Largest turnout in three years

Kids are kings at chess event
State tourney crowns champs in four divisions
Peter Harriman • March 22, 2009

GARRETSON – A gym fills with competitors trying to defeat an opponent’s patterned offense and defense.

It’s 40 minutes to victory or defeat.

The clock is ticking.

It’s March Madness – South Dakota Scholastic Chess Championships-style.

Nearly 90 incipient grandmasters from kindergarten to 12th grade played Saturday for titles in four divisions based on age and skill level in a gym at the Garretson school. Theirs is an activity enjoying a renaissance in South Dakota despite the ubiquity of video games.

The state matches featured the largest turnout in three years, according to Jill Likens, president of the South Dakota Chess Association.

Part of the revival in the Sioux Falls area is because Grandmaster Alex Yermolinski, a two-time U.S. champion, has moved to the city and is firing up the local chess scene, said Bob Boland, head of the host Garretson chess club.

At the other end of the chess universe from Yermolinski is Caleb Van Steenwyk. He has been playing for only a few weeks, reflected in his 1-2 match record at the scholastic championships. But the Patrick Henry Middle School player has decided that “this is as fun or more fun than video games. This one challenges your mind. You have to use strategy instead of just moving your fingers around.”

Van Steenwyk and fellow Patrick Henry player Sean Calhoun, in a break between matches, talked about the advantages of the defensive tactic of castling and the differences in their respective games.

Calhoun, who was 2-1 at that point, likes to attack quickly with queen, rook and bishop. Van Steenwyk prefers to go with the knight.
“I try not to bring my queen out quick. It gets chased around,” Van Steenwyk said.

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