Hi Burbankers!

My friends Mike Machado and Frank Alejandro thought it would be a good idea to exchange funny stories we remember from the Burbank Chess Club.  I liked the idea, and thought we could start a forum thread about it here in our Burbank Chess Club Alumni group!  I thought it would be great to share not only funny stuff, but any good memories we have about those Burbank Chess Club years!  SO, here is the thread.  Hope to read some great and enjoyable stories!

George

I remember something I just told my friend, Raul.  Thought it would be good to share here:

I remember when we attended the San Antonio City Chess Championship Tournament at Robert E. Lee High School for the 72 - 73 academic year.  The members of the team were Frank Alejandro, Michael Tapia, Ruben Acosta and Danny Acosta as first, second, third and fourth chairs, respectively.  Arthur Reyes, others and I also went as part of the team, as alternates.

That year, our Burbank Chess Team won the City Championship for 1973!  I remember we drove home in our sponsor, Mr. Gunga's car.  Mr. Gunga treated us to a nice dinner to celebrate the championship.  I also remember on the way back to Burbank, the car radio started playing Paul McCartney and Wings' song, "My Love," and we all started singing in the car!  It was great!

I was telling Frank about one time at a tournament held at Holmes Highschool back in 1975 about that Greg Stanley had tied for 1st place with another player but based on a tie breaking system from those time the player with the lower rating would get the decession of the tie breaker and would then get to take 1st place. Well, Gregg Stanley was pissed-off about that idea so he stormed out of the tournament hall and left. We then had found out that someone from John Jay's team had stolen Stanley's 2nd place trophy just for laughs and then later on that afternoon Stanley came back to try to claim his 2nd place trophy only to find out that it was no longer there. Gosh, that was so funny !

Good one, Michael!

I of course still remember the time when we thought we were locked in upstairs at the chess club room. It was in the Fall of 1972 in the early years of the chess club when one day we had stayed playing there late till sometime after 5:30pm when we had suddenly realized that the doors downstairs were already locked up as well as the doors out by the foyer. Everyone else in the building seemed to be gone already, so we were already contomplating about maybe having to have to jump out the windows of the chess club room, but then luckily we managed to find one of the janitors out by the foyer where the bulldog was and he let us out through there.

Hey yeah, I had forgotten about that; but now that you mention it, I remember!

Hi BHS gang,

I was a classmate of George's in the Class of 1975.  I remember all of you because I played freshman year with the BHS Chess Club.  As I told George, after that I discovered girls and other extracurricular activities, so those chess tournaments were just too long to keep attending.  Of course, since my departure from the club, my life became nothing but vice, perdition and wanton sex.  However, George introduced me to Chess.com and now this group, so maybe salvation may be at hand.  Good to join y'all. 

Raul M. Sanchez -- Moscow, Idaho 

I work for Washington State University in Pullman, WA, which is 8 miles west of Moscow, where I live.  Moscow/Pullman, by car, are 5 hours southeast of Seattle, WA, and an hour and a half due south from Spokane, WA, and Coeur d'Alene, ID.

Welcome, Raul!

Welcome to Chess.com Raul. It is always good to hear from a former Burbank Highschool Chess Club member. Maybe you can play me and George and Frank Alejandro some games of chess and also share some of the old stories from those years back !.........Michael M (The Knight-Stalker)

I also remember playing speed chess (5 minute chess) in the mornings before school in the old cafeteria.  I especially remember playing with Mike Machado, Arthur Reyes, Frank Villalobos, the Fuentes/Richie brothers (Howard was the younger one; I forgot the name of the older brother, who was a saxophone player in the band), and some others.  I remember Arthur used to call opponents, "fish," meaning a bad player, I think it was. 

Thanks, Mike and George.  It is nice to reconnect with you guys.  BHS is so long ago in my life but it never leaves in a lot of ways.  And it's great to be playing chess again.  Since George connected me with this site, I've played a ton of 20 minute games with people all over the world.  That is so cool.  We all speak the same language, chess.  It is interesting to see some patterns from various nationalities.  I assume they may all be accostomed to playing a certain way in some countries. 

Here something on the memory front: Heinz Gunga.  He was a little odd, but I think he had a big heart and always meant well.  I would love to know now what he was thinking back then.

Raul

I remember back in the Fall of 1972 just after Fischer won the World Title from Boris Spassky, in my early days of playing chess. Just sometime after I had learned to play the game, I was told about Frank Villalobos by Herbert Ritchie and he had set up a challenge game for me to play against Frank, so I decided to take on the challenge. It was one of my first encounters against Frank. We decided to play on the steps of the old library back then using his old wooden Mexican chess set with the beige and red pieces. We started out pretty much even in a King's pawn game openning and as the game progressed as I remember, I had gotten a slight advantage in the game. Getting ready to go into the end-game, it was going to be my knight against his bishop and a number of pawns still left on both sides of the board. I seemed to have a slight advantage it seemed but somehow his bishop had an advantage simply because it was able to take long shots and reach some of my opposing pawns before they could reach the 7th rank and my knight was not able to beat his bishop's advantage so he slowly went on to win that first game we played.  About 2-months later on a certain weekend in December just after X-Mas he invited me to come over to his house on a Saturday to play a few games, and so I did. I ended up winning the first game and then also won the 2nd game we played easily. After that encounter, he never again managed to beat me or even draw me in a game.

 Aloha my fellow chess friends from Burbank High School. Much of what you say I remember as well, and yes I still mange to get locked into buildings by staying to late doing work or yes playing chess, ha ha! 1972 - 1973 was mine and Michael Tapia and Ruben Acosta's Senior year and it was a very interesting one, as Fischer had won the WCC from Spassky and we also had the Church's Fried Chicken International with 16 of the worlds best players minus of course Fischer and Spassky, But Karpov was there as well as Petrosian and Tal and Smith from Texas. See my entry at http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/tournament-of-legends--seniors

So what's become of Michael Tapia?

Raul

Hmm, last I saw Michael Tapia believe or not was in South Korea in 1986 -1987, I was working on computer equipment in a building we called HTTAC in Osan AFB, working a swing shift and as I was walking back to shop I saw that another USAF guy wearing glasses and read his name tag said Tapia I suddenly stopped and he did too and we turn around and realize we knew each other. Not from the USAF, but as we had teammates at Burbank H.S. Chess club. We talked for about an hour and realize we had work to do. He was there as Russian linguist on Reserve duty, believe he said he was or had been in OK air base for additional training. Anyway we never each other as our schedules conflicted and he was only there for two weeks or so. In Sept of 1987 I was station in Hawaii and so that was last adventure, prior to coming to Hawaii, but did go TDY to mainland for school mostly on the east coast. I believe he was in Hawaii a short time later and we tried to get together but again our scheduled conflicted. So last i heard from him was early 90's here in Hawaii but the memory has faded and so have little I remember of it. But believe he stills lives in San Antonio, there is lots of Michael Tapia's and there is UT in SA professor, but that not Mike to young! So of the 73 team we missing three players, how can that be. Another is to locate his family as well and others friends he may still in contact with. he was in the band and played the French Horn and was pretty good at it! Anyone seen him more recently in the last 20 years?

I even asked some of the "Classmates members" that were holding a reunion a few years ago and they too said they had not seen Micheal, but like me I have been away from San Antonio, since 1974, and last time I return was in 1999.

As I like varies types of music, this song kind of fits what the 72-73 Burbank H.S. Chess Team season felt like:  by Sir Elton John - "Rocket Man" 1972 and lets not forget this piece of music Hawaii 5 0 and a surfing action (that was not me surfing)

By the way George this was a good idea, and Michael M, you made the suggestion so Mahalo to you too!

By the way what happen at Burbank Chess Club after 1973, I know the chess club kept playing can anyone fill us in on that part of history as we were not there? Please! Did Mr. Gunga still use the old "apple trick"? And is there still a scholastic chess league in San Antonio and who running it. Just curious! I see the San Antonio Chess club has new website: See http://www.sanantoniochess.com

You will note that the San Antonio City Champion list that starts on 1979, well just to be sure its mention somewhere, in 1974 there was 4 way tie; two of those players were Ron Henley and Frank Alejandro who drew. We were both undefeated going into the final round, and so whoever won would have outright won the event (in the final round) so technically we were Co-1974 San Antonio City Champions and we did split the price money 4 ways, but Ron got the trophy. Unfortunately I do not recall the other two chess players, but they were well known as well. This was one of favorite songs that year and even now - hm, could be why I live in Hawaii too. 

John Denver - "Sunshine On My Shoulders" (1974)

And in 1975 in the Southwest tournament I lost to Ron Henley in the 1st round of course (I was not expecting to play Ron until later and had just come down from Grand Forks, N.D USAF I was preparing to get stationed in Okinawa later that year - this where I learn to play Go). I now remember he won that event (he with a few others as well). This before he became a GM. By the way in 1974 Ron Henley was the "Scholastic Texas State Tournament Champion" ( I did not know that at the time"), hm had I been able to I would have loved to have played in that event in 1973, wonder how "we as team" would have done that year in the 1973 Texas Scholastic Championships! Anyway that was the last time we played he went to East to College and I went West to Okinawa.

A little story here so a ole' San Antonio Toro's Football team in the late 60' and 70's here is a short story on their dismiss, see link above looks like our Burbank chess club went the same way, maybe not as wild these guys were, and boy they could win football games! Hm what was theme song called, George you know it our BHS band played it at our football games, I just can't remember its name it had a catchy tune! Come on George you know it, Raul, Michael!

Hm, Remember Gregg Stanley see this link looks like he doing very well in chess these days! http://www.sanantoniochess.com/champions.html

"Chess is ruthless: you've got to be prepared to kill people." Nigel Short

George, winning that team trophy was hard work for all of us and yes if that song that was playing in Mr. Gunga's car as went home I guess we did sing it. Here is version of it as it would have been heard in 1973. For the BHS Chess Club team here it is and enjoy!

Hm come to think of it had had rather long hair that senior year I parted it down the middle and worn a leather band or cloth band when I played in these chess tournaments, but mostly it was keep my hair out my face. But I imagine I looked a bit rugged so may have help me win some games too! :-) Grr!

MY LOVE - Paul McCartney & Wings - 1973

I remember in the Fall of 1972, it was sometime in November, it was very cold in those times. But anyway, that November of 72 I had managed to beat Ernest Lambert in a game and then Frank Villalobos and a few others encouraged me to challenge Lambert to a chess match so I took them up on it. It was going to be a 2 out of 3- game series so we set out to play, he somehow managed to win the first game after an adjourment of the game and then in the second game I surprised him with a Queen checkmate on his black king. So the score was 1 to 1 and then in the 3rd game went on to be a draw as we played out the end-game he had a bishop left over but all other pieces were already off of the board so it was a draw and the score now was 1.5 to 1.5 and so we went on to play the 4th and deciding game in which he did go on to win the game after another adjournment. So he won the match 2.5 to 1.5 . After that year, I would go on to become the No.1 player in the club from 1974 to 1976. Unfortunately, fate and misfortune followed the later years of Ernest Lambert's life as he later on after a divorce from his only wife he then became homeless and wondered the downtown streets of San Antonio as I remember seeing him sometime in the mid-1980's wondering homeless. My guess is that by now he is probably not alive anymore. The last time I saw him was sometime around like 1986 sitting on a park bench in Travis Park downtown with a very long beard and hair and was nibbeling on something he was eating. That was the last time I ever saw him.

Anybody have any games from back then? I'm looking for my scrapbook and may have the team trophy article from the school news paper as well as few games! Will keep posted!

I also remember back around April of 1973 that Frank A.(The No.1 Highschool Chess Player) had offered to play a simultaneous exhibition against everyone in the chess club and about 9 of us decided to take on Frank. Arthur Reyes had a bet against Frank that he would not go on to win all the games being played. So as the games went on, in my game against Frank, started off in a Queen's Gambit Accepted with me as black. I quickly went for the QB-pawn by taking it. The game as I kind of remember it went something like this: Frank(White) vs Michael(Black) 1.P-Q4 P-Q4 2.P-QB4! PxP 3.N-QB3 P-QB3 4.P-QR4! P-QR3 5.P-K3 P-QN4 ? 6.RPxP PxP 7.NxNP! B-QN2 8.N-QB3 N-KB3 9.BxBP ? BxNP 10.P-KB3 BxR 11.Q-K2 P-K3 12.P-KR3 B-K2 13.Q-R2 BxBP 14.NxB and so the game went on with Frank leading in development and I leading in materiel advantage. Later on in the game as I remember, I somehow managed to get Frank's King in a perpetual check using my Queen and went on to draw the game and was the only draw of the exhibition, everyone else playing Frank had gone on to loose their games except me and Mike Tapia who either won or drew against Frank. Arthur was so glad that I had drawn Frank in the my game. I guess there might have been money involved in that bet they had !