This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 2, 2011 - Holiday weekends are usually prime time for major chess tournaments, and this past Halloween weekend was no exception. I traveled to the Detroit area last weekend to play a little chess and to spend time with my family as well.
I traveled up north to play in a strong open chess tournament. This is odd, since Detroit is not known for strong chess tournaments. But a new organizer, Alan Kaufman, is out to change that. He is a solid chess player and wants to have more strong chess tournaments in Michigan.
My regular column readers will remember that I recently went to the SPICE Cup in Texas. That tournament was a round-robin, where all the players are invited, all are very strong, and everyone plays everyone once. The tournament in Michigan was quite different, although it was the more normal type of tournament you will see. The Michigan Chess Festival, as it was called, was an open tournament, where anyone can play.
This tournament was different from most open tournaments, however, as the organizer managed to attract a number of top-level players (international masters and grandmasters) by giving them "conditions." Some of the stronger players may have had their travel paid for, some their hotel, some may have been guaranteed a minimum prize, and some all three! The tournament was very successful as more than 175 players participated, including eight grandmasters, which is unheard of in Michigan.
I was able to tie for 2nd place in the five-round tournament, winning three games and drawing two against grandmasters who were higher ranked than me. My son, Spencer, also played, and he is an expert, which means he is rated between 2000 and 2199 by the U.S. Chess Federation. Spencer needed to win the last game to win good money, but he lost to a Canadian international master. He finished with three wins and two losses, which is still a good result considering the tough competition.
I also went to Michigan to visit my dad, who is recovering from surgery to his left arm after a nasty fall. My dad was a chess master and was ranked 35th in the country in the mid-1960s. He played a well-known game in 1963 with none other than Bobby Fischer. He also taught me the game and regularly drove me (and my brother) to tournaments. He is doing well and should recover fully from his injuries.
My daughter also lives in suburban Detroit, and seeing her this weekend, and going out trick-or-treating, was awesome.
Between games in the chess tournament, I was able to spend some quality time with both my daughter and my dad. Luckily, this trip was a little business and a little pleasure, which is quite common for the chess professional.
St. Louis will host its own major open tournament on a holiday weekend, the Thanksgiving Open. We already have eight grandmasters signed up to participate, and we are hoping for more than 150 players. This will mark the second year for the Thanksgiving Open (featuring a $10,000 prize fund), and it is sure to be a memorable event.
Ben Finegold is the GM in residence at the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center.