Camden Hills Regional High School chess masters placed first overall in the high school division of the Maine Scholastic Team Chess Championship, March 7, at the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center at the University of Maine at Orono.

This annual competition matches the top four players from each high school in Maine against each other in a team play format.

The CHRHS Championship team consisted of Miles Kaplan on Board 1, Miles Gupta on Board 2, Hector Clayton on Board 3, and Victor Clayton on Board 4.

Kaplan scored a total of 3.5 points for the team, Miles Gupta scored 3 points, Hector Clayton scored 2.5 points, and Victor Clayton scored 2 points.

Each player was awarded one point for each win and 0.5 point for each draw. The outcome of each match was determined by which team scored the most points.

CHRHS defeated the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in the first round 3-1, Caribou High School in the second round 3-1, South Portland High School in the third round 3-1, and finally tied John Bapst in the final round 2-2, ultimately winning the Championship trophy on tie-breaks.

In this case, the winner was determined by the team scoring the most points overall throughout the day of competition. 

CHRHS chess masters have been playing for years. In 2022, Victor Clayton, then in fifth grade, was crowned state chess champion at the Maine Scholastic Individual Chess Championships.

Miles Kaplan and Hector Clayton met in Chess Club in third grade and became close friends. That year, they led Camden-Rockport Elementary School's team to win the K-3 division of the State Team Chess Championships.

More recently, they had both stepped away from chess, but decided to come "out of retirement" to play in this State Championship together.

"What fun to see them victorious again," said Kate Ervin Kaplan.

In addition, all players not competing in the Championship section entered a team-restricted Swiss tournament to determine the Maine Scholastic Team Chess Reserve Champions. CHRHS also won this title.

Oliver Mitchell scored 3 points, Carver Heyniger scored 3 points, James Kimmett scored 2.5 points, and Zachary Egeland scored 2 points. This was the first time in recent history that one school claimed both titles in the same year. 

Meanwhile, Coach Bruce Haffner was encouraging the elementary and middle school students toward success. In the end, the two Camden-Rockport school students tied for first place in K/1; they won 2/3; came in fourth in 4/5; and sixth in 6/8.