is proud to announce
The Asheboro Open XXI
Results
Total Players: 30 (29 paid entries, one house player)
Total Prizes: $650.00
Cross table: USCF Crosstable
PHOTOS: The Asheboro Open XXI
Section Winners:
Championship
(Open; 1600-UP):
1st:
2nd:
Tracy Callis,
Class:
Candidates (UNR-1599):
1st:
2nd:
Class:
Elli
Some Thoughts on The Asheboro Open XXI
from William "Tom" Hales, Organizer & Chief TD
There must be an outbreak of chess fever in North Carolina! While there is no known cure for chess
fever, serious chess competition does help relieve symptoms. The Asheboro Open XXI was just what
the doctor ordered! Thirty of NC's best and brightest gathered for a day of 100% pure chess relief. February
saw a 150% increase from just a year ago, folks! That is certainly nothing to sneeze at! This in a month
that included major tournaments like LOTS and The NC State Scholastic.
North Carolina is quickly becoming the "Chess Capitol of the South!" Hey, we all love NY...but we've got some
great players here too! What a great time to be a chess player in North Carolina!
The Championship Section was overflowing with chess talent this month. FM Ron Simpson headlined a
serious group of competitors that included Carolina Cobra John Timmel. We were pleasantly surprised to
see the return of Charlotte Expert Patrick McCartney (with his new bride and fellow chess player Amanda).
We also want to welcome back Virginian Tracy Callis, a super solid A player with Expert aspirations.
New to our lineup this month, Carter Benge is a talented scholastic player with a lot of potential. He is a
great addition to our incredible lineup of scholastic power players.
FM Ron Simpson once again proved an unstoppable force, emerging from the fiery furnace unscathed at 3-0
to win 1st place. Second place worked out to an unusual four way split: Patrick McCartney, Adam Holmes,
Tracy Callis, and David Noden shared the honors at 2.0 each. Rounding out the Championship Section,
Joshua Taylor captured the class prize with his solid 1.5 performance. Well Done!!
The Candidate's Section was extremely competitive this month, with several previous champions competing
and a few newcomers. We want to give a hearty Asheboro welcome to Ben Blach, Amanda McCartney, and
Kevin Xue Huang. When the final pawn was promoted, newcomer Ben Blach shared 1st place honors with
former Champion Connor Labean. I made a complete mess of the class prize, awarding a three way split--
and later realizing that it was actually a four way split. So the final result of the class prize was a four way split
between the following talented players: Zachary High, Jonathan McNeill, Elliot Cartee, and Larry Cooper. Congratulations to all the winners!!
On a personal note, I'm a person who likes to joke around a lot. Sometimes I say things in jest that either
come out wrong, or could be misinterpreted. Such was the case at this tournament when I made a fairly
ridiculous comment to a good friend about him just having beaten a low rated girl. I was making a facetious
remark in the spirit of good fun, which was intended for his ears only. Well, the remark was overheard,
and someone was offended by it. In hindsight I don't think the remark was appropriate. I certainly
did not mean to imply that women are inferior players, or that my friend was not to be congratulated on his
victory, but was simply picking with a friend to relieve some stress. I can see how such a comment
could be hurtful, and for that I apologize. Thanks for your patience, folks...I'm a work in progress.
You may be wondering why the winners this month were featured as modern art masterpieces. They say
necessity is the mother of invention...so blame the photographer here. All of my winner's photos were a bit
fuzzy this month, so I made the best of things by offering an artistic rendition courtesy of Adobe Photoshop
and a little tinkering. In my humble opinion, the artwork is at the least interesting, and a change of pace.
NO CALLS, please, I have painter's block.
Stay tuned in March as we implement two exciting changes. First, players will be able to pre register and
pay via Paypal. This will allow the use of credit or debit cards, or direct draft from your bank. The process
is safe, easy, and convenient. You will be paying Asheboro Chess Club directly, and nobody on our end can see
your personal information. Stay tuned for more details. Second, Asheboro Chess Club be adding VIDEO to our multimedia lineup. You will be able to access this video via a link on our website, but it will NOT be accessible
to the general public via search. The possibilities for this are mind boggling! If a picture is worth 1000 words,
a video is worth 1,000,000!!
Be sure to check our website often for all this and more: www.asheborochess.com.
I appreciate everyone who helped make The Asheboro Open XXI a success: Special Assistant John Davis volunteers his time month after month to help with the tournament. This month, Jonathan McNeill pitched in to help with setup and cleanup afterward. Also, Asheboro Chess Club TD Mark Stout came in early Saturday morning to
lend a hand. Last but not least I want to thank the chess players of North Carolina for their support this year.
We can't do it without you!
The Asheboro Open XXII is March 3rd! Now is the time to make those chess memories that will last a
lifetime. Come be a part of it all at TAO XXII!
Sincerely,
William "Tom" Hales, Chief TD
The Asheboro Open
chess@triad.rr.com
Asheboro Chess Club subscribes to the "Activity Means Members" philosophy of the
US Chess Federation. Rated chess attracts new members, and helps regain those who have
lapsed. We want to thank everyone who participated, and we encourage you to support other
tournaments and clubs in the area:
http://www.ncchess.org/tournaments/index.htm
http://www.ncchess.org/clubs/index.htm
Asheboro Chess Club meets Tuesdays from 6:00pm until 10:00pm
at the W.H. Moring Arts Center, 125 Sunset St, Asheboro, NC 27203
Enter parking lot at Bicentennial Park, turn left, and we are right next
to First National Bank. Look for sign 125 Meeting Room.
We are USCF affiliates, and sponsor a variety of rated events.
Visit our website for more info: www.asheborochess.com
or email me with questions or comments: chess@triad.rr.com