Mid-Hudson Scholastic Chess League Is Looking For Teams

The Mid-Hudson Scholastic Chess League (MHSCL), consisting of Mid-Hudson Valley New York School teams, will start its 12^th season next month.

We are looking for additional teams to play in the league. Please view the league website mhscl.lktechnodude.com for detailed information on the league.

 

League’s major events during the 2013-14 season are below (Details to be announced in the future).

1. Late September: Coaches' meeting at Cornwall Central High School.

2. Mid-October: Five-round Kickoff Swiss tournament. The event is open to scholastic players.

3. Late-October to Late February: Starting-to-ending of Match season.

4. Early March: Playoff Matches and Five-round End-Of-Season Swiss tournament.

The tournaments and most of the matches are played at Cornwall Central High School.

If your school is considering or interested in joining the league, please email Larry King at LDKing1313@yahoo.com

We hope you school considers or decides to join the league!

Cornwall Wins Its Fourth Straight Championship!

Cornwall Central HS won its fourth straight championship. There were several firsts in the championship match - It was the first time that a team "two" won; two siblings played each other; and two teams from the same school played each other.

It was the second time two teams from the same school faced each other in the post-season. During the 2009-10 post-season, Cornwall Team One defeated Cornwall Team Two, 5-4 in the semi-finals.

Also, Cornwall was the second school to win four consecutive championships. Newburgh Free Academy accomplished the above from 2004-2007.

　

Semi-finals

James O’Neill HS Team One vs Cornwall Central HS Team One: Alister Collins and Chase Huestis won two games apiece, helping Cornwall defeat James O’Neill HS Team One, 5-4. David Sanz won two games for James O’Neill.

Cornwall HS Team Two vs The Mount Academy Team Two: The Mount Academy almost wiped out a 4.5-1.5 deficit after two sets when Ian Payne and Shawn Burnett won their games in the third set. However, Kyle Emanuele clinched the match for Cornwall, defeating Henry Bowman. The final match score was 5.5-3.5. Ella Collins chipped in two wins, and Nelson Singh scored 1.5 points for Cornwall.

　

Consolation Match
 

The Mount Academy vs James O’Neill HS Team One:
The Mount Academy finished in third place, defeating James O’Neill, 5.4. Shawn Burnett and Mateo Wareham each had two points, and Ian Payne drew two games for The Mount Academy. Nick Fischer won two games, and Timothy Mills scored 1.5 points for O’Neill.

 

Championship Match

Cornwall Central HS Team Two vs Cornwall Central HS Team One: The series was tied 4-4, and Chase Huestis of team One was winning the last game against Kyle Emanuele (Team Two). However, Chase’s king could not move because three pawns and rook surrounded it, and Kyle’s bishop controlled the a8-h1 diagonal. Kyle moved his knight to checkmate Chase’s king, clinching the title for Cornwall Team Two, 5-4. Alister Collins (Team One) won three games, including a victory against his younger sister, Ella.

　

 Cornwall Central HS Team Two. From left to right: Cornwall Coach and Physics Teacher Douglas Stack, Kyle Emanuele, Ella Collins, and Nelson Singh.
 

End-Of-Season Swiss

While the playoffs were held in the library, the five-round End-Of-Season tournament was being played in the cafeteria. The event was opened to players not participating in the post-season. Lucas Donnellan of Cornwall won the seventeen-player event by a 4.5 score. Josh Grossbohlin of Kingston finished in second with 4.0 points. Third-through-fifth place finishers with 3.5 points (in tie-breaking order) were Samuel Ben-Eliezer of The Mount Academy, Vince Orcullo of Cornwall, and John Gougoutris of Kingston. Amar Patel of Kingston finished in sixth on tiebreaks with 3.0 points.

The End-Of-Season Swiss was a combination of individual and team event. The top four individual scores of players from the same school would count as that school’s "team" points. Kingston HS rallied in the last round, scoring three points, to win the team event with 13 points. The Mount Academy finished second with 12 points, Cornwall HS finished third with 10 points, and James O’Neill HS finished in fourth place with 5.0 points.

 Photo: Kingston HS, winners of the End-of-Season Swiss event

 

Please view mhscl.lktechnodude.com for additional information on the season (photos, crosstables, etc)  and the league.

Round 5 Recap; Playoff Spots Determined

Five round five matches and one make-up match were played on February 23 at Cornwall High School. Several matches determined which three of the five playoff-contending teams would participate in post-season play on March 2.

The result of the Mount Academy Team One - Cornwall Central HS Team Two match decided which team would finish in second place in the Fischer Conference. Ella Collins' three wins, Nelson Singh's two victories, and Kyle Emanuele's one-and-a-half points led Cornwall Central HS Team Two to victory.

In the Kasparov Conference, both Cornwall Central HS Team One and The Mount Academy Team Two clinched playoff spots as a result of winning their matches. The Mount Academy finished in first because of its first-round win over Cornwall HS Team One.

The Mount Academy Team Two defeated James O’Neill HS Team One, 5-4. Ian Payne and Shawn Barnett had two victories apiece for The Mount Academy. Timothy Mills won three games for James O'Neill One.

The Mount Academy Team Two snapped James O’Neill Team One’s eleven-regular-season-match winning streak. The last time O’Neill One lost a match was against Monroe-Woodbury, 6-3, in Round 3 during the 2010-11 season.

Cornwall Central HS Team One defeated James O'Neill HS Team Two, 7.5-1.5. Chase Huestis and John Martellaro each won two games.


Middletown HS, despite having only two players, defeated Monroe-Wooodbury, 5-4, in Round five, and James O"Neill HS Team Two, 6-3, in a makeup match. Kyle Pacia and Tim Haines scored 5.5 points apiece in the two matches for Middletown.

Kingston swept Highland Falls Middle School, 9-0. John Gougoutris, Noah Eichenhofer. and Josh Grosshoblin scored three points apiece for Kingston.

Timothy Mills of James O’Neill HS Team One led all players with 14.5 points. Tied for second place, each scoring 12 points, were Kostya Shetekuri of Monroe-Woodbury, Chase Huestis of Cornwall Central HS Team One, and Andrella "Ella" Collins of Cornwall HS Team Two. John Martellaro of Cornwall Central Team One finished with 10.5 points. David Sanz of James O’Neill HS Team One and Ian Payne of The Mount Academy Team Two finished with 10 points apiece.

The playoff pairings are - The Mount Academy Team Two vs Cornwall Central HS Team Two and James O'Neill HS Team One vs Cornwall Central HS Team One. James O’Neill Team One and The Mount Academy Team Two are the home teams.

The league will hold its playoffs and End-of-Season Swiss tournament March 2, 2013, at Cornwall Central HS. The Swiss event will have players not participating in the playoffs.

Please click mhscl.lktechnodude.com for further information on the league, including final standings, crosstables, and players' individual point totals.

Three Playoff Spots Still Not Claimed After Two makeup Matches Played

Updated February 13, 2013, 5:48 PM EST

Two makeup matches were played at Cornwall Central High School on February 2. Cornwall Central HS Team One, the defending champs, swept the under-staffed Middletown High School, 9-0. Cornwall Central HS Team Two nipped Monroe-Woodbury, 5-4. The other makeup match, Middletown vs James O'Neill HS Team Two, would be played after Round 5 matches on February 23.

James O'Neill HS Team One, defeating all four opponents in the Fischer Conference, including Cornwall Central HS Team Two, claimed first place. James O’Neill HS Team One’s last-round match against The Mount Academy Team Two would not be a factor (to James O’Neill) since it defeated Cornwall Central HS Team Two, 7-2, in round two.

The Cornwall Central HS Team Two (3 match points) - The Mount Academy Team (2.5 match points) last-round match determines which team finishes second. If Cornwall Central HS Team wins or draws, it finishes second. If The Mount Academy Team One finishes second if it wins the match.

Kingston will not clinch a playoff spot for the first time in eleven years. The school did not participate in the playoffs twice because of prior commitments. Third-place John S Burke High School, which replaced Kingston HS in the 2007-08 playoffs, took advantage of the opportunity and won the league championship.

The Kasparov Conference has three teams vying for two playoff spots. The Mount Academy Team Two and Cornwall Central HS Team One have three match points apiece, and Monroe-Woodbury has two match points. The above three teams have beaten one of the playoff-contending team in the conference - The Mount Academy Team Two defeated Cornwall Central HS Team One 5-4 in round one, Cornwall Central HS Team One defeated Monroe-Woodbury 6-3 in round four, and Monroe-Woodbury beat The Mount Academy 8-1 in round two.

Below is the round five pairings involving the playoff-contending teams.


Middletown High School vs Monroe-Woodbury High School
Cornwall Central High School Team One vs James O’Neill High School Team Two
James O’Neill High School Team One vs The Mount Academy Team Two

Here are some the playoff scenarios.

The Mount Academy Team Two finishes first if one of the following occurs:
   1. If Mount Academy wins its last-round match;
   2. The Mount Academy Two draws and Cornwall Central HS Team One draws or loses;
   3. The Mount Academy Two loses and Cornwall Central HS Team One loses and Monroe-Woodbury draws or loses.

The Mount Academy Team Two makes the playoffs if one of the following occurs:

1. If Monroe-Woodbury draws or loses;
2. The Mount Academy Team Two wins or draws;
3. If the Mount Academy loses, and Cornwall Central HS Team One loses, and Monroe-Woodbury draws or loses.

Cornwall Central HS Team One finishes first if one of the following occurs:

1, If Cornwall Central HS Team One wins and the Mount Academy Team Two draws or loses;

2. If Cornwall Central HS Team One draws and The Mount Academy Team Two loses.

Cornwall Central HS Team One clinches a playoff spot if one of the following occurs:

1. If Monroe-Woodbury draws or loses;

2. If Cornwall Central HS One wins or draws;
3. If Cornwall Central HS Team One loses, and Monroe-Woodbury draws or loses.

Monroe-Woodbury clinches a playoff spot if one of the following occurs:

1. If Monroe-Woodbury wins and Cornwall Central HS Team Two wins or draws and The Mount Academy Team Two loses;

2. If Monroe-Woodbury wins and The Mount Academy Team Two loses and Cornwall Central HS Team One loses (three-way tie) and Monroe-Woodbury has more game points.

Stay tuned.

Please visit mhscl.lktechnodude.com for additional information on the league.