Colorado Chess Informant Volume 33 Number 2 April 2006/$3.00 Inside this issue: All Star Closer 3 DCC New Club Officers 4 Book Review 5 The Chess Detective 6 Chris Hendrickson Games 7 Tournament Results 10 Allan Ufer Interview 16 Games from Winter 20 Springs Open Upcoming Tournaments 24 Club Directory 26 Chess players in the World Series?? Exclusive Bardwick interview with chessplayer (and closer) Brad Lidge of the Houston Astros! Plus, Paul Grimm’s interview with chess legend Allan Ufer PAGE 2 COLORADO CHESS INFORMANT VOLUME 33 NUMBER 2 Colorado State Chess CSCA Board of Directors Richard Cordovano Association President 719-593-0622 The Colorado State Chess Todd Bardwick [email protected] Association, Inc. is a Sec. 501(c) 3 303-770-6696 Future Informant submissions: tax-exempt, non-profit, educational [email protected] corporation formed to promote chess Randy Reynolds in Colorado. Contributions are tax- Vice-President 1839 Thyme Court deductible. Fort Collins, CO 80528 Richard Buchanan [email protected] Dues are $15 a year or $5 a 719-685-1984 tournament. Youths under 21 and [email protected] Senior memberships (65 or older) Prison chess: Randy Canney are $10. Secretary [email protected] Randy Reynolds Family memberships are available 970-206-9107 to additional family members for $3 [email protected] Chess Tour: Randy Reynolds off the regular dues, with only one [email protected] magazine delivered to the address. Treasurer Bruce Bain The Colorado Chess Informant (CCI) is the official publication of 2224 West Hillside Ave. Scholastic chess: Tom Nelson the CSCA, published four times a Englewood, CO 80110-1153 [email protected] year in January, April, July, and 720-318-6496 October. [email protected] Webmaster: Rick Nelson Articles in the CCI do not Junior Representative [email protected] necessarily reflect the views of the Dylan Lehti CSCA Board of Director or 303-683-2987 membership. [email protected] Submission Deadlines: Send address changes and January Issue – December 1st; memberships to the secretary, Members at Large April Issue – March 1st; Randy Reynolds. Send pay renewals Tom Nelson to Treasurer, Bruce Bain. July Issue – June 1st; 303-713-1327 October Issue – September 1st [email protected] WANTED: Newsletter Editor The Colorado Chess informant is in need of a qualified, interested newsletter editor. This person needs to be able to make a 15—20 hour commitment on a quarterly basis to solicit articles, write ar- ticles, edit articles, publish and distribute the newsletter. The person needs to meet clearly defined deadlines and can prioritize. The ability to minimize crisis in other areas of one’s life is very helpful also. The candidate will likely work in tandem with interim editor Randy Reynolds at first. The person should be a regular chess player familiar with Colorado Chess. The person needs to be proficient in computers and specifically Microsoft Publisher or a similar program. The person should also know how to use a chess program like Fritz to create chess positions that should be included into articles. This person needs to be able to provide a balanced perspective to various, competing, diverse inter- ests. Individuals with an “agenda” need not apply. This person also needs the ability to say “No” when necessary. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, contact State President Todd Bardwick at 303-770-6696 or at [email protected]. VOLUME 33 NUMBER 2 COLORADO CHESS INFORMANT PAGE 3 ALL-STAR CLOSER BRAD LIDGE PLAYS CHESS By Todd Bardwick For years, I have tried to the NLCS against the St. capture pieces to make find professional athletes Louis Cardinals to become your way toward the king. that play chess (the one of the top closers in In baseball, you are thinking process learned baseball. capturing outs to make through chess facilitates your way toward a win for the mental aspect of any Brad says his best pitches your team”. sport) because big sports are his slider and stars that play chess help f a s t b a l l , w h i c h After interviewing Brad on improve the overall image occasionally clock out at the phone for my chess of the royal game. 100 mph. His third pitch column in the Rocky i s a s p l i t - f i n g e r Mountain News, we met Major League Baseball has fastball. after the Rockies game on been a big challenge in my June 29 (when these photos quest…the game of choice Having been taught how to were taken) near the of MLB players is Texas play chess by his father visitor’s locker room at Hold’em. when he was seven, Brad Coors Field. has played the game My first baseball column throughout high school and 2005 was Brad’s first year came from an unexpected college. making the All-Star Team, source…my mother! Earlier and he didn’t disappoint this year, my mom called the National League fans: me and said that one of “The game of he pitched the 7th inning, her lady friends from throwing 11 pitches of church had a son, Brad baseball between which 9 were strikes, as Lidge, who played for the pitcher and he struck out the side. Houston Astros and also hitter sets up played chess. like a game of The Astros had a great chess.” comeback season this year Since I was a few years after starting 15-30 and removed from playing the chess players on the Fantasy Baseball, I hadn’t Brad is working on team were instrumental in heard of Brad and didn’t popularizing chess with helping the team win their know at the time that he his Astros teammates. He first National League was one of the best plays chess regularly with C h a m p i o n s h i p . closers in baseball. teammates Lance Berkman, Unfortunately, they didn’t Morgan Ensberg, and Brad fare well against the A fellow Cherry Creek High Ausmus. All four are White Sox in the World graduate, Brad told me he pretty evenly matched at Series…maybe next year. didn’t even make the chess. It was really cool varsity baseball team at to receive a baseball in Creek until his senior mail from Brad last year, when his fastball summer, signed by the jumped from the 80 mph Astros’ Chess team. range into the 90’s. Brad compares chess and Drafted by the Houston baseball, “The game of Astros in 1998, Brad got baseball between pitcher the closer job in 2004. In and hitter sets up like a the 2004 playoffs, Brad game of chess in that you had a great season by have to anticipate several breaking the National moves or pitches ahead to League strikeout record set up your opponent.” for relievers and pitched well under the pressure of “In chess, the goal is to Todd and Astro’s Pitcher Brad Lidge PAGE 4 COLORADO CHESS INFORMANT VOLUME 33 NUMBER 2 A Message from the CSCA Board Denver Chess Club to All CSCA Membership appoints officers for 2006 At their Annual Meeting on January 3rd, We are sure most of you are aware of and have been the Denver chess club elected officers for greatly perturbed by the seeming disappearance of the the 2006 year. Colorado Chess Informant. This notice is to inform you that the Informant has not been discontinued, and it is our This year’s President is Bruce Bain. hope that this magazine will continue to thrive through the Bruce was last year’s club Vice-President generous literary contribution of its membership. and currently serves as the Treasurer for the Colorado State Chess Association. We regret the length of time that has passed between issues of the Colorado Chess Informant. We know this has been a The Vice-President for 2006 is Joe source of great frustration for many of you and are sorry Haines. He is the immediate past Presi- for the consternation caused. The last two CSCA members dent of the club. who volunteered to serve as editors were unable to meet the set deadlines. It was unfortunate, but it serves as a tes- This year’s secretary is J.C. MacNeil. JC timony that the position of editor and its accompanying is also a Past President of the Denver commitments is not easy to fulfill. Chess Club. The treasurer for the Denver Chess Club We wish to express our renewed commitment to the timely for 2006 is Richard Monroe. This is his delivery of the magazine, which is the primary reason for first position as an officer for the club. moving its editorship into the ranks of the CSCA board members for now. This ought to serve as a sign that we are Tyler Hughes has been appointed as the dedicated to keeping this magazine as part of the rich tradi- Youth Representative to the board. tion that is Colorado chess. Eventually, it is our intent to recruit a new editor from the general CSCA membership There were approximately 30 individuals and we welcome members interested in the position to con- present for the meeting including current tact any one of us, as listed in the front cover of this is- CSCA President, Todd Bardwick. sue. We welcome all such interest, but note that special consideration will be made to insure applicants are able to commit and deliver to a deadline. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this latest issue of the CSCA Membership Colorado Chess Informant. Pricing Clarification Sincerely, Family memberships in CSCA can be purchased if there is someone in the The Colorado State Chess Association Board Members family who has a regular (or junior/ Todd Bardwick senior) paid membership.