Chess Tournament 16 February

Randy Lovelace green shirt in May’s Groundhog tournament.

The Hickory Chess Club is holding its second tournament Saturday, February 16th.

The tournament, Chess For Fun, is a labor of love for Club TD (Tournament Director) Randy Lovelace. He said the name reflects a philosophy the club wants to encourage, especially among the area youths expected to compete.

Club Secretary Jack Shaver agrees; “Chess should be fun, social, and cordial,” he said, “it inevitably brings us together if we just try to be polite.”

Lovelace, the number 39 active chess player in NC, directed Groundhog Swiss 1 in May of last year. Eighteen chess players of all ages from as far away as Hendersonville competed.

It was the Hickory Chess Club’s first tournament.

Chess For Fun is to take place in the club’s usual meeting place, Meeting Room A of the Hickory Foundation YMCA Miller Teen Center, 701 1st St. NW, Hickory. Registration is from 9:00-9:45, and rounds are to be played at 10a.m., 12a.m., and 1:30p.m.

Entry to Chess for Fun is free for those who do not care to be eligible for a cash prize, $10 for those who do. The free entry option is intended to make the tournament more accessible.

The tournament is open to all USCF members. Non-members can be registered on site.

The flyer for the tournament can be found at http://www.ncchess.org/Hickory.htm   For pictures from the previous tournament and more about the Hickory Chess Club, see their website at http://www.hickorychessclub.org