Milton Youth Chess Club holds second annual tournament

The Second Annual Milton Youth Chess Tournament held at Milton Public Library Feb. 28 drew an enthusiastic crowd of players and parents from throughout Sussex County. After four rounds of intense competition, prizes were awarded to the top-scoring participants in each division.

"This year's tournament was an even greater success than last year. Our participation rate increased by 50 percent, and we drew many new players from outside the Milton Youth Chess Club," said Ryan McCrea, tournament director. "The tournament atmosphere was focused but friendly. For many students, this was their first experience at tournament play."

After four rounds and tiebreakers, three winners emerged in each section. In the junior division (ages 5-10), Kitana Olson took top prize with a perfect 4-0 score, defeating second-place Ayush Batra and third-place Charlotte Olewiler along the way. Things were a little more complicated in the senior division (ages 11-18), as going into the final round, the scores were close.

After three rounds, Teague Olewiler was the breakout leader with a perfect 3 of 3, with James Capparell and Pranay Sanwal hard on his heels at 2.5 points. In the end, Oleweiler lost to Capparell, but Sanwal beat Capparell in a tiebreaker game to take first place with 3.5 points out of 4. Oleweiler hung on in a tiebreaker against Ethan Wisotzkey to grab third place. The players were pleased with the prizes, which included analog chess clocks and beginning chess strategy books.

The Milton Youth Chess Club meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month during the school yearat the Milton Public Library. Membership in the club is free and open to all players ages 5 to 18.

For more information about The Milton Youth Chess Club, email ramccrea@comcast.net.