Of String Players and Chess (Another LIfe Update)

Still in journal mode . . .

This morning I will be accompanying junior high string players in Solo & Ensemble competition. It's the second of three competitions I am involved in this season. The music for this one has not been hard to learn. Easy money!

After the competition I will be driving Trevor to a chess tournament in Skokie. (There seem to be a lot of chess tournaments in Skokie. Not sure why, but it's fun to say. Skokie, Skokie, Skokie.)

This tournament is a great opportunity for Trevor, who is knocking on the door of a Master chess title. It is an invitational FIDE tournament hosted by the North American Chess Association and features only Expert/Master level players in a round robin format (10 players total, each one playing all of the others over the course of the tournament). The level of play will be commanding. Several of those in attendance are International Masters; others are seeking the title. Trevor will likely be one of the lower-rated players there, a position he loves because of the challenge involved.

The tournament runs nine rounds: two today, two tomorrow, and one more each each evening Monday through Friday, meaning a lot of driving for Trevor's chauffeur. Trevor will not be playing on Ash Wednesday. Generally in a tournament such as this one, "byes" (planned misses earning a half-point) are discouraged, but there is another player who also has a scheduling issue on Wednesday night, so he and Trevor have been matched for that evening and will agree in advance to a draw, freeing them both up for the night.

This tournament will be excellent preparation for the Illinois Denker Qualifier coming up in a few weeks. (The Denker is the national high school championship; the winner of the Illinois qualifier receives financial support to enable him to attend the national tournament, which will be held in Indianapolis this year.) Last year in the Denker Trevor was the bottom seed; this year he's the top! That's quite a bit of progress in one year, isn't it?

Naturally, Mother Nature thought it logical to send us a brand new snow today, just in time for all this driving.

I hope wherever you are, you are warm and cozy inside!