The 2009 March Open was held on March 28, 2009 at the Grande Prairie Chess Club. On the day of the tournament, there were only 4 players pre-registered. Then, we got a surprise when 2 students from the Montrose Junior High School chess club showed up and were ready to play in their first adult tournament. They were warned before registering for the tournament that the competition was going to be fierce for them. It didn't deter them though as both really wanted to play. The two students were North Alton (Grade 8) and Josh Malmsten (Grade 7). As predicted, both North and Josh lost their games against the higher rated players but had a very interesting game against each other. Josh actually had a chance to win the game but missed a nice tactic later in the game (see the game for all the details). Both North and Josh show signs that they could become very good regular club players. With a little guidance and training, they could certainly compete and do well at any scholastic event! The results were as follows:
- Wade Caughlin (1810) - 2.5/3
- Rob Nisbet (1766) - 2/3
- Tim Pradzinski (1981) - 2/3
- David Miller (1440) - 1.5/3
- North Alton (678) - 0.5/3
- Josh Malmsten (Unr) - 0.5/3
