with 4-0 but managed just half a point from the final three games . At this difficult personal moment , James ’ thoughts were with the team he played for . He stayed in the team room , waiting for the results that would determine its fate . Isaac Barayev was the next to return . He came back wearing a smile of relief ; his had been a narrow escape . Despite an inferior position , he had rejected draws to pursue the necessary result . With his win , the outlook became considerably brighter . But James was fixated on the idea that his draw would cost the team dearly . He approached Isaac . “ It ’ s my fault . We ’ re going to lose by half a point , and it ’ s going to be my fault .” Isaac ’ s reply was immediate . “ Last year it was my fault .” Hunter had topped 318 by half a point the previous year , with Isaac not reaching his own high expectations .
Justus was next to return : He had won the most important game he had ever played for his school . His position had been difficult , and a draw would have suited him from a purely chess standpoint . “ But I knew we needed as many points as we could get .” For the second straight year , he scored 5 1 ⁄ 2 out of 7 to lead the team in the high school nationals . Hours into the final Sunday in Minneapolis , everything rested on 318 ’ s unlikely board four . Matthew Kluska was locked in battle with Miami expert Sam Silberman , from the Gulliver School . The game , which started as a quiet exchange Slav , burst into life : Kluska had accepted an uncomfortable king position in return for other positional advantages . As he had so many times in his eighth grade year , Matthew found a way . He crowned his comeback from 1 ⁄ 2 out of 2 with the most clutch win of his life , taking 318 to 20 points . But would it be enough ?
A Catalina Foothills versus Thomas Jefferson pairing had ended in an early draw , ultimately helping knock both teams out of first place contention . Hunter , however , had picked up three wins so far . Only Alec Getz remained , the picture of concentration , locked in battle with Minnesotan Matthew Dahl . Getz needed a win for Hunter to overtake 318 . The tension of the moment was not lost on John Galvin , watching from the sidelines . “ Both teams fought so hard . ... they should call the whole thing a draw .” It was strange to think we were rooting for Alec Getz to come up short . He was Hunter ’ s rock , tying for first in 2010 and scoring an unbeaten 6 / 7 in 2011 . Like his Hunter teammates , he was a class act on and off the board . Knowing a draw would not suffice for his team , Getz bravely continued in a difficult rook ending , trying to squeeze blood from a stone . Finally he accepted the inevitable and agreed to a draw , placing Hunter and 318 in a tie for first place .
Word of 318 ’ s superior tiebreaks reached the team room quietly . Galvin walked in with a single index finger raised in the air , the universal sign for “ first .” When Spiegel noticed , she wore the exhaustion , disbelief , and release of tension on her face . Celebrations began . Alumnus Pobo Efekoro ran down the hallway , nearly trampling Spiegel . Galvin permitted himself a fist pump , the first of the entire weekend . For a brief moment , a few granola bars assumed the role of projectiles , hurled across the room in an outpouring of joy . Elizabeth Spiegel , that most intense , most serious of teachers , just smiled . Her students made history , but they were , after all , middle schoolers . .
See the individual champion ’ s report beginning on the next page .
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CHECK OUT USCF ’ S CORRESPONDENCE CHESS RATED EVENTS !
2012 Open Correspondence Chess Golden Knights Championship $ 1,000 FIRST PRIZE ( plus title of USCF ’ s Golden Knights Champion and plaque )
2nd place $ 600 • 3rd place $ 400 • 4th place $ 300 • 5th place $ 200 6th thru 10th place $ 100 each • ENTRY FEE : $ 25
USCF ’ s 65 th ANNUAL
These USCF Correspondence Chess events are rated and open to all USCF members who reside on the North American continent , islands , or Hawaii , as well as those USCF members with an APO or FPO address . USCF members who reside outside of the North Am erican continent are welcome to participate in e-mail events . Your USCF membership must remain current for the duration of the event , and entry fees must be paid in U . S . dollars . Those new to USCF Corre spond ence Chess , please estimate your strength : Class A : 1800-1999 ( very strong ); Class B : 1600-1799 ( strong ); Class C : 1400-1599 ( intermediate ); Class D : 1399 and below ( beginner level ). Note : Prize fund based on 300 entries and may be decreased proportionately per number of entries assigned .
2012 E-mail Correspondence Chess Electronic Knights Championship ( Seven-player sections , one game with each of six opponents .)
USCF ’ s 9 th ANNUAL
$ 700 FIRST PRIZE ( plus title of USCF ’ s Electronic Knights Champion and plaque ) 2nd place $ 400 • 3rd place $ 300 • 4th thru 10th place $ 100 each • ENTRY FEE : $ 25
These USCF Correspondence Chess events are rated and open to all USCF members with e-mail access . Your USCF membership must remain current for the duration of the event , and entry fees must be paid in U . S . dollars . Maximum number of tournament entries allowed for the year for each player is ten . Note : Prize fund based on 200 entries and may be decreased proportionately per number of entries assigned .
TO ENTER : 800-903-USCF ( 8723 ) OR FAX 931-787-1200 OR ONLINE AT WWW . USCHESS . ORG Name _________________________________________ USCF ID #_______________________________________ Address _______________________________________ City ___________________ State ___ ZIP ____________ Phone __________________________ E-mail ____________________________________ Est . Rating __________ Credit card # ( VISA , MC , Disc ., AMEX ) _________________________________________ Exp . date _______________
If using VISA , need V-code ________________ q Check here if you do not wish to have an opponent who is incarcerated . * Note : This may slow down your assignment .
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO U . S . CHESS AND MAIL TO : JOAN DUBOIS , USCF , PO BOX 3967 , CROSSVILLE , TN 38557
CORRESPONDENCE CHESS MATCHES ( TWO PLAYERS ) Two or six-game options . ENTRY FEE : $ 5 .
Win A Correspondence Chess Trophy Four-player , double round-robin with class-level pairings . 1st-place winner re ceives a trophy . ENTRY FEE : $ 10 .
Victor Palciauskas Prize Tournaments Seven-player class-level pairings , one game with each of six opponents . 1st-place winner receives $ 130 cash prize and a certificate signed by Victor Palciauskas . ENTRY FEE : $ 25 .
John W . Collins Memorial Class Tournaments Four-player , double round-robin with class-level pairings ( unrateds welcome ). 1st-place winner receives a John W . Collins certificate . ENTRY FEE : $ 7 .
E-MAIL RATED EVENTS ( NEED E-MAIL ACCESS ):
Lightning Match Two players with two or six-game option . ENTRY FEE : $ 5 .
Swift Quads Four-player , double round-robin format . 1st-place prize merchandise credit of $ 30 . ENTRY FEE : $ 10 .
Walter Muir E-Quads ( webserver chess ) Four-player , double round-robin e-mail format tournament with class-level pairings . 1st-place receives a certificate . ENTRY FEE : $ 7 .
Please circle event ( s ) selected .
NOTE : Except for Lightning Matches , Swift Quads , Walter Muir E-Quads & Electronic Knights , players will use post office mail , unless opponents agree to use e-mail .
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