2003 High School Nationals

A Championship Journey
By Daniel Rensch

Last year, at the 2002 High School National Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, the Fitch Academy chess team (Pieta Garrett, Mark Moore, Bryan Paulsen, and I) was the best team on paper and the favorite to win the tournament in most people’s eyes. However, in my opinion, that team lacked something great, and in retrospect never had a real chance to win. This became clear as the tournament progressed, and the team absolutely fell apart in the fifth round. We were lucky to finish in third place.
What was the "great something" that this seemingly perfect team was lacking? The answer manifested this year in Columbus, Ohio–leadership, team chemistry, and most importantly, the dedication of every player to something bigger than themselves. Every member of the team vowed to take responsibility for their part in last year's debacle and change the energy of the team to meet our full potential.

Click on pictures for enlargement and description.

The Preparation for Columbus
Nearly a year passed from Louisville and the question still remained of whether or not this team consisting of the same players had changed anything from the previous year. In spite of what other people were thinking of the Fitch Academy team and how we could never lose, Mark, Pieta, Bryan, and I knew that victory was not inevitable and there was much work to be done. This work was not merely deep preparation in the French Poison Pawn, the Sicilian Dragon, or even in the Queen’s Gambit; no, the real work needed was for every member on the team to tell the truth to each other at all times so that the air would be clear of petty thoughts and issues between us. This would have to happen for everyone to take their rightful place within the team.
While I was the first board on the team and Mark the fourth, this was not how our team's pecking order was to be established. For our team to come together and the chemistry to work, Mark, being the eldest and the one who everyone looked up to, would have to assume the role as team leader. The fact that Mark was the senior at the Fitch Academy gave us a rallying point. We wanted Mark to graduate with a victory that he would remember for the rest of his life. Slowly yet surely, under Mark's direction, everyone took their place.

The Coach
The hiring of Robby Adamson as the coach of the Fitch Academy team was a great inspiration to us. His drive and desire for us to win was the clinching factor that put us over the top.

Link to Nationals Preparation

Time for Action
Just as our intense preparation was finishing, the 2003 National High School Championship tournament date had arrived. It was time to prove that we were ready to do what everyone else expected of us.
Arriving in Columbus, Ohio Wednesday evening and checking into the Hyatt Regency downtown we all had a sense of calm before the storm. We had been here before and we knew we had done everything possible to prepare.

The Games Begin
The competition started off with a bang in the Blitz tournament. I scored a perfect 12-0 to win clear first. Pieta finished 11-1 to finish second and Mark scored 9 of 12 to finish ninth. In the four player event, our team of only three players (Bryan slept through the tournament refusing to wake up–this glitch in our system would be handled later) finished in third place only two points behind the winning team. This strong performance in the Blitz gave us more confidence and focus for the main event.

Round 1
Personally, the first round of a National Tournament has always been the most nerve-racking for me next to the last round. In 2002, the first round saw me nearly lose, my opponent missing a mate in three. In Columbus, it was a rare occasion that my first round was a relative breeze. My self-esteem needed this easy win to start the 2003 campaign. The other Fitch Academy players won their games quickly with nothing serious to write home about.

Round 2
Pieta, Bryan, and I all had relatively easy wins. Mark on the other hand had a tough struggle. Mark's position leaned toward a draw. Mark, refusing to offer one, risked losing. Unfortunately, his opponent capitalized. Mark lost this long and grueling game. This was the first test of the mettle of our team. In the past, we would have pulled each other down and made sly comments to our captain about his loss. This time, knowing this loss would not make or break our tournament, we only had words of encouragement for Mark. We had passed our first test.

Round 3
Heading into the third round we were a half point behind the leading team from Oregon (South Eugene High School) and only a half point ahead of the third place team from New York (Stuyvesant). The question of whether we would pull together and come back strong after the tough night before was being asked.
Only after the third round did I realize the reason for all the 'dirty looks' I had been noticing from the Stuyvesant coach. Starting with the first round, I had played their 4th, 3rd, and 2nd boards, beating all of them. These losses were the only ones they had been dealt through the first three rounds. We would score a perfect 4-0 in this round and assume the lead in the team standings. From here we would never be out of first place again.

Round 4
The fourth round was definitely going to be the toughest for the team yet. Bryan was paired with the number one seed Lev Milman 2414, and Pieta and I were both facing strong experts. Thanks to Coach Adamson's preparation, Bryan had a good idea as to what he would be facing. He was able to pull an upset by holding a draw with black. As for my game, I missed several chances in the opening to keep dynamic tension. My opponent played extremely well and the game resulted in a draw after 3 and 1/2 hours. Mark and Pieta both won their games convincingly.

Round 5
Heading into the fifth round the standings were as follows: Pieta had a 4-0 score, Bryan and I both had 3 and a 1/2 out of 4, and Mark had 3 out of 4. We were still leading but not by much. Bryan and I both won our games in this round. Pieta, on board two, took a loss to an opponent who eventually went on to tie for first place in the tournament. Mark tried long and hard to win his game, ahead a queen for a rook and a piece, but he was unable to do so when his opponent set up a fortress thereby forcing a draw.

Click here for analysis of Bryan's 5th Round Game.

Round 6
Sunday morning Coach Adamson woke us up to the news that we were 1 and 1/2 points ahead of the the field, but we would need a strong last day performance to clinch. In the morning round we did just that, winning 3 and 1/2 points out of 4. However, the two teams challenging us both scored 3 out of 4, leaving us no breathing room heading into the final round.

Click here for analysis of Pieta's 6th Round Game.

Round 7
Going into the last round we were 2 points ahead of South Eugene and 2 and 1/2 ahead of Stuyvesant. Bryan and I both had 5 and 1/2 out of 6 and were playing on boards 1 and 2 for not only the team championship but the individual as well. I was on board one against the only 6-0 in the tournament, Morgan Griffiths of South Eugene High School. We had met before in a tournament in Los Angeles where I got the better of him; however, I felt we were playing for higher stakes this time. Bryan was playing against National Master Samson Benen of perennial powerhouse Hunter College High School on board two. Mark was paired against a player from the number three team, Stuyvesant, being only 2 and 1/2 points behind us making this another crucial game. Pieta was playing Mackenzie Mulner, an expert who was having an excellent tournament, and who had drawn against me in the fourth round.It was clear to us that even though our lead seemed solid, we could still lose it if we did not hold against these players. It has happened so many times in these tournaments that one round, often the last, can change a team's entire position in the tournament...
And it looked as if it just might happen to us! After being clearly better and missing my chance to win in the same opening in which I had beaten Griffiths before, I blundered, and was forced to accept a draw. Immediately afterward, Bryan lost to Benen and things did not look to be shaping up well for the team. Within a matter of minutes Pieta, too, suffered a loss to Mulner, throwing the tournament up in the air. Another test, the test of our captain, was at hand.

Click here for analysis of Danny's 7th Round Game.

Click here for analysis of Mark's 7th Round Game.

Mark would have to at least draw in order for us to win the championship. He offered a draw to his opponent, but his opponent being aware of his own team's situation, needing a win to have chance to catch us, declined the offer and the battle continued. Mark's father kept us updated on the progress of the game with periodic cellular phone calls to our hotel room. Holding our breath, we were waiting for another update from Gary which seemed to be taking an eternity. In an attempt to distract ourselves from our nervousness, we watched the NCAA basketball tournament on televison. Just as we had had the thought to pick up the phone to call down to the tournament floor, the door swung open. Mark and his father and Coach Adamson entered the room...Mark had captured the draw, and we had won the National Championship!

In the End
After the seventh round the individual standings were as follows: I had scored 6 of 7, Bryan pulled out with 5 and 1/2 out of 7, Pete achieved a 5 of 7 score, and Mark ended with 4 and 1/2. I got 4th place individually behind the three Co-Champions, Bryan received 10th, and Pieta got 23rd. Although Mark did not place high enough to receive a trophy individually, there was no doubt that his games counted the most.
Team Standings: 1st Arizona's Fitch Academy, 2nd Oregon's Eugene South, and 3rd New York's Stuyvesant.

We set ourselves a goal and we achieved it as a group. And, our mission to have Mark graduate from the Fitch Academy a winner was accomplished. It will be an experience he will always cherish.