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By Ben Simon
Waking up on a Saturday at 6 a.m. is never fun, but there was a tournament to get to! This year’s Missouri State Scholastic Championship was held on March 1 in Columbia, and I got to drive the Chess Bus all the way there.
This year presented a change of scenery. The fancy Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City (You’ve stayed in Jefferson City before? It’s that hotel.) had hosted State since 2009. I was curious about the change. After all, how would the children be entertained between rounds if there wasn’t a tall, glass-walled elevator to play in? Heaven help us.
The brand new Muriel Battle High School was a great selection for the tournament. The school is in its first year of operation so it looks clean, the commons has a beautiful view of the football field, and the gym suited 512 kids with enough elbow room to not cramp any styles.
Iskandar Aripov captained his team from Webster Groves High on Board 1 and took clear 1st overall with 4/4. This makes him the 2014 Missouri Scholastic Champion. Originally from Uzbekistan, Aripov was also the 2013 CCSCSL Champion, and the youngest ever.
Parkway Central’s Kevin Cao took clear 2nd overall. His second round draw with Margaret Hua cost him a chance to go unblemished. Cao finished with 3.5/4. Aripov and Cao did not play each other.
Ed Baur’s Vianney High School club won the team championship. Vianney is a dynasty with longevity. When I was in high school from 2002-06, the safe bet was that they would win the section in all of the Saturday events. My team, Lindbergh High, was envious, to say the least.
Like all of the Gateway Chess League K-12 Saturday spectaculars, this school year, I worked the event for the CCSCSL. I manned the equipment booth with fellow part-timer Harper Evan Smith. We set a sales record that day, probably due to the appearance of the new double-weighted Paladin set (now available at the CCSCSL!! – cheap plug).
I’m also the coach of the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District’s teams. My 11 students had a good day; we won the 4th Place plaque in the 6th Grade & Under division. Watch out everyone: there’s a second-grader named Callan Sukanek who's coming up the ranks.
All day, parents and coaches were dreading the oncoming weather. I dubbed it “Snowmageddon: The Ice Edition.” The last round for all players was scheduled for 6 p.m. and the freezing rain was to start the ice-job on the roads at 7 p.m. So yes, there was concern.
At first, just the families whose kids had no chance of winning trophies or medals left early. Before I knew it, all but one of my players and his dad had left!
Was I scared? Heck no! Harper and I are warriors. This was going to be an adventure. We left at 8 p.m., just after the middle and elementary school awards were presented. Harper, my student, his father, and I hopped in to the Chess Bus to make our heroic two-hour journey home.
After the third exit we had to make on I-70 E due to closure, I was no longer having a good time. The ramp to I-270 N was the craziest non-flame road situation I have ever seen. There were six vehicles, engines running, facing different directions, and they were all unable to get traction to move. If they tried to move, their cars just started to slide off into the grass.
Just as I was content with settling in for the night, my merry band of warriors negotiated cars to just get out of the way, even if it was off the road. After all, this was a Chess Bus and it needed to get home. One smashed-hand-in-the-door later, and we were on the move.
I drove 20 mph or less the rest of the way, and completed our hellish trek back by 1:30 A.M.
I’ve gone to these tournaments since 2003, but this one may be the most memorable. I can’t wait for next year.
