February 1, 2003, Houston, Texas

One of the requirements to upgrade an USCF tournament director certification to either ANTD (Associate National Tournament Director) or NTD (National Tournament Director) is to direct a round robin event of at least G/30 or slower with eight or more players who have an average rating of at least 1800.  I have been hoping to direct such an event for nearly three years.  It finally happened February 1st, the day of the Columbia tragedy.

The event fielded an interesting mix of players with an average rating of 1890.  Clarence Yeung and Larry Englebretson are USCF Life Masters who have long been active in the Houston chess scene.  Larry is the chief club director of the Houston Chess Club.  Curtis Brooks, Bo Githoro, and Xi Zhang are among the stronger High School students in Houston and Texas.  William Ong and Kevin Wang are Elementary School students!  Rounding up the field was Ray Garza, who filled in for another player who had to cancel at the last moment.  Ray helped recruit players and the playing site, which was the Crossroads School, a private school near the Galleria area.  Ray is a chess coach and teaches Spanish at Bellaire Senior High School.

The event ran smooth silk.  G/30 events are great fun to watch, and I thoroughly enjoyed directing the event.  It was probably the easiest event I have ever directed.  There wasn't a single question about the rules or any claims I had to rule on.  All games were played with delay clocks, so insufficient losing chances claims were not an issue.  For fun I didn't use a computer.  Interestingly, this is the first event I have ever been involved with where a computer wasn't used.  Of course, pairings are not an issue.  Players randomly draw for their pairing numbers, and the pairings are set for the event unless a player withdraws.  In this instance, all games were played.  Altogether, the event lasted ran about nine hours including a lunch break.  I was impressed by the stamina of the players, especially the two Elementary School players, who demonstrated the poise of adults in their approach to the game over the board.  It's a pity these accomplished youths don't get more opportunities to play in events like this more often.

I charged an entry fee of $10 and added $100 of my own money to the prize fund.  Prizes were paid out as follows:  1st $100, 2nd, $50, and 3rd and 4th were divided equally at $15 each.  While he didn't win any money, an honorable mention goes to William Ong, who finished with a plus score against very tough competition.  The Crossroads School proved to be a nearly ideal location for a small event like this one, with a well-lit, quiet paying area with an attached bathroom, two skittles areas, and a kitchen.  I hope to see more events like this one in the future.

George John, USCF Certified Senior Tournament Director (and hopefully soon to be NTD)

Crossroads School "R" Event -- Standings:

#NameIDRtngRd 1Rd 2Rd 3Rd 4Rd 5Rd 6Rd 7Total
1Clarence C Yeung112383862200 W5W7W4L3W8W2W6 6.0
2Mbugua Bo Githoro127302251937 W8D4D6W5W7L1W3 5.0
3Larry Englebretson103891192215 W6D5W7W1L4W8L2 4.5
4Curtis J Brooks127679722013 W7D2L1W6W3L5W8 4.5
5William C Ong127515321725 L1D3D8L2W6W4W7 4.0
6Kevin A Wang127942581734 L3W8D2L4L5W7L1 2.5
7Raymundo V Garza125863211587 L4L1L3W8L2L6L5 1.0
8Xi Zhang127767911710 L2L6D5L7L1L3L4 0.5