Royal Rumble Recap

[imagefield_assist|fid=15393|preset=fullsize|title=The Royal Rumble Bash was played in the World Chess Hall of Fame in the aura of the all-time greats.|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=700|height=467]

By Mike Kummer

The CCSCSL's second scholastic tournament of the summer, the Royal Rumble Bash, was a great success. Because the Premiere and Amateur was being hosted the same day at the Chess Club, 27 players made the trek across Maryland Avenue to the World Chess Hall of Fame to play the event in the aura of the all-time greats.

The highest-ranked player, Torin Hylan, summoned the likes of former World Champion Capablanca to go 4-0. Third-place finisher Harrison Gimenez gave Torin his biggest fit of the tourney. Harrison was up material after winning a pawn in the middlegame. Instead of playing it safe, Harrison decided to go all Mikhail Tal on Torin by sacking pieces for a mating attack. Torin found the correct defense to escape checkmate and ultimately prevail. Torin's brother, Bo, went home with some hardware as well. He finished in fourth place with a score of 3-1.  His only loss was to Friday Action Quad regular Ronit Kirumaki. Ronit got the "Biggest Upset" trophy for his 418 point triumph over Bo.  Ronit also scored three points to earn the fifth-place trophy. The only blemish on Ronit's record was a loss to second-place finisher Joey Albertson.

Ben Simon's student, Lixin Zheng, played remarkably well in his first rated tourney. After an opening round loss to Bo Hylan, Lixin mowed down the competition to finish 3-1 and capture the "Top U600" trophy. Andrew Voelker followed the same tournament path as Lixin.  After a first-round donut, Andrew turned on the jets to blast away his opponents in the final three rounds. Andrew routinely had two queens on the board when he delivered the final check of the game. Andrew's three points earned him the  "Top U400" trophy.

The four-round event lasted just 3.5 hours, which included a one-hour lunch break. This gave the kids a chance to see the "World's Largest Chess Piece" and to play a game of chess on the big outdoor chess set at the World Chess Hall of Fame. The last "Bash" will be on August 11. Let all the students play before they have to go "Back-to-School" for another year. (click here for more information on the Back-to-School Bash!)

SwissSys Standings. Royal Rumble Bash: K-8