Pictured are the proud prize winners of the March 24 event. Seated (left to right): Curt Bergan, Jim Gabriez, Rick Whitney; standing (left to right): Jon Heimarck, Jerry Dew, David Jones, Arthur Fink, Dave Thomas, Mike Rice. Come on over some Saturday and enjoy the coffeehouse atmosphere. A friendlier bunch of chess players you will not find anywhere, and that includes New York and Vienna!
Rick Whitney
The Sun Lakes Chess Club held its inaugural Chess Tournament on March 24. Winners included Group A: Jon Heimarck in first, with Jerry Dew capturing runner-up; Group B: David Jones won, with Rick Whitney finishing second; Group C: Jim Gabriez in first, with Dave Thomas in second; and Group D: Curt Bergan in first, with Arthur Fink close behind in second. The format of the tournament was “bonspiel” (which we borrowed from curling). All the games were well-contested, and good sportsmanship was the order of the day.
The Sun Lakes Chess Club has a long and storied history, but this was the first time we were organized enough to conduct a tournament. We would like to thank the Sun Lakes Community Foundation for its generous $300 gift on March 4, 2022, which enabled us to purchase 10 chess sets and three chess clocks. We are also grateful to have had a regular room to meet every single Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Arts & Crafts Room (A-8). This is the longest tenure in the same location in any of the club members’ memories, so we must be doing something right!