Chess Association sees bright future

The Missouri Chess Association prepares members for multiple tournaments throughout the year.

By Laura Hibbard

Published April 1, 2008

This year, the first issue of the Missouri Chess Bulletin was all good news.

"Greetings, Missouri chess players!" wrote Bob Howe, the publication's editor. He said 2008 "has arrived and with it what should be a great year for chess."

And so far, it has been. On Saturday, March 29, the Missouri Chess Association, founded in 1996, held the Mizzou Quads chess tournament in Memorial Union.

The warm day buzzed with anticipation as the first activity began at 10:30 a.m. in room N208. The games lasted until 4 p.m., when the champions were crowned.

Despite the fact that the event took place over the university's spring break, the atmosphere was anxious from morning until the late afternoon as the players were divided into quads for the matches.

"It's always tense," the MCA's spokesman Charles Ward said. "People may appear to be just sitting there, but their minds are racing at incredible speeds. That's the fun of it."

Every tournament features approximately five quads, with one winner from each quad announced at the end of the matches. Prizes are handed out according to the winners.

"I've always thought that playing chess was like a quarterback going up to the defensive line," Ward said. "You can see him thinking about what move to make."

The year has been big for the Missouri Chess Association. Early February marked the largest adult chess tournament held in Missouri in years, after the Continental Chess Association moved to St. Louis. Since then the association has planned and competed in many other events across the state, including competitions in Kansas City in July and Columbia in October.

The organization holds a variety of other chess activities, a schedule that remains booked throughout much of the academic year. The group's meetings are held every Monday evening, when they host small games 75 minutes long.

This is a time for event updates, group information, and practice for the players. In addition to these, there are also the monthly "speed chess" tournaments, during which each game spans for only five minutes per pair. This adds to the precision and reaction time of the players.

These regular games prepare the association members for what is regarded as the most important part of the club: the five open tournaments held every year, sponsored by the American Chess Association. These tournaments are usually large-scale, and give the members a chance to play against more experienced chess players with higher rankings and greater skill.

It is during these tournaments where many of the players come from out of state. These tournaments typically last for hours, repeating endless cycles of challengers, winners and losers.

The Missouri Chess Association adheres to the United States Chess Federation ranking, which provides life-long skill grading for its members. The USCF is the official U.S. organization for chess players. The organization also welcomes chess supporters, and players of all skill levels can participate.

Founded in 1939 by merging the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation, the USCF represents the United States in the World Chess Federation, FIDE, and international tournaments. Its mission is, in part, to "serve as the governing body for chess in the United States and as a participant in international chess organizations and projects."

Currently, the Missouri Chess Association includes 20 players ranked in the USCF, a scale which begins after each player has participated in at least 25 games.

Saturday's tournament finished with an air of victory not necessarily from the literal victory of matches, but also from the skills the players learned and the connections they made.

"Three players came from the University of Kansas, St. Louis and Jefferson City, so it really represented the state well," Ward said.