Note: for longtime Bibliophilopolis readers & subscribers, I am using my blog for another one-off (two-off?) non-literary post here so that it can be shared with the Indiana State Chess Association’s website/blog. I do hope to return to writing about books and short stories someday soon, however.
This year, National Chess Day fell right in the middle of the ongoing U.S. Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. Those events “celebrated” by taking a day off from the tournament with one of the event’s two rest days. Here in Indiana, we actually PLAY chess to celebrate National Chess Day!
Hosted by Carmel’s Summit Chess Club, the National Chess Day Open attracted a whopping 99 players (an exceptional number for a one day event in Indiana!) across all its sections. Beginning with a scholastic event in the morning, which included many of the 16 new USCF members(!) across all sections – and children as young as 5 years old – and wrapping up with an Open event in the afternoon/early evening featuring several of Indiana’s titled (Masters or Experts) players including a 2-time state champion, Braydon Povinelli (who was accompanied by Indiana University’s chess team, which largely dominated the top section of the open). Reigning Indiana Reserve Champion, Ben Foley, was also among the participants, as were Indiana’s two highest-rated female players, Madison Brown and Laura Alejandra Escobar Lopez. (They were among 14 female players overall – still not the ideal ratio we’d like to see – but getting better!) The actual winner of the event was, of course, “None of the Above” as young Alexander Smith – part of the IU contingent, finished in sole first with 3.5/4, with only a last round draw vs. Povinelli preventing a perfect score.
In the Reserve (U1800) section, Akinola Olufumilayo (still with a provisional rating!) and Hayden Nelson of Indiana were joined by Dylan Wzorek of Illinois in a three-way tie for first, all with 3-1 scores.
While in the Novice, Dax Bills increased his provisional rating by over 100 points in garnering a perfect 4-0 result. Winners in the scholastic event were:
12th and under: Benjamin Joseph, Hunter Broomall, Henry Alton Liu (3 way tie for 1st place)
6th and under: Nash Harper Winckelbach
3rd and under: Abhiram Ashok
3rd & Under Prizewinners
This was the Summit Chess Club’s largest event thus far. Just founded this year as a 501c corp by Nikhil Murugan ,who is a student at Carmel High School. As you see on the photo above, the Club’s tagline or motto is “Win or Learn” from a quotation that many of us chessplayers are familiar with.
Some tournament stats in a nutshell:
99 players
6 sections
13 First time OTB players
14 girl participants
7 Students from Indiana University
Oldest player: Jack G Heller
Youngest Player: Isha Arun (5 years old) Pictured below
Highest rated player: Braydon Povinelli (National Master & two times Indiana State Champion)
2 Experts: Jay A Carr & Nathaniel Criss
2 Top Indiana Girls: Madison Brown & Laura Alejandra Escobar Lopez
vs. Madison Brown; Background: Lauro Alejandra Escobar Lopez vs. Josh Smith
Players from IL (4), OH, TX and IN (Fort Wayne, Bloomington, Kokomo, DeMotte)
Several siblings & all 4 kids in one family participated
Father/Son – Gabriel Adam Hawkins / John Martin Hawkins
Summit Chess Club plans to make this an annual event so look for it again next year – and their other events in the meantime! Hope everyone enjoyed their National Chess Day as much as we did!
Bibliophilopolis 
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