Army, Air Force, Navy (teamed with the Coast Guard) and the Marine Corps will compete for the 2011 Inter-Service Chess Championship June 13th-17th at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. The Marine Corps Chess team will be led by Inter-Service and NATO chess veteran Master Guns James Adkins from Camp Lejeune. Showing up his second year at the Inter-Service, Sergeant Nicholas Wolff from Okinawa, Japan. The rest of the team will be made up by newcomers Corporal Antonio Jackson, Lance Corporal Chris Barnett, Lance Corporal Diego Gonzales, and Private First Class Jo Ann Ortiz. At minimum, one of these marines will get the chance to represent the United States in the 23rd NATO Chess Championship in Lithuania.
This will be the first year that I will watch the tournament from the sidelines. It is a great opportunity for all the branches to get to know each other and build camaraderie. Many service members play chess, but don't know tournaments like this exist....so spread the word!
To follow along on Facebook with pictures and results, like Military Chess. Hopefully, Monroi will pick up and broadcast this tournament live. I do not see it on their upcoming tournament list yet, but they have done so in the past and covered the Navy and Army Chess Championships from this year.
Good luck to everyone...but a little bit more to the Marine team. Semper Fi!
Yahoo Military Chess Group just posted the United States Armed Forces Open information for 2010. This is a FREE USCF-rated tournament open to all active duty, reservists, military retirees, cadets, midshipmen, ROTC (with DOD ID), and the Coast Guard. It will take place at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland this October 9th-11th. Already, two players joined advanced entry including author of "Improve Your Chess at Any Age" Andres Hortillosa.
Last year it was held in Gettysburg, PA where Technical Sergeant Robert Keough took clear first. One of his wins came from me in the fourth round! Here is an article written about our game and the event.
Another opportunity for military chess players....the Inter Service Chess Championship. I just turned in my application for this year's tournament. I had the privilege of playing in this tournament back in 2008 and 2009. Kenilworth members Arthur Macaspac and myself both competed in it back in 2008, but did not play against each other. We saved that for the 2010 KCC Championship!
If you are in the Marines (active duty or reserves), you are eligible to play in this year's Inter Service Chess Championship. I look forward to having the Marines field a full team this year! Here is the MARADMIN that came out. Applications are due May 31st. This is a great opportunity for chess playing leathernecks, so make sure you take advantage of it! Top Marine goes to Denmark to compete in the 21st NATO Championship. If you have any questions, please let me know. Make sure to check out Yahoo Military Chess Group because it has a wealth of information.