What's Happening at Baxter's
The Oklahoma City chess club "The Challengers" was founded in May 2007 by Roger Baxter. The club meets Monday evenings from 5-10pm in the coffee cafe of Barnes & Noble Bookstore located on the NE corner of May and Memorial. Five miles south of this location the same club meets again on Wednesday evenings from 5-10pm at the Barnes & Noble located on the east side of N. May just south of 63rd street.
Roger Baxter, the club's founder, is also the club's historian and its' anchor. Roger shows up on Both Monday and Wednesday evenings, rarely missing an appearance and tends to be there for the full 5 hours. Roger brings extra chess sets so sets are never in short supply. Roger requires members to sign in with each appearance and so maintains excellent records of past attendance. There are no membership fees. Exotic coffees are just feet away.
The OKC chess club is thriving. Over 25 players have "signed in" within the last 3 week. The club's extended hours accommodate both those who prefer to arrive early and those who prefer to make a later appearance. More players tend to show on Wednesday evenings than on Monday evenings, but Mondays can also draw a good crowd. No rules govern play. Five to ten minute games are common, but a few players prefer longer games, sometimes played without a clock. Newcomers are welcome, and it is easy to get a game. Club members are friendly and willing to take turns.
The club's resident master is Dr. Mark Hulsey who often makes an appearance on Wednesday evenings. When he does, he is likely to be seen coaching Devin Hughes and other rising chess stars on the finer points of play. Devin can often be found playing speed games with Joe Dean Veal, another club regular who has been altogether too scarce at Oklahoma tournaments. The club's youngest player in recent weeks may be 7-year-old Jyseille Gabiola. Jyseille enjoys chess and has a solid command of how the pieces move. Playing white, she knows how to launch a deadly attack on Black's vulnerable f7 square if Black is asleep at the switch. Jyseille's father and club member, Lorenzo Gabiola, claimed the Class B prize at the May 2009 North American FIDE Open in Stillwater.
Other players with recent appearances at the club, many of whom are regulars, include J.A. Montero, Ernest Maldonado Sr. and his son "Junior", Bruce Eberhard, Steve Anderson, Dan Bailey, Shaun Graham, Mike Tubbs, Dakota Page, Judson Temple, Erik Nickels, Eduardo Zenteno, Allen Wise, Lisa Robertson, John Pavehouse, Alex Pennington, David Murdock and his son "August," Jacob Berger, Anthony Beet, Chris Borowskey, J.D. Thompson, Robert Jones, and Marshall King.
Not to be overlooked are club members Ross Carbonell and 3-time State Champ DLP Ballard. What can Ballard and Caronell claim in common? Both defeated the legendary Bobby Fischer in simul exhibition play back in 1964.
by: Jusdon Temple
