Greetings All,

It’s been a while since we’ve created a blog post and even longer since posting an installment of my periodic “chess tourist” series. With the prodding of loyal, lifetime member, David Hayes, I’m once again inspired to put pen to paper and tell the story of an adventure inspired and made possible by our favorite game – chess.

When I began playing chess again in 2015 after a 20 year respite, it didn’t take long to identify a goal. I stumbled upon the Armed Forces Open military chess tournament and again upon the possibility of representing the US at the NATO Chess Championship, someday. In ~20 years serving the US Army, I’d never heard of either of these prestigious events.

I contacted COL (RET) David Hater and asked what it would take to join the team. He told me that I needed a FIDE rating of at least 1800 (~1950 USCF) to have a chance. When I told him that I was around 1300, but confident that I could achieve that level of play, he basically laughed at me.

Following that conversation my chess goal – my only chess goal – was to make the NATO team. Every other chess goal has been supplementary and in full support of that. For 6 years, I studied, took lessons, acquired and guarded a FIDE rating that was finally deemed “good enough” at 1931 in the Summer of 2021.

I frequently withdrew from tournaments early (enduring much scorn from fellow Huntsville Chess Club members) and crept my USCF rating higher and higher, in case it should ever be needed as a backup to qualify for the NATO team. Enough players were wary of the COVID impacts on travel, along with the cost of paying for everything out of pocket, to reach me in the standby list. Off to Belgium I went!

Well… not yet. First, I was required to obtain a pre-flight PCR COVID test no more than 48 hours before my flight. With a clean bill of health, off to Belgium I went!

I was fortunate to take some additional time off of work to compensate for quarantine time and to explore the country a little. Despite every participant being required to have been “fully vaccinated,” we were still instructed to quarantine in our room until the results of a post-flight PCR test had been received. The quest to obtain this test was an adventure in itself, but too long of a story to include in this blog. Ask me about it sometime over a beer.

Speaking of beer, I had considered abstaining to prepare both mentally and physically for the tournament ahead… but the average player strength was over 2000 FIDE (2150 USCF) and … have you tried Belgian beer!? Better yet, have you tried to abstain from Belgian beer through a 4 day quarantine in a foreign country!? Please don’t judge too harshly…

I’m not sure why, but I was seriously impressed by the fact that every beer came in its own glass. The drinks were light, refreshing, and all from 9% to 13% ABV. If you visit Belgium, please train up a little, beforehand….

After a week or so of “training” in and around Brussels, a carefully negotiated haircut using a language I haven’t practiced in over 20 years (French), I ate the best breakfast I’ve ever had, and made my way north to Blankenberge (pronounced blank-en-burg-eh).

If you know me, then you know that I’m kind of a hotel snob. I just passed the 800 night mark in Marriott hotels and they treat me very well. Well, rest assured, the tournament accommodations were not brought to you by Marriott, they were brought to us by the military. In the military, “suck” is apparently universal…

There were no air conditioners to battle the unseasonable warmth in the area, and when we left the windows open, we discovered that the moss/grass/what was that? on the rooftop was a breeding ground for mosquitos – or “mozzies,” as our British counterparts referred to them.

The many, many bites on the faces of our opponents made us feel a bit better that everyone had made the same mistake.

The tournament brought together 100 of the best military chess players in the world. There weren’t any GMs, but there were IMs and FMs and it was a strong field, by any standard. Every game was broadcasted live.

My first round opponent was a Twitch streaming FM from Greece with a chess.com blitz rating of around 2700. About all I could offer in resistance was a long game. He would go on to tie for 2nd place in the tournament.

Round 2 would start a string of draws.

Round 5 was a dead draw that I turned into a loss. I was in a rush to get to a Dutch hospital in time for my 3rd PCR COVID check to allow me to remain in Belgium. It closed at 12:30pm and the game could end as late as 12:15. My opponent showed up to the board 25 minutes late, but played quickly and we were down to a queen, rook, king endgame after about 10 minutes. He took nearly every second on his clock to play the remaining moves… It was like someone tipped him off. This was the first draw of the tournament that I offered, but it was declined…

Round 6 was a clear win. I was up the exchange and was prepared to sacrifice it back for an endgame win. My opponent offered a draw, which I declined. I was determined not to take the easy way out! That proved to be a mistake…

My last round opponent offered me a draw on move 10, which I happily accepted because… why not..? It was time to go home… but not until a 4th PCR COVID test cleared me back to the US. In total, I spent nearly $1000 in COVID tests. Of the 100 vaccinated players at the event, over 30 tested positive at the end of it. I quarantined for 10 days afterwards, after receiving news that I had been sitting directly across from a few of them for hours at a time, but was fortunate never to catch the bug.

Team USA finished a respectable 5th in the tournament. Poland finished first.

Representing the US military at the NATO Chess Championship was one of the best experiences of my life and, in spite of going winless at the event, my best chess experience – and I have had some great ones. It was an honor to represent the US Army and the US military at the event.

As some of you have noticed, the team even made Chess Life’s April, 2022 edition!

If you’re interested, all of the games can be found here.

Chess and the military have opened many doors for countless people and their families, and I am no exception. It was truly amazing to have a career in one lead to an unforgettable achievement in the other. Especially, when my 20 year chess hiatus was a direct result of joining the Army in the first place!

I encourage anyone who is willing to embark upon your own chess adventure. You never know where this game we love might take you… If you do, please let us know how it turns out.

As soon as I sent the previous newsletter, I located flyers for 2 additional tournament opportunities in the near future. Chess is in full swing in Alabama! Please check out the details for the tournaments below.

Greetings all. It’s been a few weeks since our last newsletter, so we wanted to check in with you and pass along a couple of tournament opportunities in Huntsville and the surrounding area.

Recently, the club conducted an free, unrated tournament at the South Huntsville Public library. Without the benefit of prior advertisement, there were still 12 players who participated. Next week, on Tuesday 3/29 we will hold another free, unrated tournament in the same location around 5pm. On site registration will be conducted.

You may have noticed an article in Chess Life magazine this month regarding Rea Hayes. I didn’t know much about who he was until reading the article, but knew he was a famous chess player who spent time in Chattanooga. I appreciated the backstory of this upstanding chess player and organizer, so maybe you will too. In addition to the Chess Life article, a tribute can be found here.

A tournament named after Mr. Hayes has been a Chattanooga tradition for many years, but has been hampered (like anything else) due to COVID. However, the tournament is making a comeback this year. Please see/download the embedded flyer for details. We hope that you can make it to both of these tournament opportunities! Please email us with any questions.

We will be taking a chess break for the holiday season. See you again on 1/7 at the Brahan Spring Rec Center. Please enjoy the break with your friends and family and we’ll see you when everyone returns!

The Huntsville Chess Club