For the first time in 14 years, I will not compete in the Montana state championship. It's been a long and enjoyable run. I managed to score first place twice and second place a bunch of times. My scores of 3.5 in 2019 and 4 in 2020 were good enou...
Damn. I was preparing to hit the road tomorrow for Billings in a desperate quest to bounce back from a bad season and earn some Grand Prix points. It was not to be. Old Man Winter has stirred from his slumber and is unleashing dangerous snowstorms...
I received a voicemail at about 2:00AM from Greg Nowak (the "Octopus") stating that he is in St. Patrick's Hospital and is about to undergo major surgery. I don't know what it's for, but he wanted me to spread the word in case anyone is wondering ...
I drove to Bozeman for the first tournament of 2026 and was blessed with good weather both there and back. Many people are reluctant to attend this tournament because winters can be brutal here, but this one has been mercifully mild. The Bozeman H...
Sometimes I feel as if the older I get, the less I understand. This goes for life and for chess. For instance, at the Turkey Open last weekend I felt great and very clear-headed, but I managed to score only 2.5 points and will see my rating plumme...
This year's Chinook Open in Great Falls did not go as well as last year's, where I scored 4 points and won $600. Instead, I racked up another loss and finished with only 3 points, the bare minimum to gain Grand Prix points for the new championship...
The first tournament of the chess season took place in faraway Billings and was fun despite being a tad disappointing. I was winning all four of the games I played, but I converted only three of those into wins while throwing away the fourth with ...
At the Montana Open in April, the MCA President nominated me to attend an annual, national tournament in Wisconsin for state champions who are age 50 or older. I am 51 years old and a former state champion, so I fit the bill. Why not? Even though ...
I was the oldest player at the 2025 state championship in Bozeman. Three of the other five players were teenagers, one was 23, and the only one close to my age was 42. It blows me away that I've been at this for so long; indeed, the youngest playe...
Yesterday afternoon I played in one of the Octopus's unrated tournaments, which had only 4 rounds and a game/30 time control (with no delay or increment). These events are a lot of fun because I feel no pressure and can stay up late the night befo...
After floundering for the past several tournaments, I finally got back into the zone and played well at the Montana Open, scoring 4 points and guaranteeing myself a spot at the 2025 state championship. I suffered no losses and could have gone for ...
Anyone who competes in a chess tournament is a warrior poet. I say this because when I reflect on all the different types of tournaments I've competed in -- soccer, volleyball, weightlifting, swimming, track and field, moot court, pool, and even p...
Last weekend I traveled to Bozeman for the first tournament of the year, eager to find out whether I could get my head screwed on straight and play well again. I found out, alright. In the first round I walked into a perpetual check and had to set...
The annual Turkey Open has become the biggest event in Montana chess. Not only does it attract players from other states, but in recent years it has drawn the media, donations for prizes, and visiting grandmasters. I was looking forward to it beca...
This year's Chinook Open was rewarding, not only because I had a good tournament, but also because I had another chance to meet Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian (who had visited us at last year's Turkey Open). Akobian gave a lecture and simultaneous e...
I went to Kalispell for the first rated tournament of the new season and played so poorly that I think the only possible reason must be Alzheimer's. Despite keeping my drinking under wraps, I managed to score only one win, two draws, and a loss (w...
Over the weekend I played in an unrated game/60 invitational tournament hosted by the Octopus. His events are always fun because they allow me to play fast and loose, without worrying so much about accuracy. The Octopus actually lost two games in ...
I went into this year's Closed tournament with zero expectations, but rather with genuine curiosity about whether I could break the slump that's been pulling me down for the past year. This gave me a sense of calm throughout the entire weekend, ex...
Last weekend I participated in the Octopus's game/30 tournament in Missoula. I was cruising to a clean sweep when I played too slowly in the final round and lost on the clock to friend Eric Wagner, who did an excellent job of making threats and ca...
Despite experiencing my worst season ever while watching my rating plummet almost to its floor, I managed to qualify for the 2024 Montana state championship, which will take place in mid-July. Chess is filled with these ironies. For example, my be...
This was bound to be an unusual Open for me. Not only have I been in a yearlong slump, but I was traveling during the prior week to help judge a moot-court competition in Washington, DC (where my brain alternated between legal analysis during the ...
This year's St. Patrick Open in Billings was a lot of fun, though a mixed bag in terms of my results. On the plus side, I scored 4 wins in some exciting games and should receive a fair number of Grand Prix points because of the mileage multiplier....
Last weekend I made time to drive to Rathdrum, Idaho, to compete in a tournament hosted by the Spokane Chess Club (whose annual Collyer event in Spokane no longer exists). It was an astounding experience, as I played so poorly that my rating will ...
Last weekend I traveled to Helena to compete in my first tournament of 2024. I felt relaxed the entire time (one of the benefits of being in a slump), which motivated me to put together some creative games. It's safe to say that the Montana circui...
This year's Turkey Open was a stark reminder of how bittersweet chess can be. On the sweet side, I enjoyed a phenomenal opportunity to play grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian during a simul on Friday evening, and I put together two games during the tour...
