Cimarron-Memorial crowned state chess champs

Cimarron-Memorial crowned state chess champs

By Jeff Pope
Wed, Mar 11, 2009 (midnight)
Las Vegas Sun – Las Vegas, NV, USA

All Oswaldo Rodriquez wanted was a chance to test himself against the best high school chess players in Nevada.

He seized his opportunity to topple the best of the best and, in doing so, crowned Cimarron-Memorial High School as the Nevada State Scholastic Chess Tournament champions.

The Spartans are the royalty of high school chess, edging out Cheyenne High School by a point to capture their first state championship on March 7.

The school is holding a pep rally for the team Wednesday morning

Rodriquez, a junior, led Cimarron-Memorial by winning four of his five matches en route to 13.5 team points. Cheyenne, led by senior Michael Thomas’s 4 points, finished with 12.5 team points. The Meadows School finished third with 9.5 points followed by Palo Verde with 6.5 points and Boulder City with 4 points.

Glenn Bidari, a substitute teacher and coach at Cimarron-Memorial, said the competition was neck and neck going into the final round.

“Mostly Cheyenne was the toughest competition. They brought 10 guys and we had 10 guys and they made it a tough fight,” he said.

Rodriquez placed third overall among 120 players and earned the Upset Prize for defeating Cheyenne’s Thomas. The prize recognizes the victory with the largest disparity between U.S. Chess Federation ratings.

“It’s like being a giant killer. You crush someone way above your rating,” Bedari said.

Here is the full article.