We had a good year in 2005, and ended with enough funds to award two scholarships this year. We are pleased to announce that our winners are Kelsey Robin of Woodstock and Robert Hayes of Crystal Lake.  Below are the essays they submitted.

Robert Hayes

    "I was taught how to play chess by my dad when I was 13.  We played for about a year.  It was pretty straightforward stuff, classical openings and such, and I ended up not caring for the classical openings.  I got back into chess in high school in the Bobby Fischer era.  I pulled out a book that helped, and I ended up being a decent high school player.  I think it helped my confidence in taking tests in school.  That left a strong impression on me.  Once high school was over, I stopped playing with regularity for about 20 years.

    "A few years ago an acquaintance, Jeff Norman, came along and got me back into the game.  Together we joined the U.S. Chess Federation and attended some tournaments together.  At about the same time Jeff Buchman organized a chess club at the Crystal Lake Park District, so we got involved in that.  Things took off from there.  It was a big priority to teach the game to our kids.  About five years later I asked our son, Bill, if he would like to play tournament chess.  When he said yes, that’s when things went to another level.  Bill’s bedtime routine included studying checkmating patterns.  Our chess activities have evolved into where I am currently an assistant coach for the Cary Kings chess club coached by Peter Spizzirri, and my son is an active player.

    "In trying to improve myself I was also looking for ways for my son to improve his play.  At one point we were able to succeed in getting a big improvement in my son’s rating but not my own.  Until a year ago I felt I had stopped improving.  It was then that I researched my study of combination play as well as more assertive openings.  It seems to have made a marked improvement.  I have a better understanding of my openings today.  Those ideas I’ve tried to convey to Bill as well as his Cary Kings teammates.

    "I also volunteer to teach two chess classes at the annual Crystal Lake Friends of Gifted Education fundraisers.  I do this because I want to introduce the game of chess of those kids who have never been shown.  I believe it helps with discipline, concentration, planning, patience, and analyzing a situation. 

    "The local chess activity is a lot of fun.  There is a good deal of support for anyone who wants to play, improve, and find out about what is happening with tournaments and chess culture in general.  The relationships established with our many kind and generous chess friends and as father and son are very special to me.  Thanks one and all!"

Kelsey Robin

    "I love chess! I have been playing chess since I was three years old; my mom and I were playing checkers, and I noticed the chess pieces that were in the same box as the checkers pieces. I asked my mom if she could teach me how to play chess. She told me when I was older that she privately thought that I couldn’t learn how to play because I was too young, but she said, “Sure, Kelsey, I’ll teach you.” To her amazement, I learned, and I have been enjoying playing this game ever since.

    "I also really enjoy playing chess with my dad. He has taken time out of his busy schedule to make time for me to play him one out of every two nights.

    "I started playing tournament chess last year, after joining McHenry Area Chess Club. I have enjoyed learning so much more about the game. I have had the excitement of rising from unrated to 1304 in half a year.

    "Several games in particular stand out in my memory. The first was with a person rated approximately 1350. I had only been to several tournaments, so I didn’t know that a player could get up in the middle of a game. This person came in late, and then after the third or fourth move, got up and walked around for ten or fifteen minutes. I was so distraught that I failed to notice that my knight was being attacked by his pawn. I lost that game.

    "The most nerve-wracking game I ever played was extremely tense. We were tied the whole game and low on time. The ending was just pawns, no other pieces. In that position, one wrong move could cost the game. It was a drawn position, but by that time, I guess my opponent didn’t care. I ended up winning on time. At the end of the game, I was shaking, and since our game was the last game to end, the next round started in two minutes!

    "It seems to me that almost every time I walk past a chess game in progress, I feel my eyes being drawn toward it. I just have to stop and analyze it, and sometimes I silently rage about them not making the move that I think they should.

    "I look forward to every moment that I play chess. Without chess, my life would lack a certain element that helps make me.  Without chess, life would not have as much meaning for me. I would not be me without chess. Chess is awesome!"

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