Game Of The Week
When I started coming to the Colorado Springs Chess Club, I noticed a couple of older gentlemen playing together. Every week they played at the same table, in the same chairs, on the same set, and with the same clock. They were always there before me chatting and playing until the night’s event started.
They reminded me of Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show, except without the heckling. They had the best seats in the house. They were the patriarchs of the chess club. When you were paired with one of them, you went to their table.
After a couple of years, Jack Farrington stopped coming to the club, but Virgil McGuire was still there. Same table, same chair, same set, and with the same clock, just waiting for someone to play.
I often filled that chair across from him, before the event started, to play and share what was new. I also made the walk over to his table 42 times to play a rated game. We had our first rated game on March 24, 1998, and he beat me.
He always played very solid and didn’t make a lot of mistakes. Our games were always sudden death time control and usually ended by the loser making the worst mistake in time pressure. But we always enjoyed them.
Our final game was played on July 17, 2007 in the club’s Low Rated Challenge, where the lower rated players got to choose their opponents. Virgil picked me.
He knew how much I had improved over the years and was always complimentary about my progress. He was not one to shy away from a challenge. I got the win. Maybe he just wanted to see me off on a high note. I will miss him.
Here is a poem from his remembrance:
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
— John Gillespie Magee, Jr
 |
| Black to move |
High Flight For Virgil
[Event "Cabin Fever Reliever"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2002.02.19"]
[Round "4.4"]
[White "McGuire, Virgil"]
[Black "Anderson, Paul"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "1538"]
[BlackElo "1695"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2002.02.12"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qa5 5. Bd2 Qb6 6. b3 cxd4 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. Bd3 Nc6 11. O-O Nxe5 12. Qe2 Nxd3 13. Qxd3 dxc3 14. Nxc3
Nf6 15. Na4 Qd8 16. Rac1 Ba3 17. Rc2 O-O 18. b4 Bxb4 19. Bxb4 Re8 20. Rfc1 b6
21. Rc7 Ne4 22. f3 Nd6 23. Bxd6 Qxd6 24. Qc2 Qf4 25. Nb2 g6 26. Nd3 Qd4+ 27.
Nf2 Qb4 28. Ng4 Kg7 29. Kh1 Red8 30. Ne5 Rf8 31. Qc6 Qf4 32. Nd7 Rfd8 33. Qc3+
d4 34. Qe1 Kh6 35. Ne5 Rf8 36. Ng4+ Kg7 37. Qxe6 Rfd8 38. Qc6 d3 39. Qc3+ Kf8
40. Qh8# 1-0
This Week In Chess
On June 23rd, the CSCC had 10 members in attendance. The participants played in the club-rated ladder games (G15). Each player faced an opponent similar in rating in a 2 game match and then was repaired with a different opponent for additional games. Here are the results:
Wins, Losses, %, Player
4 0 100.00% Bill Whinemiller
3 1 75.00% Paul Anderson
2 2 50.00% Harrison Kearney
2 2 50.00% Kevin Kaaoush
1 1 50.00% Mitch Anderson
1 2 33.33% Dean Brown
1 3 25.00% Jason Feith
1 4 20.00% Mitchell Pjontek
Comments From Email
Renae Delaware, Sunday, June 21, 2009 9:38 PM
It is with a very sadden heart that I report word of Virgil McGuire's passing. For many of us he was a beloved member of the CSCC & dear friend for many, many years. For those of you who did not know Virgil, he was a very modest man who absolutely loved to play chess. I first met Virgil when I started playing at the chess club in 2003; though he was a member for several years before that. He was a very sweet man and his loss will be felt in the chess community.
Virgil passed away on Wednesday, June 17th. To read his obituary posted in...The Gazette, please click (or copy/paste) this link: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/gazette/name/virgil-mcguire-obituary?id=22721824
Best wishes,~Renae
Richard Cordovano, Monday, June 22, 2009 3:11 PM
I am deeply saddened by the loss of a fine old gentleman. I enjoyed Virgil's friendship, visited him at home once, and played countless ten-minute games with him. It is about 3PM in Colorado Springs as I write this from Baltimore - I will say a prayer of godspeed and remembrance.
Sincerely, Richard Cordovano
Jerry Maier, Monday, June 22, 2009
Virgil will be deeply missed by the Colorado Springs Chess Community. He was a staunch supporter and always made new players feel welcome. My sincerest sympathies at his passing.~Jerry Maier
Martin Deschner, Sunday, June 21, 2009 3:48 PM
Wow! A grandmaster draw in Anderson vs. Csima in only 10 moves! After 9. Ng5 h6 10.h4, Wall's students would wait 5-10 additional moves before allowing a draw! In the time of GM Bobby Fischer, draws under 19 moves were greatly discouraged. When Fischer, himself, had a short draw, he explained that the rule was to stop the "Soviet Cheaters" and not aimed at Bobby Fischer himself!
[Comment is about this newsletter: https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2009/06/the-quincenchessial.html]
USAFA Quads #11
By Jerry Maier
Here are the results of the USAFA Quads #11.
Quad Alpha
Score Prize Place Player
3.0 $40.00 1st Markus D Petters
2.0 Gerardo Fern Neri
1.0 Anthon Telinbacco
0.0 Cory Edwar Foster
Quad Bravo
Score Prize Place Player
2.0 $20.00 1st Gerald J Maier
2.0 $20.00 1st James M Powers
1.0 Mark K Wells Usaf
1.0 Gary G Frenzel
Quad Charlie
Score Prize Place Player
2.0 $20.00 1st Kevin J Kaaoush
2.0 $20.00 1st David Kennedy
1.0 Alexander Freeman
1.0 Robert Mitchell
Upcoming Events
6/30 Bughouse!, CSCC
7/1,8,15,22,29 2009 July East Coast Deli, CSCC
7/2,9,16,23,30 2009 July USAFA Chess, CSCC
7/7 Speed tournament, CSCC
7/10-12 2009 Kansas Open & Kansas Quick Championship, KCA
7/11 2009 Colorado Quick Championship, CSCA
For event details and additional events, see the following websites:
Colorado Springs Chess Club: CSCC (http://springschess.org/)
Boulder Chess Club: BCC (http://www.geocities.com/boulderchessclub/)
Colorado State Chess Association: CSCA (http://colorado-chess.com/)
Wyoming Chess Association: WCA (http://www.wyomingchess.com/)
Kansas Chess Association: KCA (http://www.kansaschess.org/)
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