buckley (1st); Tracy Thompson, Greg Bailey
Northern Michigan Chess Style
Team Betsie Valley
Photo courtesy of Laurie Bailey
Round 3 endgame.
Round 1 Elementary
WayPoint Academy teammates Amadou Makhtar Kaba (left) and Bennario Chapman (right) both scored 3 out of 5 points.
Betsie Valley’s Brandon Tinker scored 3-1/2 points in his first tournament!
Photo courtesy of Laurie Bailey
Trophy Safety
Photo courtesy of Kathy Vander Meulen