RRSO XIV

16 April 2016
Davis, Oklahoma

Oklahoma
(At Home)
17.0
17.0

Texas
(On Road)
Bd
Player
Pre
Post
Score
Pre
Post
Player
Pre Post
Pre Post
01
2225
2225
1.0
1.0
2219
2219
2225
2225
2219
2219
02
2149
2120
0.0
2.0
2115
2137
2149
2120
2115
2137
03
2117
2111
1.0
1.0
2014
2021
2117
2117
2014
2021
04
2024
2030
1.5
0.5
1924
1918
2024
2030
1924
1918
05
1918
1910
1.0
1.0
1809
1819
1918
1910
1809
1819
06
1851
1861
1.5
0.5
1798
1787
1851
1861
1798
1787
07
1801
1800
1.0
1.0
1660
1674
1801
1800
1660
1674
08
1725
1740
1.5
0.5
1658
1648
1725
1740
1658
1648
09
1695
1674
0.5
1.5
1646
1668
1695
1674
1646
1668
10
1626
1584
0.0
2.0
1543
1589
1626
1584
1543
1589
11
1520
1528
1.5
0.5
1416
1407
1520
1528
1416
1407
12
1397
1435
2.0
0.0
1378
1339
1397
1435
1378
1339
13
1271
1280
1.0
1.0
1339
1331
1271
1280
1339
1331
14
1487
1461
0.0
2.0
1612
1635
1487
1461
1612
1635
15
1100
1150
1.0
1.0
1308
1307
1100
1150
1308
1307
16
0818
0823
0.5
1.5
1058
1053
0818
0823
1058
1053
17
0648
0734
2.0
0.0
0371
0366
0648
0734
0371
0366

2016 Murray County Open

16 April 2006
Davis, Oklahoma

#
Player
St
Pre
Post
Rd01
Rd02
Total
01
TX
2004
2010
W02
U
1.0
02
TX
1800
1800
L01
U
0.0

RRSO XIV Photos

Oklahoma Chess Team 2016 OKLAHOMA CHESS TEAM - WORLD AND RRSO CHAMPIONS - PHOTO BY STAFF - GRAHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Texas Chess Team 2016 TEXAS CHESS TEAM - SOUTHERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS - PHOTO BY STAFF - GRAHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Adam Hart (TX) TEXAS CHESS ROOKIE ADAM HART DEMONSTRATES HOW HE OUTPLAYED HIS OPPONENT IN ROUND TWO
Demonstrating his best moves of Round Two

Adam Hart (from Irving, Texas) split a tough match with a determined Oklahoma opponent on on Board Fifteen.  This is Adam's first RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Aurelio Gonzalez (TX) AURELIO GONZALEZ - HAS NEVER MISSED AN RRSO - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
The Most Fanatical Chess Player in Texas
(14 straight RRSO's)

Aurelio Gonzalez (from Watauga, Texas) has never missed an RRSO and frustrated his opponent's shutout scheme on Board Four.  He holds or shares four RRSO world records:

Ben Kemna (TX) BEN KEMNA TEACHING CHESS - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Shady Shore's best ever chess player

Ben Kemna (from Shady Shores, Texas) played valiantly against a determined opponent on Board Seventeen.  During any free time he gave encouraging words to his teammates; helping to ensure Oklahoma didn't win a clear victory.  This is Ben's second RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Chess Expert Chuck Johnson (OK) CHESS EXPERT CHUCK JOHNSON - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Board Four Terminator

Chess Expert Chuck Johnson (from Tulsa, Oklahoma) handily won his match on Board Four with a 1-1/2 points score.  His result was crucial for Oklahoma's success.  Had he slacked off just a little and split his match Texas would have won.  Chuck is in the RRSO record books as one of the top "Terminators" (five match victories over an opponent from the other state by a 2.0 or 1.5 score).

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Curtis Williams (OK) CURTIS WILLIAMS SHOWING HE IS A REAL CHESS PLAYER - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Real chess player
with a great sense of humor

Curtis Williams (from OKC) courageously battled an unrelenting opponent on Board Fourteen.  Between rounds he showed everybody that even the most serious chess players need a sense of humor.  This is the second RRSO for Curtis.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Dan Henson (TX) DAN HENSON PRACTICING BLINDFOLD CHESS WITHOUT THE BANDANA - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Can play chess blindfolded
or with his eyes closed

Dan Henson (from Haslet, Texas) played a tough match on Board Twelve.  This photo was snapped when he was taking a break from the action.  This is Dan's first RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Florian Helff (OK) FLORIAN HELFF - PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA'S CHESS CLUB - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Board Four Terminator

Florian Helff (from Norman, Oklahoma) had an excellent result with 1-1/2 points on Board Eight.  He is a member of Deutscher Schachbund (DSB) (The German Chess Federation).  He is also President of the University of Oklahoma's Chess Club.  This is Florian's first RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Chess Expert Frank Berry (OK) FRANK BERRY - OKLAHOMA CHESS TEAM CAPTAIN WITH THE FAMOUS TRAVELING TROPHY - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Oklahoma Chess Team Captain

Chess Expert Frank Berry (from Stillwater, Oklahoma) generously stepped aside to make room for others to play.  He also capably served as the Chief Tournament Director.  This is Frank's twelfth RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Chess Expert Jim Hollingsworth (TX) IM HOLLINGSWORTH - TEXAS CHESS TEAM CAPTAIN - PHOTO BY MIKE TUBBS - GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Texas Chess Team Captain

Chess Expert Jim Hollingsworth (from North Richland Hills, Texas) recruited an outstanding team for RRSO XIV.  He is also the Oklahoma Chess Foundation's Webmaster (OCFCHESS).  This is Jim's ninth RRSO.

Photo by Mike Tubbs and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

John De Vries (TX) JOHN DE VRIES - PRESIDENT OF THE WACO CHESS CLUB - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Waco Chess Club President

John De Vries (from Waco, Texas) split Board Thirteen with a determined Oklahoma opponent.  This is John's second RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Josh Riesenberg (OK) PHOTO OF JOSH RIESENBERG - PHOTO BY REBECCA RUTLEDGE AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Forever banned from Texas?

Josh Riesenberg (from Norman, Oklahoma) split his Board Fifteen match with a talented Texas opponent.  He is an active member of the University of Oklahoma's Chess Club.  Josh is actually a Texan and spiced up pre-match publicity by defecting to Oklahoma.  The Texans appealed to Victor Yaward, the RRSO Commissioner, who immediately squashed all protests.  Mr. Yaward, who just happens to be an OU graduate, ruled any Texas student attending an Oklahoma school has the right to be an Okie.  Josh has a great sense of humor and is a real morale booster for any RRSO team.  This is Josh's first RRSO.

Photo by Rebecca Rutledge and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Maria Tubbs (OK) PHOTO OF MARIA TUBBS - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
RRSO XIV Staff Member

Maria Tubbs (from Lawton, Oklahoma) served on the RRSO XIV Staff.  She capably managed the lunch program so the players would not be forced to forage for food in the Oklahoma wilderness.  This is Maria's first RRSO as staff.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Rebecca Rutledge (OK) PHOTO OF REBECCA RUTLEDGE - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Board Seventeen Ace

Rebecca Rutledge (from OKC) swept her Board Seventeen Opponent who proclaimed afterward "She played like a Grandmaster!"  She coaches her son, Max, in chess and is his Number One Fan in all of his activities.  She is a big supporter of Oklahoma's arts and volunteer organizations.  She is an active member of OKC's "The Challengers" Chess Club and serves as Executive Director of Youth Chess League of Central Oklahoma, Inc.  Rebecca is a real chess player with a great sense of humor.  This is Rebecca's first RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Roger Baxter (OK) PHOTO OF JOSH ROGER BAXTER - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Founder and President of
The Challengers Chess Club

Roger Baxter (from OKC) heroically battled a tough Texas opponent.  During quieter moments he inspired and gave words of encouragement to his teammates.  Universally respected by all Oklahoma and Chess Players; his presence makes any RRSO a better place.  This is Roger's ninth RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Shane Stonehocker (OK) PHOTO OF SHANE STONEHOCKER - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Board Twelve Ace

Shane Stonehocker (from Lawton, Oklahoma) swept his Texas opponent on Board Twelve.  This is Shane's first RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Shaun Graham-Bowcaster (OK) PHOTO OF SHAUN GRAHAM-BOWCASTER - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Board Four Terminator

Shaun Graham-Bowcaster (from OKC) won his Board Four match with 1-1/2 points.  He is in the record books as the top RRSO Terminator with seven match victories over an opponent from the other state by a 2.0 or 1.5 score.  This is Shaun's tenth RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Tom Crane (TX) PHOTO OF TOM CRANE - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
President of the
Tarrant County (TX) Chess Club
RRSO was his idea

Senior Tournament Director Tom Crane (from North Richland Hills, Texas) played a tough match with a very determined opponent.  He is President of the Tarrant County (TX) Chess Club.  This is Tom's twelfth RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Chess Expert Tom Patton (OK) PHOTO OF CHESS EXPERT TOM PATTON - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Ranked Number 13 in Oklahoma

Chess Expert Tom Patton split his Board Three match with a very tough Texan.  This is Tom's fourth RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Tommy Hay (OK) PHOTO OF TOMMY HAY - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Treasurer of
The Challengers Chess Club

Tommy Hay led Oklahoma's recruiting effort and built an outstanding team.  He also split his Board Thirteen match with a player from Waco.  This is Tommy's third RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Zach Graber (TX) PHOTO OF ZACH GRABER - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Board Ten Ace

Zach Graber swept his Board Ten match against a very experience opponent.  This is Zach's first RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Chess Expert Zach Haskin (TX) PHOTO OF ZACH HASKIN - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH
Board Two Ace

Zach Haskin swept his Board Two match against an opponent with extensive international experience.  This is Zach's third RRSO.

Photo and graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

RRSO XIV Games

Click for RRSO XIV Games
Source:  Frank Kim Berry's OKIE Database

Game of Kings

John De Vries talks about RRSO XIV

JOHN DE VRIES - PRESIDENT OF WACO CHESS CLUB - PHOTO AND GRAPHICS BY JIM HOLLINGSWORTH      I am among the most fortunate of men because I have a truly wonderful hobby that grows my mind and raises my spirit – chess!  Most people have a vague respect for chess as the game is often linked with intellectual smarts.  They don't really understand chess because it requires rare skill and people who don't play it can't easily fathom the intricacies of a chess game.  For spectators, chess must be a participatory sport.  Chess can't be easily televised to the masses, because its mysteries are too deep.  A chess virtuoso resembles a master musician – it takes countless hours of practice and tremendous talent to grasp this incredible game and the game can't ever be mastered, even by the world's greatest grandmasters, because there are so many wrinkles and variants.

     Although I have no exceptional chess talent (within any serious chess community, I am a completely ordinary and even mediocre player) I still love the game.  "Chess has the ability to make men happy" for it provides many examples of boundless creativity and courage.  It feeds our intensely competitive spirit, but yet we completely respect our opponents and anyone else with an emotional connection to chess.  All sorts of barriers crumble to dust in the chess world – political barriers, economic barriers, theological/religious barriers, gender barriers, philosophical barriers, age barriers, etc.  This is one of the best things about chess.  If a person loves chess, that person is my brother, period.  Chess brings people together.

     I really have no time for chess.  I am a teacher, blogger, activist, musician, parent, and "significant other" to a wonderful brave woman who lives sixty miles away.  Yet for me, Chess consumes substantial amounts of precious time.  It makes no sense, in terms of schedule.  But the clarion call of chess keeps calling me, and I can't resist its enchanting melody.  So no one should be surprised by my 215 mile trip (one way) to play two games of chess in the 14th "Red River Shootout" held on April 16, 2016, in Davis, Oklahoma.

     As all serious chess players know, the REAL "Red River Shootout" is a series of annual team matches between the most fanatical chess players in Oklahoma and Texas.  Each team ranks their players by United States Chess Federation rating and every person on each team plays two games (one with the Black pieces and one with the White pieces) against an opponent with a similar rating.  Each team is awarded one point for every chess game victory and ½ point for every draw.  At the end, the team with the most points wins.

     Prior to the 2016 slugfest (a 17-17 tie), Texas had won nine matches and Oklahoma had won four.  For RRSO XIV, Oklahoma was the defending Champion.  The rules stipulate that the winning team keeps the coveted "Traveling Trophy" for one year and retains custody of the trophy for one more year if the match ends in a tie.  Because RRSO XIV was tied Oklahoma keeps the trophy and bragging rights for at least another year.

     This was my second exposure to RRSO chess.  I played long ago in 2006 (RRSO IV) and lost one game and drew one game.  The 2006 event was held in southern Oklahoma and I really enjoyed myself.  The distance kept me from participating in subsequent Red River Chess Shootouts, but I developed a recent Facebook friendship with Jim Hollingsworth, the Texas Chess Team Captain.  I eventually promised him I would participate.  I always want to meet chess players from other states!

     The anointed day came and I found myself paired with Tommy Hay, an affable "1300 something" player from Oklahoma City.  Like me, Tommy is a tournament chess player with generally ordinary skill – he will always beat a beginner chess player, but he is in "the middle of the pack" compared to persons who regularly play in chess tournaments.

     I played Black in our first game, and was pressed hard by Tommy's kingside attack.  After spending twenty moves protecting myself from near immediate checkmate with stalwart defense, I uncorked an exchange sacrifice (Rook for Knight) that led to relative parity.  I moved a b pawn down the board and was certain that it would soon reach the last row and become a Queen.  This gave me misplaced confidence because Tommy found a beautiful checkmate of rook and pawn that was beyond my limited chess vision.  A post mortem revealed that I only had a pretty secure draw (not a victory) with best play.  My loss was a grave disappointment because I fully expected to win the game (If I had achieved a draw, the Texas team would have won the chess match!).

     Even though my first game ended in surprising defeat, I totally enjoyed myself.  Almost nothing compares with a two hour tournament chess game!  In the second game I had the White pieces and opened with d4.

     Tommy plays like Tigran Petrosian (a Russian World Champion during the Bobby Fischer era).  He sets up stalwart defenses before going on the offensive.  I was able to place four pawns in the center of the board (Four Pawns Attack), with two bishops and two knights behind the pawns, in the first eight moves.  It was a tense and terrific struggle, but my friend made a small mistake and I gradually developed an overwhelming material advantage which led to victory.  However, convincing my opponent to abdicate was like trying to force a crocodile on its back in a swamp.  Finally, Tommy resigned.  With my 1-1 score I left Oklahoma in a grateful and congenial frame of mind.  I made a new friend and my rating was no lower than it was when the day started.

     I learned several things at RRSO XIV.  First, I LIKE team chess events (each player on a team plays two games or four games against the same opponent with a similar rating).  Why can't we have regular regional rated chess matches?  Perhaps the Tarrant County Chess Club could play the Waco Chess Club, or the Temple (TX) Chess Club could play the Waco Chess Club.  Why is the Texas vs Oklahoma Red River Shootout chess event limited to only one encounter per year?  I would love to see Texas play Oklahoma every six months!

     Second, the event was graced by Jim Hollingsworth's matchless chess photography.  He even managed to make this writer (me) look semi presentable as I sat at a chess board and considered a move!  Jim says his idol is the late Nigel Eddis who was universally recognized as the top chess photographer in the country.  Jim also served as organizer/team captain for the Texas chess team.

     Third, the distance is not too large a sacrifice for Waco chess players, even though I "only" played two games.  It was a wonderful experience, and my community of chess players expanded!

     I hope that the Texas vs Oklahoma "Red River Shootout" continues for at least twenty more years.  If I am lucky, I will participate at least ten more times.  This would enlarge my circle of friends, further cement my love for chess, and help me live past 85!  RRSO is unlike any other chess event in the USA and my presence on the Texas player roster was a great blessing to me!

About John De Vries:  John De Vries is President of the Waco (TX) Chess Club.  When not playing chess he teaches at a local community college.  He also writes a paid subscription autobiographical/spiritual/political blog.  In the past he worked as a juvenile crime prevention project administrator, full charge bookkeeper and health insurance claims administrator.