15 Mar 2013: the first annual Salem CHESS CLUB jamboree !

Although only four players showed up, the first annual Salem CHESS CLUB jamboree managed to set the CLUB record for attendance !  What's more, we had three observers: two of the Pink Queen's small fry and an unnamed personage who responded to the declaration of a chess emergency.  The emergency was declared when it looked like there was some chance the Gabridoodle and Chess Pirate might be the only attendees.

Top prize was a medal, which, unlike The Shiny, is actually the property of the winner.  The Gabridoodle may eventually wind up looking like a North Korean general.

The jamboree took place at the Jaho Café on Derby Street in Salem.

The results:

   1st place: Gabridoodle
   2nd place: Pink Queen
   3rd place: Chess Pirate
   4th place: Pink Queen's guest

Round 1

Gabridoodle - Chess Pirate, 1-0

The Gabridoodle was zapped for a rook in the wild and wooly opening but he didn't let this distract him.  He found his way to a quick checkmate (at left), the Pirate's adventure having won her a rook but left her king terribly vulnerable.  Sometimes it's all about position, not material.

Pink Queen's guest - Pink Queen, 0-1

Putting some of what she's learned in the school of hard chess knocks to work, the Pink Queen shredded her opponent, achieving a massive material advantage.  The Gabridoodle was quite astonished when he ambled over and saw the veritable forest of white pieces she'd collected.

Round 2

Gabridoodle - Pink Queen, 1-0

Thanks to some rather odd early moves, the Pink Queen's position collapsed quickly.  Rather than being the cat that plays with the mouse before finishing it off, the Gabridoodle was able to bring the game to a crashing conclusion by lining up a quick mate, seen in the photo at left.

Third place:

Chess Pirate - Pink Queen's guest, 1-0

The losers of the first round slunk off to a corner to vie for 3rd place.  The pirate wasn't kidding about being battered by the previous night's adventures.  Either that or the Pink Queen's guest was somehow inspired by his loss in the first round.  While the Pirate did eventually win, there were surprisingly few pieces left on the board at the end.  This is in sharp contrast to the shockingly sudden mates in two of the event's other games.