2008 Inter-Service Chess Championship, June 9-13
This year’s edition of chess rivalry between the armed services is already showing hints of historical proportions. For the first time ever in the history of military chess, a lone Air Force tigress laid waste to a field of mesmerized men by defeating the top boards of both the Army and Navy teams.
Paired against LCDR Choate (USCF 2050), Elena Dulger (USCF 1828) humbled the Navy’s top player in the first round. She then vanquished 1LT Macaspac (USCF 2986) in the second round, this year’s Army champion and top seed. After two rounds, the leaders with perfect scores are: Bucholtz (Air Force), Carrelli (Marines), Dulger (Air Force), and Baniel (Army).
A delayed broadcast of the games on MonRoi is planned starting this evening. Some site issues including the lack of Internet access at the playing venue made live coverage infeasible. However, all games from the last four rounds will be made available for replaying to fans of military chess starting this evening. The remaining rounds will be seen immediately after the games are completed.
The winner of the team competition is determined by adding scores of the top four scorers for each team, and the team with the highest score earns the bragging rights as champion. Besides the team event, the top finisher of each team will take the first four team spots. The remaining two spots will go to the other top placers regardless of service.
In this scheme, any team can possibly (and only) take three spots in the US Armed Forces Chess Team. The upside to this arrangement is that each service will at least be represented. In addition, it also effectively removes the possibility for one service to exclusively comprise the team.
The downside is evident as it is possible for players to earn a berth on the US Armed Forces Team by simply becoming the top scorers of their respective services. These players may not necessarily be in the top ten on the wall chart. When this happens, the US Armed Forces Team essentially is not fielding its strongest team based on results.
The format of the tournament is 7-round Swiss but no player will be paired against his teammate. The six-player team will represent the US Armed Forces in this year’s edition of the NATO Chess Championship to be held in Brussels, Belgium. The dates are yet to be announced.
2008 INTER SERVICE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER LIST
AIR FORCE Rank Rating
1. Keough, Robert W TSGT 2073
2. Bucholtz, Robert A TSGT 2013
3. Dulger, Elena V AC1 1828
4. Pagtama, Lawrence B MSGT 1903
5. Ranario, Dan P MSGT 2024
6. Echaure, Samuel COL 2009
ARMY
1. Macaspac, Arthur M 1 LT 2086
2. Drake, Christopher A SGT 1964
3. Pitts, Chris L CPT 1915
4. Baniel, Jhonel B SPC 1932
5. West, Darryl L SGT 1730
6. King, Christopher S PFC 1381
NAVY
1. Choate, Paul L LCDR 2050
2. Nichols, Ryan G ATCS 1605
3. Pihl, Eric LCDR 1440
4. Smith, Victor E LCDR 1687
5. Recinos, Johnny Jeff MM2 1627
6. Dixon, Joseph K YN2 1592
MARINES
1. Adkins, James MSGT 1946
3. Carrelli, Donald Cpl 1704
How come the USCF doesn’t promote military chess? I wish they would have more stories and news like this.
1LT Macaspac (USCF 2986)
Man, that’s a big rating.
It is a typo. It should be 2086. If you follow the player list, the correct rating shows.
If you want updates, photos and games, go to the http://www.USMilitary.Chess.org website.
More military chess stories are on the site including the 2008 All-Army Chess Championship. There are also articles on chess improvement free for download.
There is also information on the upcoming US Armed Forces Open held during Columbus weekend.