Two meets

go by the boards

The Mount Si chess team lost a hard fought 3-2 match to Mercer

Island on Wednesday, Jan. 5, to drop its overall record in league play to

2-1. Adam Griffin, David Ard and Dan Haakenson tried their best but

came up short in their matches on the third, fourth and fifth boards

respectively. Nathan Phillips dominated his opponent, defeating him on the

second board.

The match of the day belonged to freshman David Haakenson,

playing his first match on the first board. He battled tenaciously and came

back from the point of defeat to earn a dramatic win over Mercer Island’s

best player.

The following Wednesday the ChessCats traveled to Sammamish

for an away match and, after another close contest, Sammamish prevailed, 3-2.

David Haakenson on first board and Phillips on second board

battled fiercely against solid opponents, each earning one-half point for draws.

Dan Haakenson, moving up to third board, bounced back from the

previous week’s defeat to thrash his opponent for Mount Si’s only victory in

the match.

Ard on fourth board and Michael Schwab on fifth board _ playing

his first varsity match _ both lost to experienced seniors. Carlen

Faultersack stepped in for the `Cats and defeated his opponent in a JV match.

The ChessCats’ league record fell to 2-2, yet they remain in the

middle of the pack in KingCo standings. This week the team will have its

toughest challenge of the year, taking on league favorite Issaquah on Wednesday.