Remembering Super Bowl Champion Coach and Hall of Fame Tight End Mike Ditka

Mike Ditka, who passed away today just nine days before his 87th birthday, is perhaps best known as the coach of the dominant 1985 Chicago Bears team that won Super Bowl XX, but he was also one of the greatest tight ends in pro football history. Ditka was the first tight end inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988), and he was also selected to both the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team (1994) and the NFL's 100th Anniversary Team (2019).

Ditka had a successful college career at the University of Pittsburgh, leading the team in receptions in all three of his varsity seasons (1958-60) while being named an unanimous First Team All-America selection in 1960, when he also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting. Ditka was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

The Chicago Bears selected Ditka with the fifth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft, while the Houston Oilers chose him with the eighth overall pick in the 1961 AFL Draft. Ditka signed with the Bears, and in 1961 he set the NFL's rookie tight end records for receptions (56), receiving yards (1076), and touchdowns (12) when the NFL season lasted just 14 games; he led all NFL tight ends in all three categories that season. Ditka was the first NFL tight end to have at least 1000 yards receiving and at least 12 receiving touchdowns in the same season, a feat that more than 60 years later has only been matched by four players: Todd Christensen (1983), Rob Gronkowski (2011, 2014), Jimmy Graham (2013), and Travis Kelce (2022). Ditka still holds the rookie record for touchdowns by a tight end, his rookie tight ends reception record stood until 1988, and his rookie tight ends yardage record lasted until 2024. The longevity of those records is remarkable considering not only that the NFL season was later lengthened but also that Ditka played in a run-dominant era before rules changes opened up the passing game in 1978 and again in the 2000s. 

Ditka led all NFL tight ends in receptions in each of his first four seasons. The Bears went 11-1-2 in 1963 before beating the New York Giants 14-10 to win the NFL Championship. Ditka led that team in receptions (59), receiving yards (794), receiving touchdowns (eight), and scoring (48 points) while earning the first of back to back AP All-Pro First Team selections. 

Ditka felt that the Bears did not compensate him adequately for his production, declaring that owner George Halas "threw nickels around like manhole covers." The Bears traded Ditka to the Eagles in 1967 and he had two forgettable seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to Dallas. He did not post eye-popping numbers with the Cowboys, but he started all three of their playoff games in 1971 as the Cowboys won a Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, defeating Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI. 

Ditka retired after the 1972 season and joined Tom Landry's staff as a special teams/receivers coach, a position that Ditka held in Dallas for nine seasons (1973-81) as the Cowboys reached the Super Bowl three times, including a 27-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII. 

After the Bears won the 1963 NFL title, they missed the playoffs from 1964-76 and went 0-1 in the playoffs in 1977 and 1979. When the Bears hired Ditka as their head coach in 1982, he inherited a 6-10 club that went 3-6 under his direction during the strike-shortened 1982 campaign. The Bears improved quickly, going 8-8 in 1983 and then 10-6 in 1984 when they captured the first of five straight NFC Central Division titles. Under Ditka, the Bears reached reached the NFC Championship game three times, and won Super Bowl XX by the biggest margin in Super Bowl history at that time, routing the New England Patriots 46-10. That 1985 championship team is famous for the "Super Bowl Shuffle" video that the players made during the season, and for going 15-1 before winning their three playoff games by a combined margin of 91-10, including shutouts in two NFC playoff games before the Super Bowl. Defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan was a mastermind. Doug Plank, who played safety for the Bears, said that Ryan was playing chess with his defensive strategies. The Bears' legendary "46" defense featured Hall of Famers Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, and Steve McMichael and led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season (198). The underrated offense with Jim McMahon at quarterback and Walter Payton (1551 rushing yards, third best in the NFL) at running back ranked second in the NFL in scoring (456 points, just 11 behind the "Air Coryell" San Diego Chargers). Even if you weren't a Bears fan, that team was fun to watch (unless they were pounding the daylights out of your favorite team). I was a freshman in high school at that time, and I must say that more than 40 years later I still consider the 1985 Bears one of the greatest and most entertaining NFL teams I have ever seen.

Ditka was not a man prone to regrets, but one regret that he admitted publicly is that he did not make sure that Payton scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl; in a goal line situation late in the third quarter with the Bears ahead 37-3, the Bears gave the ball to defensive lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry instead of Payton, who at that time was the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards and who later held the all-time rushing touchdowns record for nine years. Although Perry scored three rushing touchdowns during the regular season, many people--including Payton himself--thought that the play should have been designed for Payton. Ditka later said,  "It never, ever crossed my mind. Now is that wrong of me? Yes, probably. It should've crossed my mind, but it didn't. I didn't think it would ever mean anything to, I think, the greatest Bear ever. But then it did, so I was wrong. That, I regret a lot. I really do regret it a lot, because I didn't realize it was important to him, and it was very important to him."

Ditka was twice selected as the AP NFL Coach of the Year (1985, 1988) but all good things must end, and the Bears fired him after a 5-11 season in 1992, just one year after the debut of the famous "Saturday Night Live" skit about "Da Bears" that is still fondly remembered to this day.

Ditka spent four years as a football commentator for NBC Sports before returning to the sidelines in 1997 to coach the New Orleans Saints. The Saints did not come close to having a winning season with Ditka at the helm and they fired him after three losing seasons. That period is most remembered for the Saints' infamous decision to trade all of their draft picks for 1999 and 2000 in exchange for the number five pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, which they used to select running back Ricky Williams. Williams rushed for 884 yards as a rookie in Ditka's final season on the sidelines. Williams won the 2002 NFL rushing title with the Miami Dolphins and he finished his career with five 1000 yards seasons and 10,009 career rushing yards, but it is impossible to build a winning team after trading away that much draft capital. 

After his coaching career ended, Ditka became a popular NFL commentator on ESPN. He was known for his direct manner of speaking as both a coach and as a commentator. Perhaps the best example of this is what he told the Bears' players after becoming the team's coach in 1982: "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is we're going to the Super Bowl. The bad news is half of you guys won't be here when we do." Ditka was blunt--and he was right: the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears had just 14 players who had been on the team in 1981, the year before Ditka became the team's coach.

Mike Ditka will be remembered as a Chicago icon, an all-time great tight end, and the coach of one of the NFL's greatest single season teams.

Journey to the National Master Title, Part 19

I scored 3/4 in the July 25, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado, gaining 12 rating points to lift my rating to 1944 while tying for first-third U2000. My daughter Rachel also played; she did not win a tournament game, but she had fun playing a lot of casual games in between rounds, and she won some of those.

I proudly wore my "Chess Dad" shirt when Rachel and I played in the July 25, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado
  

Rachel and tournament organizer Robert Chenault enjoyed a casual game before round two 

Rachel and I went to Grand Rapids to experience the whole week of the U.S. Open (August 3-9) plus the various invitational tournaments. I scored 4/8 in the Weeramantry National Tournament of State Champions speed chess (3+2) event. My first two wins were by forfeit, and my other opponents all had higher regular ratings than I do. I split my two game mini-match with Charlie Creswell, who tied for second-fourth in this event with 7/8. I drew a game with Landon Meadors, a 10 year old who went on to score 7/9 in the U.S. Open to earn the National Master title in style. My overall performance was solid, resulting in just a three point blitz rating loss to 1808.

I defeated FM Peter Bereolos in the first round of the Irwin National Tournament of Senior State Champions, and then I earned the second round upset prize for my win versus IM Tim Taylor, a 1977 U.S. Open co-champion. Chess Life Online mentioned my second round win in their U.S. Open coverage. In my game versus Taylor, my K boldly marched up the board, munching pawns along the way. Objectively, I was lost, but in time pressure he faltered by playing ...Bc5+??:

After Kc3, my K safely completed a tour from g1-g2-f2-f3-f4-f5-e4-d4, dodging enemy fire along the way! White is up three pawns, and now Black's K is exposed while White's K is safe behind a pawn armada. Taylor resigned 14 moves later.

I played very strong players in the remaining four rounds, losing to FM Steve Van Enk, GM Alonso Zapata, Expert Leonid Gavrysh, and NM Randy Canney, whose peak USCF rating was over 2400. My score of 2/6 is very respectable considering the opposition that I faced, and I gained 23 rating points to lift my rating to 1967.

Rachel and I played in the four day U.S. Open schedule, and we each took byes for the first two rounds. Our first four games were contested with a G/60 time control plus five second time delay. I scored 2/4 in those games. Our final three games were contested with a 40/100, G/30 time control plus 30 second increment. I scored 2/3 in those games to finish with 4/7 (5/9 overall including the two half point byes), losing 32 points to drop my rating to 1935. Overall, for the U.S. Open week I lost nine regular rating points, lost three blitz rating points, and created memories with Rachel that will last a lifetime. Rachel gained 16 rating points. The only down note is that for the first time in 2026 I lost to a player rated below 1800; my fifth round U.S. Open loss to a player rated 1587 is the main reason that I lost points instead of gaining points during an otherwise most enjoyable week of nearly nonstop chess. The week was not all about chess, though. Rachel and I went to several bookstores, and we toured the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Here is a picture of us in a room modeled after the White House Cabinet Room:

On August 22-23, 2026, I scored 3.5/5 in the U2100 section of the Indianapolis Open, gaining nine points to push my rating back to 1944. I won my first three games, drew in the fourth round, and turned down a draw in the fifth round before losing to end my bid for back to back Indianapolis Open U2100 titles (I won the 2025 event with 4.5/5). When my fifth round opponent offered a draw on move 16, I stood slightly better:

I declined the draw offer by playing ...Nxd5. Eight moves later, I was clearly winning:

 

The best move is 24...d5, when 25. Rxd5 loses to ...e3 followed by ...Rxd5 and ...Bxa3, winning the Exchange with a dominant position. 

Black wins after 25. cxd5 by playing ...Rxb5. If White plays Qxb6 then ...Rxb6 leaves Black up an Exchange. 

If in response to 24...d5 White plays 25. Qd4 (the move that concerned me during the game when I analyzed this position) then Black wins after 25...Rxb5 because of the threat of ...Bc5 pinning White's Q to his K on the long diagonal. I think that when I tried to calculate these lines during the game, I played two moves in a row for White and did not "see" that ...Bc5 wins in this line. Thus, instead of playing 24...d5, I played 24...e3, and after 25. Qe2 (the only move) Black is still clearly better but does not have an immediate forced win. On move 29, I blundered, and after a long fight I resigned on move 93.

On Saturday night, I scored 4/8 in the Indianapolis Open Blitz; two of my losses in the four round, double round format (i.e., you play one game with white and one game with black versus each opponent) were to Aidan Baker, a 13 year old National Master who scored 7.5/8 to take clear first before scoring 4.5/5 in the Major section to finish equal first with Grandmaster Semen Khanin.

This year, Robert Chenault organized the Ohio Chess Congress, which was held in Cincinnati for the first time since 2018. Chenault, Arbiter/TD Alan Hodge, and their team did an extraordinary job running this large event that had 279 players (including re-entries and house players) in six sections. My research about the history of the Ohio Chess Congress indicates that both the main event and the Ohio Chess Congress Blitz side event had a record number of participants. Attendance figures are not available for every year, but it is known that the 1972 Ohio Chess Congress--boosted by the "Fischer boom"--had a then-record 201 players, a mark surpassed in 1973 (209). The 1973 record stood until the 1987 OCC had 224 players. In most of the years since I started playing in the OCC in 1989, any number north of 150 was considered successful. 

This tournament traditionally happens on Labor Day Weekend, but this year it took place a week before Labor Day Weekend. I scored 1/5 in the Open (top) section, losing 21 rating points to drop my rating to 1923, and tying my worst score ever in this event; I also scored 1/5 in 1996. This marked my 32nd appearance in the Ohio Chess Congress over the five decades from the 1980s through the 2020s. IM Evan Park took clear first with 4.5/5, but as a Pennsylvania resident he is not eligible to be the Ohio champion. Sharath Radhakrishnan and Dalton Perrine tied for second-sixth overall with 4/5 and are Ohio co-champions. This is Perrine's second Ohio title in a row, while Radhakrishnan is one of the youngest Ohio champions ever; he was born in 2013, and the only Ohio champion who I can confirm to be younger is Kasun Waidyaratne (2004 co-champion born in 1992). The only other Ohio champions 15 or younger who my research has uncovered are Arjun Soni (2024 champion born in 2010) and Elton Cao (2019 champion born in 2004).

On Saturday night after round three, I scored 6/10 in the Ohio Chess Congress Blitz. GM Jianchao Zhou won the Ohio Chess Congress Blitz with 9.5/10, while Radhakrishnan finished clear second (top Ohio scorer) with 8/10. 

On September 26-27, 2026, I scored 4.5/5 to win the Ohio Senior Open for the second year in a row, joining Charles Diebert (2016-17, 2019) and Tom Britt (2021-22) as the only players to win the event more than once. This victory qualifies me to play in the 2027 Irwin National Tournament of Senior State Champions.

I gained 62 rating points to increase my rating to 1985. I won my first four games before a last round draw clinched clear first, which is the same route that I took to clear first in 2025. Here I am holding the 2026 Ohio Senior Open first place trophy while standing next to tournament organizer/tournament director Grant Neilley, who did his usual outstanding job making sure that everything ran smoothly:

The 2026 Ohio Senior Open continued the event's tradition of having a contest for the most interesting or unusual chess set, with the winners determined by anonymous polling of the tournament's participants. Steve Charles' display featuring a scoresheet signed by Bobby Fischer and Carlos Bielicki from their 1960 game at Mar del Plata won in the Staunton category. Here is a closeup of the signed scoresheet:

 Here is a chessboard showing an opening position from that game:

Here is a closeup of the move list:

Richard Hayes' wood and bone set won in the Figurine/Theme category:

This year, my rating has taken a roller coaster ride, soaring as high as 2072 in April and as low as 1923 in August. The challenge that I face is not figuring out how to play Master-level chess; the challenge that I face is figuring out how to consistently play Master-level chess. Prior to the Ohio Senior Open, I started utilizing some different training/preparation techniques, but before I say more on that topic I must prove that my performance in the Ohio Senior Open was the first step toward sustained rating growth. I have won the Ohio Senior Open before, and I have even gained more than 60 rating points in a tournament before, so the only way to prove that my training/preparation is working is to string together a series of tournaments with consistently positive results.

In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 16, I listed four chess goals for 2026. Here are those goals, with notes about how I have performed so far this year:

1) Gain 25 rating points per quarter. I gained 83 rating points in the first quarter of 2026, improving my rating from 1980 to 2063; I lost 131 rating points in the second quarter of 2026, dropping my rating from 2063 to 1932; I gained 53 points in the third quarter of 2026, improving my rating from 1932 to 1985.

2) Do not lose more than eight games to players rated below 1800. I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800 in the first quarter of 2026; I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800 in the second quarter of 2026; I lost 1 game to players rated below 1800 in the third quarter of 2026.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. I had eight draws and eight losses in the first quarter of 2026; I had 12 draws and 15 losses in the second quarter of 2026; I had four draws and 12 losses in the third quarter of 2026.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .700. My winning percentage through the first three quarters of 2026 is .638.

In 2026, I have scored 71 wins, 24 draws, and 35 losses in regular rated tournament games with seven first place finishes in 29 events. I lost one game to players rated below 1800. My net rating gain for 2026 is +5, so I need to gain 215 points to reach my goal.

Journey to the National Master Title, Part 18

I scored 2/3 in the Columbus Easter G/60 Swiss, gaining nine rating points to lift my rating to 2072, my highest rating since I had a 2080 rating in October 2022. I drew with top seeded NM Charles Diebert, but fell a half point short of first place finishers Alex Cretsos and Khalil Warfield, ending my streak of winning a prize in five straight tournaments.

I went into the Cincinnati Open feeling very confident after gaining 92 rating points so far this year, but I had a disastrous result in the FIDE Expert section, scoring just one win, one draw, and three losses. I lost 47 rating points to drop my rating to 2025. A statistician might call this "regression to the mean," but it can also be considered part of the deal for anyone who participates in a competitive sport; there are many very good chess players--including a lot of improving youngsters--so all it takes to have a bad result is being slightly off form. As the great Tex Winter told Kobe Bryant, "Everything turns on a trifle." Change a few moves from this tournament, and I could have had a much better result; of course, the same is true in reverse for the tournaments where I gained so many rating points recently. 

I bounced back by scoring 3/3 in the Dayton Chess Club's April 18, 2026 G/30 "A" Swiss, finishing clear first while gaining 11 rating points to lift my rating to 2036. Then I scored 3.5/4 in the April 19, 2026 East Market Swiss, tying for first-second while gaining 12 rating points to increase my rating to 2048. I captured first place in back to back tournaments on the same weekend for the first time since the weekend of April 6, 2024, when I tied for first in both the Columbus Plus Score tournament and the East Market Swiss.

I had a setback in the April 26, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado, scoring 2/4 and losing 16 rating points to drop my rating to 2032. I scored 2.5/4 in the May 2, 2026 Columbus Spring G/45 Open, losing six rating points to decrease my rating to 2026.

I scored 3.5/4 in the May 9, 2026 Dayton Chess Club G/30 Swiss, finishing first-fourth but losing two rating points to drop my rating to 2024. I completed a fun chess weekend by scoring 3/4 in the May 10, 2026 East Market Swiss, finishing second-fifth but losing one rating point to drop my rating to 2023.

I scored 4/7 in the U2100 section of the Chicago Open during Memorial Day Weekend, losing 24 rating points to drop my rating to 1999, the first time my rating has been below 2000 since February 2026. In recent years, my rating has dropped below 2000 soon after going above 2000, so perhaps a three month streak of maintaining a 2000-plus rating is a good sign, but in my absolute peak years I maintained a 2000-plus rating for 90 straight rating supplements (December 2009-May 2017), and that is the level of consistency that I need to regain in order to achieve my goal of obtaining the National Master title. I lost my first two games, won three in a row before losing in round six, and then I finished on a nice note by winning in round seven. It is frustrating that in the first two rounds I not only eliminated myself from prize contention but I lost so many rating points that even a strong finish could not fix all of the damage.

After the Chicago Open's fifth round, I scored 5/10 in the Chicago Open Blitz, including 0/4 versus players rated above 2200 and 5/6 versus players rated below 2000. There were 70 players in the Open section and 79 players in the U1900 section. 

I scored 2.5/4 in the May 30, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado, losing 10 rating points to drop my rating to 1989. 

I have had some excellent performances in the Cleveland Open--including finishing clear 1st in the U2000 section in 2009--but this year I lost to an 1834 rated player in the first round and never found my footing, scoring 2.5/5 in the U2100 section and losing 27 rating points to drop my rating to 1962. 

After round three, I played in the Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz, scoring 6/8 to finish clear first under 2100. I enjoy playing in rated blitz tournaments, and in Journey to the National Master Title, Part 6, I recounted my performance in the 2023 Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz (I did not play in the Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz in 2024 or 2025):

After the first three rounds of the Cleveland Open, I played in the Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz, scoring 5/8; I beat number one seed Wilson Spaqi (rated 2340) 2-0 in our mini match, and the only mini match that I lost was to National Master Jesse Ren, who won the event with an 8/8 score. I finished out of the money, but I added 16 points to my USCF blitz rating. Although blitz chess and regular rated chess are two different types of events--the former is like running a sprint, while the latter is like running a marathon--my ability to sandwich two wins against a strong National Master around tournament losses to players who each have ratings more than 200 points lower than my rating epitomizes the contrasting joys and frustrations of being a chess player: I know what it looks and feels like when my talent and preparation mesh, and I know what it looks and feels like when my talent and preparation do not produce the results that I expect. 

That paragraph summarizes how I feel about this Cleveland Open as well; chess is indeed a journey of "contrasting joys and frustrations."

I had a special Father's Day as my daughter Rachel and I played in the Cincinnati Sunday Chess G/60 event. I scored 1/3, losing 14 rating points to drop my rating to 1948. Rachel scored 2/3 (a one point bye, a second round loss, and a forfeit win in the last round). Rachel played an unrated G/60 game during the first round, and fought hard before losing against a much higher rated player. Despite the rating losses, we both had a great time. 

Rachel and I had fun on Father's Day at the Cincinnati Sunday Chess G/60 tournament 

Rachel and I played in the June 27, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado. I won my first round game in just 20 moves with Black, which enabled me to move up from board three in the Open section to board one in round two. The board one game each round is broadcast at lichess.com. I was better or winning for most of my second round game before I blundered and ended up down a R with no compensation. I won my third round game with Black, giving me the opportunity to notch a modest overall rating gain with a fourth round win, but again I blundered away a winning position with White to finish 2/4, losing 16 rating points to drop my rating to 1932. 

Here is my fourth round game prior to my 28th move:

White has an advantage of more than +6 according to Stockfish 18, which means that White is up the equivalent of more than a R even though the actual material advantage is one pawn. Black's only chance is to activate his R and B before White coordinates his R and N. I should have played 28. Rb3, which protects b2 while attacking b7. If Black checks on d2 then White's K goes to h3. During the game, I had a superficial concern that my K could get trapped or even checkmated on h3, but if Black tried to maneuver his R to h1 then White's K can escape via g2 if necessary. Unfortunately, I played 28. Na4, which does not spoil the win but which gives away a significant portion of White's advantage. My idea was to open up my R along the third rank while also defending b2 and attacking c5, but after 28...Rd2+ I erred by moving my K to g1 instead of h3. After my opponent played 29...Re2, I noticed that my intended move 30. Nxc5 loses to ...Be3+ followed by ...Bxc5. At this point, I should have slowed down and reevaluated the entire position to determine the correct plan. Instead, I played 30. Nb6, and Black could now equalize by taking my e pawn, but he blundered with 30...Rxb2??:

 

Now, the strongest move is 31. Nd7, with a double attack against c5 and e5. I played 31. Rd3, which is not as good but should still be sufficient to win. Black replied 31...Rd2. I had expected 31...Ra2, after which I planned to invade with my R and N to win pawns and help my K-side pawns advance. I should have realized that Black would attempt to thwart this plan instead of going after my a pawn. The only way to win after 31...Rd2 is to play 32. Rd7, forcing Black to trade Rs on my terms by activating my N to d7. Instead, I impatiently took on d2, activating Black's B on d2 and losing my a pawn by force. I know that a B is often stronger than a N in positions with pawns on both sides of the board because a B is a long range piece while a N is short range piece, so it is baffling and frustrating that I made such a rash decision. I could have still held a draw by moving my K toward the Q-side, but instead after Black took on a5 I took on e5, which misplaced my N and lost time. Black put his B on c3, attacking my N and controlling the a1 promotion square. I erred by moving my N to d3, after which neither my K nor my N can stop Black's a pawn. I could have offered more resistance by playing Nd7-b6 instead of Nd3, though Black is still clearly better because of his strong B and outside passed pawn.

Rachel scored 0/4; three of her four opponents outrated her by at least 300 rating points. She is having fun while learning and improving, even if her rating does not yet fully reflect what she has learned. Rachel played three casual games in between rounds, scoring one win, one loss, and one draw. Rachel has mentioned to me that she thinks about chess differently than I do, and I understand to mean not only that she evaluates moves differently than I do but also that she views chess as a fun game more than a challenge to be conquered.

When I started playing tournament chess I focused much more on the competitive aspect than the social aspect--and I am still more competitive than social, but going to tournaments with Rachel has brought out a different side of me and helped transform me into a more well-rounded person. 

Rachel and I took a selfie before going to the June 2026 Cincinnati Tornado. Yes, I wore the Chess Dad shirt for the second tournament in a row.

It is deeply ingrained in me to have ambitious chess goals and to believe that I am capable of achieving my goals, but I also see a bigger picture that chess provides value beyond gaining rating points. I knew this value long ago and spoke about it to others--including my students when I was a chess coach--but I am learning how to internalize it for myself and not let results alone determine how I feel about a chess tournament. I am not playing very well right now, but going to chess tournaments this summer with Rachel is a wonderful thing above and beyond how many games we win or lose. 

I have played 865 regular rated over the board games since January 1, 2020, and for most of that period my rating has hovered between the mid-1900s and the mid-2000s. Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells famously said, "You are what your record says you are." My record says that in recent years I am a high Class A/low Expert player. To reach my goal of attaining the National Master title, I have to break out of my current rating range. I have cut down my losses to players rated below 1800 and I have improved by draw/loss ratio, but that has not been enough, in part because many of my draws are with underrated kids so even though the draws do not hurt much in the tournament standings they are costing me rating points. I am also losing too many games to players rated between 1800-2000. My technique in converting winning positions has been lazy and sloppy, as illustrated by the above example.

I played very well in the first quarter of this year, but a disastrous second quarter not only wiped out an 83 rating point gain but put me in a deficit overall for the year. One major positive development this year is that my peak rating (so far!) of 2072 is my highest peak rating since 2022 and my 15th highest peak rating in a calendar year since 1987. 

The third quarter of 2026 will be about refocusing, regrouping, and getting my rating back over 2000. This is a challenging era for so-called "adult improvers" because the average USCF rating is much lower than it used to be and because the rating pool is increasingly populated with strong but underrated young players, but I believe that I am capable of playing well enough to overcome those challenges.

In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 16, I listed four chess goals for 2026. Here are those goals, with notes about how I have performed so far this year:

1) Gain 25 rating points per quarter. I gained 83 rating points in the first quarter of 2026, improving my rating from 1980 to 2063; I lost 131 rating points in the second quarter of 2026, dropping my rating from 2063 to 1932. 

2) Do not lose more than eight games to players rated below 1800. I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800 in the first quarter of 2026; I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800 in the second quarter of 2026.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. I had eight draws and eight losses in the first quarter of 2026; I had 12 draws and 15 losses in the second quarter of 2026.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .700. My winning percentage through the first two quarters of 2026 is .663.

In 2026, I have scored 55 wins, 20 draws, and 23 losses in regular rated tournament games with six first place finishes in 24 events. I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800. My net rating gain for 2026 is -48, so I need to gain 268 points to reach my goal. 

Journey to the National Master Title, Part 17

I scored 1.5/4 in the January 10, 2026 Columbus Winter Open, losing 14 rating points to drop my rating to 1966. The key game happened in the third round when I battled top seeded NM Amogh Tripathi. After an interesting struggle, we reached this critical position with Black (Tripathi) to move:

 

He played 51...Rxf2??, which loses by force after 52.Rb6 Kd7 Otherwise Bb4 wins the pinned B. 53. Kd5 During the game, I missed that in this line my Bc3 prevents Black from checking my K with his R. This is an example of what GM Nikolai Krogius called "the retained image": when I visualized the position, I pictured Black's R being on f1, making ...Rd1+ possible. After 53...Be7 54. Rb7+ Ke8 55. Bxe5, White's powerful passed pawn and strongly centralized pieces are too much for Black to overcome.

Unfortunately, I quickly played 52. Rb2. My opponent replied 52...Rf3, and here I betrayed myself with a combination of excitement and relaxation. I was excited when I first noticed the Rb6 idea, and I relaxed because I thought that there was no way I could lose from here. I played 53. Rb6 and was dismayed after my opponent replied 53...Re3, winning my e pawn by force. I lamented not playing 53. Re2, after which the position is equal--but even after my imprecise 53rd move, White's pieces are still active enough to prevent defeat. I defended accurately despite drifting into time pressure. I enjoyed a time advantage for most of the game, but I had less than three minutes remaining when critical decisions still had to be made:

 

Here, Black has just checked my K. One move holds, and all other moves lose. I played 64. Kd1?? The drawing idea is to play 64. Ke1: if Black moves his K forward then White takes e4 with check and then slides the R back to e5 to pick up Black's last pawn. Black can take the Bc3 with his K in this line, but even if Black wins both of White's remaining pawns, R+B versus R is a book draw (and I held that draw in the second round of this tournament). My opponent erred with 64...e3 instead of playing 64...Kc4, giving me a chance to hold with 65. Re4 (preventing Black's K from advancing further)--but I played 65. h4??, after which 65...Kc4 leads to a forced win. Full credit to my opponent for his resourcefulness in time pressure; he played the last 20-plus moves of the game with two seconds left plus the five second time delay. Tripathi finished with 3.5/4 to claim clear first while I flamed out in the last round, eschewing a draw in an equal endgame before blundering and losing.

I bounced back to scored a solid 3/4 in the January 11, 2026 East Market Swiss, gaining five rating points to improve my rating to 1971. I was the fourth seeded player out of 14, and I finished clear second. I won my first round game versus Aadya Kakarla--the 25th highest rated 10 year old girl in the country--with a pretty checkmate in the middle of the board: 

My only loss was to top seeded NM Broderick Bauml, who took clear first with 4/4. Bauml obtained an advantage against me with Black in the second round, but after he lost his Q for two minor pieces and a P I had a decisive advantage, albeit in a complicated position. Bauml defended resourcefully even as his clock ticked below 30 seconds (G/45 time control with 10 second increment). I prosecuted my advantage effectively, but when my time dropped below three minutes I faltered. Here, my opponent has just played 57...Be7??

I replied with what should be a winning tactical blow: 58. Nxe5! My N is immune because of the threat of Qxe5+ followed by Qxe1, so my opponent played 58...Nxh4. I would have had a decisive advantage after 59. Nc6, but instead I played 59. Qc7??, enabling Black to create a blockade after 59...Nexf3+--but my opponent returned the favor with 59...Nf5?? and I answered with 60. f4. Now, if Black takes the Ne5 then White's connected passed pawns are powerful, and if Black does not eliminate the Ne5 then Nc6 followed by Qd7 and Nd8 gives White a winning attack. The game continued 60...Nc2 61. Nc6 Bf8 62. Nd8. The text is more than sufficient, but even stronger is 62. Qd7 followed by 63. Qe8, after which Black's blockade collapses.

We blitzed out several moves in mutual time pressure, and I recklessly sacrificed my N to get connected passed pawns, giving my opponent a winning advantage until he played 72...Nge3+??:

 

Now, 73. Kh1 holds the balance, but I instantly played 73. Kxh2 and lost my Q after 73...Bd6+. As I noted about my loss to Tripathi, I give full credit to Bauml for defending resourcefully for so long that I ended up in time pressure before committing the fatal blunder. National Masters often find a way to draw or even win despite making early mistakes, and that combination of tenacity plus tactical resourcefulness sets Masters apart from non-Masters.

I played well in the January 17-18, 2026 Queen City Open, scoring 3/4 to tie for third-sixth overall (and first-second U2200/U2000) while gaining 23 rating points to boost my rating to 1994. Highlights include drawing with Keya Jha (the second highest rated 11 year old girl in the country, 2150), and beating Joseph Kleban (2016) in the last round to avenge my last round loss to Kleban in the December 21, 2025 East Market Swiss. IM Ron Burnett and NM Aryan Balyan shared first place with 3.5/4. I have known Burnett since the late 1980s, and between rounds we had some interesting conversations about chess improvement. I told him about my attempt to earn the National Master title, a goal which he believes is attainable for me. Among other tips, he suggested that it is valuable to learn all of the basic checkmates "by hand"; it is not sufficient to be able to figure them out, because it is often the case that games are decided in time pressure. Even if a checkmate such as K+B+N versus K never comes up in one's games, learning that checkmate by hand improves one's understanding of how pieces coordinate. Burnett built his chess understanding in the late 1970s and early 1980s by playing countless training games against chess computers; he fine-tuned his chess understanding to the extent that he surged from the class ranks to well above National Master during a five year span.

I scored 4/5 in the January 31-February 1, 2026 Cardinal Open, finishing second-fifth in the U2200 section while gaining 19 rating points to lift my rating to 2013. I started out 3/3, setting up a round four game versus number one seeded NM Deshawn Kelley (2171), who was the only other player with a perfect score. I drew with Kelley, which meant that a last round win would clinch no worse than a tie for first, while a draw would clinch no worse than a second place tie. In the last round, I drew with Charithra Arvind (1827), the 19th highest rated 17 year old girl in the country, and Kelley won to claim clear first. This is the first time that I have not lost a game in consecutive two day classical tournaments; my combined score in the Queen City Open and the Cardinal Open is five wins and four draws. After round three, I played in the Cardinal Open Blitz, and I had my worst speed chess tournament result ever, going 0/7; in my previous over the board speed chess tournament at Kings Island in November 2025, I scored 6/8 to win the U2000 prize, so I was quite surprised to have this kind of "perfect score," particularly considering how well I am playing in classical chess. Classical chess and speed chess are similar, but it is fair to say that they are distinct sports to the extent that a player can do well at one and not do as well at the other without this being shocking, although the stark difference between 4/5 in classical and 0/7 in speed during the same weekend is surprising.

I started out 2/2 in the February 8, 2026 East Market Swiss, extending my unbeaten streak to 13 games--but then I lost in the third round to Joseph Kleban before squandering a winning position (and throwing away a simple draw) versus NM Broderick Bauml. I lost 11 rating points to drop my rating to 2002. 

I scored just 1/3 in the February 14, 2026 Columbus G/60 tournament, losing 22 rating points to drop my rating to 1980. After drawing my first two games, I declined a draw in round three before blundering and losing.

On February 21, 2026, I played in the second G/25+5 tournament held at the Kleptz YMCA in Englewood. I won the first event (held on December 20, 2025) with a 4/4 score, and I scored 4/4 this time, gaining 10 rating points to lift my rating to 1990. Rob Dennis of the Dayton Chess Society (the successor to the Dayton Chess Club) did an excellent job running the event, and he was also my last round opponent. I finished a successful chess weekend by scoring 3/4 in the February 22, 2026 East Market Swiss, tying for third-seventh and gaining eight rating points to improve my rating to 1998.

I scored 3/4 in the February 28, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado, gaining 10 rating points to push my rating back over 2000 (2008). I tied for third-ninth, and I won the U2001 prize (my official published February 2026 rating was 1994). 

In recent years, my rating fell below 2000 soon after I pushed it above 2000, so it felt great to score 4/4 in the March 8, 2026 East Market Swiss to gain 37 rating points and lift my rating to 2045, my highest rating since I had a 2060 rating in November 2022.

My daughter Rachel and I played in the March 15, 2026 Chess Earth Rapid tournament, a six round Quick-rated event featuring a G/15 +5 time control. I scored 4/6 to finish fifth-sixth, while Rachel scored 2/6 despite playing higher rated players in five of her six games. The player who beat me in the fifth round, Shashank Palla, scored 5/6 to take clear first place. His USCF Quick rating vaulted from 1519 to 1704. I lost 36 points to drop my Quick rating to 1939. Here are two pictures from the Chess Earth Rapid tournament (the second one shows one of the positions from a game that Rachel and I played on the oversize chess set after the tournament ended):

 

Rachel and I played in the March 19, 2026 Cincinnati Open Qualifier Quads, a Quick-rated event with G/24 with five second time delay time control. I scored 2/3 in the top quad to finish second, while Rachel scored 1/3 in the sixth quad. In the last round, I spoiled a winning position against top seeded Ashwin Kumar, playing an unsound sacrifice. Kumar is a promising junior player who is the 18th highest rated 12 year old (2134) in the United States. I gained seven points to lift my Quick rating to 1946.

I scored 3.5/4 in the March 28, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado, gaining 18 rating points to lift my rating to 2063, which is my highest rating since I had a 2080 rating in October 2022. I tied for first-second with top seeded NM Aryan Balyan, and I won the "Master Bounty" prize by drawing with Balyan in the last round. This is the third time that I won the Cincinnati Tornado "Master Bounty" ($100 for beating the top seeded Master, or $50 for drawing the top seeded Master): I drew with NM Pratik Shriwas (2378) in the July 30, 2016 Cincinnati Tornado, and I defeated NM Yuri Barnakov (2298) in the September 24, 2016 Cincinnati Tornado en route to finishing first-second and gaining 43 points to improve my rating to 2150. My rating has not been higher than 2100 since 2016. 

In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 16, I listed four chess goals for 2026. Here are those goals, with notes about how I have performed so far this year:

1) Gain 25 rating points per quarter. I gained 83 rating points in the first quarter of 2026, improving my rating from 1980 to 2063.

2) Do not lose more than eight games to players rated below 1800. I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800 in the first quarter of 2026.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. I had eight draws and eight losses in the first quarter of 2026.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .700. My winning percentage through the first quarter of 2026 is .727.

In 2026, I have scored 28 wins, eight draws, and eight losses in regular rated tournament games with three first place finishes in 11 events. I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800. My net rating gain for 2026 is 83, so I need to gain 137 points to reach my goal.

Journey to the National Master Title, Part 16

I started the fourth quarter of 2025 the same way that I started the fourth quarter of 2024, playing in a four round tournament on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday October 4, I scored 2.5/4 in the Columbus Fall Open, losing to Alex Cretsos on board one in the last round with first place on the line. I gained four rating points to push my rating to 2005, marking the first time that I had a post-tournament rating of at least 2000 for three consecutive tournaments since November 2023. Unfortunately, I lost nine rating points in the Sunday October 5 East Market Swiss even though I scored 3/4 to tie for second-fifth; this was my ninth second place finish in 2025, tying my calendar year record for most second place finishes that I set in 2023--but of course my goal in each tournament is first place, not second place. My rating slid to 1996, ending my brief run of having a rating over 2000. Stanley Qiu (1742) knocked out the top two seeds, beating me in the second round and then taking down top-seeded Siddarth Kunapuli (2062) in the last round to finish clear first with 4/4. This is the first time I lost to a player rated below 2000 since the last round of the Chicago Open (May 26, 2025), though it should be noted that Qiu's post-tournament rating is 1870.

I scored 3/4 in the October 19, 2025 East Market Swiss, tying for third-fifth and gaining 11 rating points to lift my rating above 2000 (2007). In the second round, I avenged my loss to Stanley Qiu. Here is the position after Qiu played 19...Na6:

I replied 20. Nxg7!, and if Qiu had taken my N then I had a forced mate: 20...Kxg7?? 21. Bh6+! Kxh6 22. Qxf6+ Kh5 23. g4+ Kxg4 24. f3+ Kh5 (...Kh3 25. Qh6#) 25. Ng3#. Instead, Qiu took my B, and after the dust cleared I was up an Exchange and a Pawn with a winning attack. After losing more material and facing an imminent mate, Qiu resigned on move 39. 

My only loss was to Jack Erskine-Pereira, who scored 3.5/4 to tie for first-second. This was his first U.S. Chess rated event, but he has a 1967 FIDE rating, and he earned a 2073 provisional U.S. rating after this tournament. U.S. ratings are typically about 100 points higher than FIDE ratings. I beat my long-time friend and rival John Miller (1900) in the last round.

I started 2/2 in the October 25, 2025 Cincinnati Tornado before losing my last two games to finish out of the money. That is an uncharacteristically poor result for me in an event where I usually score well, and it is frustrating to fall below 2000 again (1994) one tournament after cracking the 2000 barrier. 

Just prior to my 54th birthday on November 3, 2025, I had a birthday weekend full of chess. I scored 1.5/3 in the Columbus G/60 Swiss on November 1, 2025, gaining seven rating points to improve my rating to 2001. In the first round, I defeated the top seeded player, Ashwin Kumar (2103), who is the current Cincinnati City Champion--the youngest ever at age 11--and Cincinnati Chess Club Champion. In the third round, I spurned two early draw offers from Alan Casden, obtained a lost position, and then created a drawing fortress:

Here, I had just played 49...h5. Casden spent 21 moves trying to break through before conceding the draw. Stockfish 17 says that White has a decisive advantage, but if you play the position out Stockfish 17 does not make any progress. The key points are (1) White's K is cut off, (2) Black cannot be forced to take on c7, and (3) White cannot force Black to abandon defense of the g6 pawn because whenever the Q attacks that pawn Black can always play ...Kh7 or ...Kg7. If necessary, Black can mark time by shuffling the R from f7 to f5. According to Stockfish 17, in an earlier position before playing g5 White could have won by constructing a position with his K on h4 and his Q on e5 while Black's K was on g7 and his R was on f6; there, g5 wins because if Black plays ...hxg5 then Kxg5 wins the pinned R. 

Unfortunately, I squandered my small rating gain just one day later, losing 29 rating points to drop my rating to 1972 after scoring just 2/4 in the November 2, 2025 East Market Swiss; my birthday weekend of chess ended on a sour note.

On November 9, 2025, I went to Columbus to play in the G/30 Quads at Donatos, but only one other player showed up, and we played a two game match. I defeated Spand Mehta 2-0, playing White in the first game and Black in the second game. I gained 22 rating points to increase my rating to 1994.

I scored 3/5 in the U2100 section of the November 15-16, 2025 Kings Island Open, losing 24 rating points to drop my rating to 1970. I had a winning position on move 19 of my first round game, but I played a series of inaccurate moves followed by a blunder to transform what should have been a smooth victory into a very frustrating defeat. I did not lose another game the rest of the way, but draws to lower rated opponents in rounds two and three prevented me from gaining rating points overall. After round three, I played in the Kings Island Open Saturday Night Blitz, tying for fourth-sixth out of 46 players with a score of 6/8. I did not gain any blitz rating points, but I won the U2000 prize. 

On November 23, 2025, my daughter Rachel and I played in Robert Chenault's Cincinnati Sunday Chess Tournament. The event consisted of four sections of six or eight players each. I scored 2/3 in the top section, gaining seven rating points to lift my rating to 1977 while finishing second-fifth out of eight. Rachel scored 0/3 in the fourth section. We had a great time in our first appearance at this event, and Rachel even played some casual, unrated chess in between rounds. The Carnegie Center is a nice, historic venue, and I look forward to playing there again in the January 17-18, 2026 Queen City Open. Here are three pictures from the Sunday Chess Tournament:

I scored 3/4 in the December 7, 2025 East Market Swiss, tying for second-fourth and gaining 14 rating points to lift my rating to 1991. I was the only player who started 3/3, but in the last round I lost to NM Deshawn Kelley, the top seeded player who was held to a draw in the second round. 

On December 20, 2025, I played in a tournament held very close to where I grew up, as the Kleptz YMCA in Englewood hosted a four round G/25+5 tournament directed by Rob Dennis of the Dayton Chess Society (the successor to the Dayton Chess Club). I scored 4/4 to take clear first, gaining five rating points to increase my rating to 1996. This was the first time that I scored 4/4 in a regular or dual rated tournament since the October 15, 2022 Cincinnati Tornado. The next day, I started 3/3 in the East Market Swiss--just like I did on December 7--before losing in the last round, this time to Joseph Kleban, an Expert who I beat in the third round on December 7. I gained one rating point to improve my rating to 1997.

On December 27, 2025, my daughter Rachel and I played in the Cincinnati Tornado. We did not have much sleep the previous night after a long travel day, and the results of that fatigue were evident in the way that we played. I scrapped my way to 2/3 in the first three rounds to put myself in position to finally get my rating back over 2000, but then I blundered a pawn early in the fourth round and was not able to save the game. I lost 17 rating points to drop my rating to 1980. Rachel received a first round bye and then lost an extra rated game. She lost her next three games as well. Despite neither of us being in peak form, we enjoyed our last chess day of 2025. Here is a picture of us before the first round:

In 2025, I set career highs with 47 regular rated events played, 187 regular rated games played, and 111 regular rated games won, breaking my previous personal records of 41, 167 and 98 respectively, all of which I set in 2024. Two highlights were finishing clear first in the U2100 section of the Indianapolis Open (4.5/5, gaining 38 rating points), and finishing clear first in the Ohio Senior Open (4.5/5, gaining 15 rating points).

In 2025, I had eight first place finishes, I set a career-high with 11 second place finishes (breaking my personal record of nine set in 2023), and I tied my personal best with 19 combined first place/second place finishes; in 2024, I also had 19 combined first place/second place finishes, but I reached that number with a career-high 13 first place finishes (breaking my record of 12 set in 2019) along with six second place finishes.

I lost 33 rating points in 2025 after gaining 45 rating points in 2024, but if I had not crashed and burned in the 2025 Chicago Open--dropping 52 points by scoring just 2.5/7 in the U2100 section--I would have gained 19 points for the year. This is another example of how in chess--as in life--"everything turns on a trifle"--with one bad move sometimes setting off a chain reaction resulting in loss of a game, followed by loss of another game, and a tournament going down the drain. 

James Altucher earned the National Master title as a young man. As a man who is a few years older than I am, he is attempting to cross the 2200 rating barrier again. He writes about his journey in New in Chess magazine, and in a recent installment he stated--in a combination of resignation and relief--that he is transitioning from being an "adult improver" at chess to an "adult enjoyer." He is focusing more on enjoying chess as opposed to trying to improve his results. 

Perhaps Altucher's shift is a rational and mature reaction to the realities of trying to gain rating points as a 50-plus year old facing talented kids with seemingly unlimited energy, and perhaps this shift is easier to make for someone who has been a National Master before, but I refuse to make that shift and I don't know if I will ever willingly make that shift. I enjoy chess, but I enjoy chess most when I win. Kobe Bryant once said that he could never have a mindset that it is good enough to just show up and do your best. I share his perspective that the point of competition is to win. 

Winning is accomplished by setting goals and then achieving them. Goals should be realistic--and people may disagree about what is realistic--but goals are important. I have been within 10 points of 2200, I still win and draw games versus National Masters, and I believe that a reasonably healthy 50-plus year old with the right plan and the right mentality can surpass 2200; it is frustrating that my rating now is lower than it was when I began writing Journey to the National Master Title, but I am not giving up, and I have the same perspective now that I expressed on January 12, 2023: 

The title of this series of articles is not meant to be presumptuous; although I am confident that I will obtain the National Master title, I understand that it is not 100% certain that I will obtain the National Master title, and that is the reason that "journey" is included in the title: whether or not I make it to the desired destination, I intend to chronicle my experiences during the journey. 

In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 12, I listed four chess goals for 2025. Here are those goals, with notes about how I performed:

1) Gain 50 rating points per quarter. I lost 18 rating points in the first quarter of 2025, decreasing my rating from 2013 to 1995; I lost 59 rating points in the second quarter of 2025, decreasing my rating from 1995 to 1936; I gained 66 rating points in the third quarter of 2025, improving my rating from 1936 to 2002; I lost 22 rating points in the fourth quarter, decreasing my rating from 2002 to 1980. Overall, I lost 33 rating points in 2025.

2) Do not lose more than six games to players rated below 1800. I lost five games to players rated below 1800 in the first quarter of 2025; I lost four games to players rated below 1800 in the second quarter of 2025; I lost zero games to players rated below 1800 in the third quarter of 2025; I lost one game to players rated below 1800 in the fourth quarter of 2025. Overall, I lost 10 games to players rated below 1800.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. I had nine draws and 14 losses in the first quarter of 2025; I had nine draws and 15 losses in the second quarter of 2025; I had five draws and six losses in the third quarter of 2025; I had four draws and 14 losses in the fourth quarter of 2025. Overall, I had 27 draws and 49 losses.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .750, to break my personal record of .740 set in 2014. My winning percentage was .666, the 10th best of my 39 year chess career.

Here are my chess goals for 2026:

1) Gain 25 rating points per quarter. My previous goal of gaining 50 rating points per quarter may have been too high, and this resulted in me "chasing" points after losses. As much as I would love to reach 2200 in 2026, it is more realistic to shoot for 2100, and then target 2200 in 2027. I used to tell my students to set a short term goal to reach the next 100 point level, so I am going to follow my own advice!  

2) Do not lose more than eight games to players rated below 1800. I had 11 such losses in 2024 and 10 such losses in 2025, so this is an attainable goal.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. My draw/loss ratio was 33/36 in 2024 and 27/49 in 2025, so last year was a major step backward in this regard, but my 2024 performance demonstrated that this is an attainable goal.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .700. In the past four years, my winning percentage has fluctuated between .666 and .686. I have reached a .700 winning percentage in a calendar year twice, so this is an ambitious but attainable goal. 

In 2025, I scored 111 wins, 27 draws, and 49 losses in regular rated tournament games with eight first place finishes in 47 events. I lost 10 games to players rated below 1800. My net rating gain for 2025 is -33, so I need to gain 220 points to reach my goal.

Journey to the National Master Title, Part 15

On July 17, 2025, my daughter Rachel and I played in the Cincinnati Chess Club's G/24 Swiss. This event only affected our USCF Quick ratings. I scored 3/4, tied for second-third, and gained 12 points to lift my USCF Quick rating to 1929. Rachel lost all four of her games, but she had a great time, and she played unrated casual games before and after the tournament.

The July 26, 2025 Cincinnati "Emotional Chess" Tornado had a record 88 players in three sections. I scored 3/4 to finish fourth-ninth in the Open section, gaining 14 points to push my rating to 1950, and splitting the U2001 prize with one other player. Rachel scored 1/4, including a bye for the first round; she played an extra rated game during the first round, and drew with a player rated 1400. Robert Chenault does a superb job organizing and directing these monthly events, and the way that he organized this particular event reminded me very much of the way that Martha Adams used to organize the Roosevelt Open. Adams made a point of honoring players for a variety of reasons, including youngest player, oldest player, player who traveled the farthest, and more; similarly, Chenault provided certificates, gift certificates, and other prizes to various players. I was honored to receive a Chess Earth Player Appreciation Award certificate plus $30 in Chess Earth merchandise gift certificates. 

Rachel and me before the first round of the Cincinnati "Emotional Chess" Tornado

  

My Chess Earth Player Appreciation Award

Unfortunately, in my next tournament I gave away all 29 rating points that I gained in my previous two tournaments. I scored just 2/5 in the U2200 section of the Joe Yun Memorial, and my rating plummeted back down to 1921. Last year in the Joe Yun Memorial, I played the two day schedule of the U2000 section with a first round bye, and I finished with 4/5 to tie for first-third while gaining 23 points to lift my rating to 2004. This year, I began poorly with a draw from a winning position in the second round (after taking a first round bye), and after I won my third round game versus a much lower rated player I lost both of my Sunday games. On Saturday night, I scored 3/7 in the Joe Yun Memorial Open Blitz; there were 14 players in the Open section and 10 players in the U1600 section.

On August 23-24, 2025, I scored 4.5/5 to claim clear first in the U2100 section of the Indianapolis Open. I gained 38 rating points to push my rating up to 1959. I won my first four games before a fighting draw in round five clinched first (though I had to wait for a favorable board two result to make sure that I had clear first and not a tie for first-second). Each of my wins lasted 40 moves or less, but my fourth round game was unusual because the tournament director stopped play after I made my 16th move; after a delay lasting more than 20 minutes, the tournament director forfeited my opponent, who apparently had been caught using his laptop during the game. My fourth round opponent was not ejected from the tournament, and he received a prize after winning his fifth round game. I believe that any player caught using an electronic device during a tournament should not only forfeit the game in progress but should be ejected from the tournament and ruled ineligible for a prize; that is the best way to not only ensure a fair outcome for the other participants but also to make it clear that there is no tolerance for cheating.

Here is the position after my second round opponent played 27.Kg1: 

I played 27...Bxf3 and my opponent resigned because of an unstoppable mate in three, but I had an even faster mate using just the minor pieces: 27...Nd3+ 28.Kf1 Bh3#. I don't recall ever seeing that mating pattern before, which is probably why I went for the more familiar mating pattern starting with my Q infiltrating the back rank after I eliminated the Bf3. 

On Saturday night, I scored 4/8 in the Indianapolis Open Blitz; two of my losses in the four round, double round format (i.e., you play one game with white and one game versus black versus each opponent) were to Justin Lee, a young Expert who scored 8/8 to finish clear first. 

I scored 2.5/5 in the Open Section of the August 30-August 31, 2025 Ohio Chess Congress, gaining 26 rating points to lift my rating to 1985. In the second round, I lost to FM Dalton Perrine, who tied for first-third with GM Alex Shabalov and IM Erick Zhao with 4.5/5. Perrine is the 2025 Ohio Chess Champion because Shabalov and Zhao are not from Ohio. In the third round, I beat 2024 Ohio Chess Champion Arjun Soni; here is the position after I played 45.Nec2:

Black's Q is imprisoned far away from the exposed Black K. My opponent had less than 30 seconds remaining (G/90 time control with 30 second increment) when he played 45...b5, a desperate attempt to create complications/distractions away from his K. The game concluded with 46.Qe3 f5 A draw offer accompanied this move, but my opponent was down to 15 seconds in a totally lost position, so I just kept playing. 47.exf5 bxc4?? A blunder in a lost position. 48.Qxe5+ Facing mate on the next move, my opponent resigned. After round three on Saturday August 30, I scored 3/7 in the Ohio Chess Congress Blitz. 

In my fourth round game versus Trey Modlin (rated 2182, but an NM because he has had a 2200 rating before), I achieved a winning position by move 22 before fumbling what should have been a simple conversion. Here is the position after my opponent played 23.Re1, a seemingly logical move that is a mistake: 

I should have played 23...Ncxe4 (the other N capture also wins) 24.Nxe4 Nxe4 25.Bxe4 Bxd5 26.Bxd5 Rxd5. Black is up a clean pawn, all of the minor pieces have been traded, and White has no meaningful counterplay. Instead, I played 23...Bxd5?, which gives away some but not all of my advantage. After 24.exd5, I should have played 24...Re8 25.Bg2 f6 26.gxf6 gxf6 27.Kh1 Kh8 with a clear edge but no forced win. Instead, I played 24...e4?, giving away most of my lead while weakening my Rd4 and my e pawn. After 25.Bg2, Stockfish 17 recommends the odd-looking 25...Na4 to break up White's powerful N tandem; objectively, Black is slightly better but from a practical standpoint Black has turned a decisive advantage into a mess where all three results are possible. Unfortunately, I did something much worse: after 25...Re8??, my opponent played 26.Qe3 and stood clearly better. My best chance now was to play 26...Nd3, giving up a piece but maintaining my advanced passed pawn, but instead I collapsed with 26...Nd7?? 27.Ne2, when White is winning easily in all lines.

I bounced back to win my last round game, but a fourth round win followed by a draw or win versus a higher rated player in the fifth round would likely have pushed my rating back over 2000. The self-inflicted wounds I suffer while playing chess are the most painful and difficult to accept. After FM Perrine outplayed me, I looked at the game and learned some things that I can apply in the future; all I can learn from the fourth round collapse is "Stop collapsing," which is a lesson that I should have already learned. It is the nature of this sport that sometimes such things happen, but such things happen more often to me than they should, and have prevented me from obtaining the long sought NM title that I am still chasing 30 years after I first achieved an Expert rating.

I have played in the Ohio Chess Congress 31 times in five different decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s). The Columbus Trophy, which lists Ohio Chess Champions dating back to 1945, has been updated to include the names of the champions since 1995. John Lodger Hughes and I were co-Ohio Chess Champions in 2010, so my name is now on the trophy:

I scored 2.5/3 in the September 6, 2025 Columbus G/60 "Adults Only" tournament, an event limited to players who are at least 18 years old. I finished first-second and gained one point to inch my rating up to 1986. I was the third seeded player but the two top players were both upset in the first round so I was paired down in all three rounds. In my previous Columbus G/60 "Adults Only" tournament (February 15, 2025), I scored 2/3, lost five rating points, and did not win a prize. 

I scored 4.5/5 in the September 20-21, 2025 Ohio Senior Open, securing clear first by a full point over the rest of the field. This victory qualifies me to play in the 2026 Irwin National Tournament of Senior Champions. I gained 15 points to push my rating above 2000 (2001) for the first time since April 2025. In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 7, I recapped the 2023 Ohio Senior Open and described why this is a very meaningful tournament for me. I won a prize in each Ohio Senior Open from 2021-2023, and was poised to win a prize last year before squandering a winning advantage in my last round game, so winning this event for the first time was fitting redemption after my disappointing 2024 finish. Here I am posing with the 2025 Ohio Senior Open first place trophy:

Here is a picture of me with Grant Neilley, who has organized and directed the Ohio Senior Open since 2015:

The 2025 Ohio Senior Open continued the event's tradition of having a contest for the most interesting or unusual chess set, with the winners determined by anonymous polling of the tournament's participants. The "Middle East" and "Oriental" sets tied for first place.

 

 This set features pieces made in the Middle East

 

This set features an Oriental design

I scored 3/4 in the September 27, 2025 Cincinnati Tornado. I tied for third-sixth, and I won the U2001 prize. I gained one rating point to improve my rating to 2002, and I maintained a rating above 2000 for two tournaments in a row for the first time since April 2025. My second round loss to Siddarth Kunapuli (2062) snapped my 10 game streak of no losses, which started after my fourth round disaster versus Trey Modlin in the Ohio Chess Congress, but I bounced back to win my last two games.

Losing 52 rating points in the May 2025 Chicago Open was a major setback, but--as I have done each time in my chess career after my rating dropped below 2000--I have regained all of the lost rating points and more, pushing my rating back into Expert territory. The next steps in this journey are (1) maintain my 2000-plus rating with no more setbacks and (2) lift my rating over 2100 for the first time since 2016. 

In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 12, I listed four chess goals for 2025. Here are those goals, with notes about how I performed in the first three quarters of 2025:

1) Gain 50 rating points per quarter. I lost 18 rating points in the first quarter of 2025, decreasing my rating from 2013 to 1995; I lost 59 rating points in the second quarter of 2025, decreasing my rating from 1995 to 1936; I gained 66 rating points in the third quarter of 2025, improving my rating from 1936 to 2002.

2) Do not lose more than six games to players rated below 1800. I lost five games to players rated below 1800 in the first quarter of 2025; I lost four games to players rated below 1800 in the second quarter of 2025; I lost zero games to players rated below 1800 in the third quarter of 2025.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. I had nine draws and 14 losses in the first quarter of 2025; I had nine draws and 15 losses in the second quarter of 2025; I had five draws and six losses in the third quarter of 2025.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .750, to break my personal record of .740 set in 2014. My winning percentage through the first three quarters of 2025 is .663. 

In 2025, I have scored 80 wins, 23 draws, and 35 losses in regular rated tournament games with six first place finishes in 34 events. I have lost nine games to players rated below 1800. My net rating gain for 2025 is -11, so I need to gain 198 points to reach my goal.