I live in Central Indiana with my wife, daughter and Labrador retriever. I'm an alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame. GO HEELS. I was in Kenan Memorial Stadium when Connor Barth beat No. 4 Miami with his right foot.

I enjoy the classic games: chess, backgammon, poker and Risk.

I once played a discovered attack on the queen with a forked check. That won't happen again.

My best win came against a friend with whom I share alma mater. He was rated 2027 but dropped to 1998 after the loss. I put a lot of thought into this one.

In my first USCF tournament, I lost to a 17-year-old in 11 moves and then proceeded to earn a four-way tie for first. The 17-year-old lost to the tournament favorite, whom I beat in my last game in eight moves. He made a big mistake.

jdhermann