The Elmwood Cup
The pinnacle of chess achievement in Days Park!
In June 2017, the EVCS Scholastic Chess Club introduced the Elmwood Cup. Presented to recognize "chess excellence in Days Park," the Cup is the first prize for the annual school championship tournament--which is open to all students, whether they have participated in the chess club or not! (The championship is the school's, not the club's!)
The day of the tournament has become a family affair, with activities for adults and sibs as well. For the kids, the highlight has always been the appearance of one of Buffalo's own renowned Ice Creamcycle Dudes as the tournament draws to a close. (As far as we know, the EVCS Scholastic Chess Club is one of only two area chess clubs to offer ice cream at any of its tournaments!)
It is conducted under the rules of the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) as a Junior Tournament. This method of organizing allows students who are not members of the federation to play against members in a USCF-recognized and recorded event; this is not possible except under the Junior Tournament Program. For many students, this is their first experience playing under USCF rules!
Winners
2017 Cyan Barbour
2018 Felix Hatton
2019 Felix Hatton
JUN 7 2020 You?
Players in the inaugural school championship pose in front of a poster thanking all the area businesses that supported the tournament.
PHOTO by Lisa Ferguson.
2019
Every contest has its winner, and on JUN 2, that was FELIX HATTON (6B), seen to the right.
To get there, FELIX won all eight of his games, against opponents that included the Nos. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 players of the day. Truly a dominating performance.
FELIX will be attending a new school in the fall of 2019 and we wish our all-time best player success in the future. (Just not against our players.)
Honorable mentions go to LEV SCHNEIDERMAN (4A) and CARLOS MARTINEZ (8A) for finishing silver (7-1-0) and bronze (6-2-0), respectively. Like FELIX, CARLOS will be playing for someone else this fall. (Sigh.)
PHOTO by Melissa Kramer.
FELIX mugs with the Elmwood Cup (before his name was added), his personal No. 1 trophy and an envelope with two season passes to Darien Lake!
The results of each individual match, in the form of a "crosstable," can be found on the USCF website.
The order in which players are listed is NOT, as the site warns, the order of finishes.
Our congratulations too to AUGUST WILLIAMS for joining FELIX, CYAN BARBOUR, CARLOS, COBY ROBERTS, LEV, JERIMIYA PENA, PAVEL SCHNEIDERMAN and NIGEL WILLIAMS as having earned permanent USCF chess ratings while at EVCS!
The 2019 Elmwood Cup had 22 players in the EVCS Days Park Students section and another 10 in the inaugural Friends & Family section.
Here are scenes from the epic contest for the Cup. Even in these photos, the level of determination and concentration is palpable.
PHOTOS by Melissa Kramer.
The Cup is on permanent display on the school's Allentown campus. Drop by to have your picture taken with it. Or whatever.