‘Border Battle Cup’

NH chess players top Maine in ‘Border Battle Cup’
By JOSHUA CLARK
September 19, 2010 2:00 AM

PORTSMOUTH — For the first time in more than 30 years, premier chess players from Maine and New Hampshire faced off in the “Border Battle Cup” with the Granite State team securing bragging rights for at least the next year.

The Granite Staters took the cup with an 11 to 9 victory.

Sponsored by the Maine Chess and New Hampshire Chess associations, the event showcased 20 of the area’s strongest chess players, with each state represented by a team of 10. Saturday’s event at the city library marked the first interstate chess match since 1977, when New Hampshire also claimed victory, bouncing back from defeat the year before.

“We’re happy that the event did well,” said N.H. team captain John Elmore, 37, of Stratham. “We’re all friends,” he said of the friendly nature of the competition. “We see these people at all the same tournaments over and over again. Having said that … it’s going to feel good for the next year.”

Henry “Hal” Therrie, 60, of Manchester, captained the N.H. team to its 1977 victory and again found himself representing the state as one of its 10 best players.

“When it started back then it was an interesting idea and we did it for a couple of years,” he said, “but we just couldn’t keep it going. It’s always fun to do this and I hope they can keep this momentum going and make it an annual event.”

Here is the full article.