Ron Washington: A Chicago Institution

Chicago, City of Chess

You could easily have concluded that Chicago was the chess capital of the world today, if you did as I did and took to the streets on this glorious late-July Sunday. First I visited the chess pavilion at North Avenue and the lakefront, where about ten games were in progress at all times throughout the afternoon. FM Aleksandar Stamnov and another gent were playing some kind of game that involved playing cards and chess pieces. I didn't understand it. Chess expert and pavilion mainstay Ron Washington, who usually cruises easily to victory there against unsuspecting patzers and tourists, had his hands full playing a series of three-minute blitz games against a young man who was every bit his equal.

After that it was off to Cecil Locke's chess tables in front of the Art Institute, which were rife with activity as usual. I played a boy named Alexander from Newberry Academy. Though I had a material advantage he lured me into stalemate and the game ended in a draw. He was a solid player, though he's not in a chess club because he says there's none at his school. All this talent shouldn't go to waste. Anybody at Newberry up for starting a chess club?

Got a Match?

Chess tournaments abound in the Chicago area, but matches, those psychological dramas where two strong players face one another over the board, over and over, in a series of hard-fought games: that’s something we don’t see around here very much.

A chess match between two strong players is an exciting thing to behold. Think Fischer vs. Spassky, Kasparov vs. Karpov, Tal vs. Botvinnik, or Panner vs. Tennant. (Come to think of it: Whatever happened to that match? Has it been scheduled?)

While only two can play in a chess match many can spectate, and through the miracle of MonRoi, millions can follow a game and even kibitz about it online while it’s underway.

This week we have a chance to watch two national champions fighting it out up at the Holiday Inn in Skokie. U.S. Women’s Champion and major chess celebrity Irina Krush (top photo) is facing Armenian Women’s Champ Lilit Mkrtchian. The first two games ended in draws; there are two more games, one Wednesday and the other Thursday evening, each at 5:00. You can go and watch in person or follow it online. Details here, and initial report from Betsy here. This is a rare opportunity; don’t miss it.

Chess on the Lakefront

Yesterday was the kind of beautiful and comfortable day you seldom get in late July, so I took advantage of it and headed up to the chess pavilion at North Avenue and the lakefront.

Ron Washington and Walter Sowa

It's a lovely spot, and the place is an institution among Chicago chess players. According to a nearby plaque, the semi-enclosed, space-age structure was built in 1957 in response to the popularity of the location among chess players back then. That makes this year the pavilion’s jubilee, and in my humble opinion it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Park District to mark the occasion by fixing it up a bit. It’s in considerable disrepair: several of the 22 outdoor chess boards are crumbling and unusable, the lights often don’t work at night, and the place just needs some work.

Apart from the lighting, however, these problems seem to matter little to the regular denizens of the place, who flock to it throughout the summer, especially on weekends. While I was there yesterday there were about six or seven games in progress at any given time, and the regulars said attendance was down because of a tournament at Tuley Park. (One person conspicuous in his absence was Master Aleksandar Stamnov, who was believed to be at the South Side meet.)

I got together for awhile with chess Expert Ron Washington, whom Chessdad64 describes as the “mayor” of the chess pavilion. Ray School parents may remember Ron for the simul he played with club members at our chess picnic last fall. After beating me a couple of times he gave me some valuable lessons (at a very reasonable price) on the ideas behind the Giuoco Piano and the Fried Liver Attack.

Next Walter Sowa showed up with the move history of a recent game from the World Open in which Ron and Walter’s mutual friend IM Emory Tate beat IM Salvijus Bercys. It was a brilliant game, and it was a treat for me to watch these two veteran players review it. Go to The Chess Drum to play through the game and read the analysis by Tate, who is well-known for his chess annotations.

More photos here.