Reflections on the Passing of FM Alex Zelner

I was saddened today to learn that FM Alex Zelner died of a heart attack on January 3, 2024. Zelner was a prominent figure on the Ohio chess scene as a player and organizer for many years before he and his family moved to Florida in 1999. Zelner earned the National Master title in 1999 at the relatively late age of 38 after fluctuating throughout the Expert level for several years. Zelner's rating then dropped to the 2100 level and he bounced around between 2100 and 2200 until 2004, when he began a remarkable ascent that culminated in a peak USCF rating of 2481 plus attaining the FIDE Master title (which requires reaching a FIDE rating of at least 2300). I remember talking to Alex about how he reached National Master (and beyond) as an older player. He told me that he just decided to stop losing to players rated below 2000. Of course, such success is more complicated than that; I decided many times to stop losing to players rated below 2000, but I have yet to accomplish that feat! There is no doubt that Alex benefited from his close friendships with various Grandmasters--most notably Alex Goldin, who once ranked in the top 100 in the world--but if being friends with Grandmasters is all that it takes to reach 2400 then there would be a lot more 2400s in the world. I respect Alex' work ethic, and the way that he figured out how to lower his blunder rate. Lowering the blunder rate is the "secret" to becoming a Master for players who get stuck at the Expert level, but for most Experts it is very difficult to do this, particularly as an adult.

I first met Alex in the late 1980s when I was a rising Class B player and he was already an established Expert. He beat me the first time we played each other (September 16, 1989 Miamisburg Tornado). At that time, his rating was 2109 while my rating was 1725, but I surpassed the 1800 (Class A) level the next month and I had an 1895 rating by December 1989. We did not play against each other again until 1992, when I scored an upset win as I was rated 1936 while Alex was rated 2126. That was before Alex decided to stop losing to players rated below 2000! He was a stronger player than I was, and generally he outplayed me, but in the 1990s I scored some wins against him courtesy of blunders that he made.

Alex organized many chess tournaments in Ohio, including events that attracted Grandmasters. I achieved the Expert title at the May 13, 1995 Springfield Tornado that he organized, scoring 3/4; my only loss was to Alex!

USCF's online rating records go back to late 1991. According to their data, I played more Regular rated games (24) against Alex than anyone except for his wife Dr. Catherine Zelner (32) and his son David (29). Alex and I faced each other twice in the Dayton Chess Club Championship. He beat me both times, but he never won the DCC title. I shared the 1997 title with National Master John Vehre with a 5-1 score (the first of my record 10 DCC titles) while Zelner settled for a fourth place tie with a 4-2 score; in 1998, Zelner tied for second-third while I tied for fourth-fifth.

I scored five wins, one draw, and 18 losses versus Alex (plus the 1989 loss that is not included in the USCF data). Robert Sinn, who became a National Master in 1996, scored five wins, four losses, and one draw versus Alex, while Ram Dake, who became a National Master in 1992, went a perfect 6-0 versus Alex. No one else scored five wins versus Alex in USCF Regular rated games from 1991-2023. USCF's records show 1286 Regular rated games for Alex, and he enjoyed a winning percentage of 77.2, including victories over two Grandmasters with USCF ratings above 2600: Julio Becerra and Lubomir Ftacnik. Ftacnik won the European Junior Championship in 1976/77, he won the Czech national championship four times, and at his peak he was ranked 15th in the world.

Although I enjoyed playing against Alex and then analyzing with him after our games, and I enjoyed playing in the events that he organized, what stands out most to me is that Alex is the person who set me on the path to becoming a chess coach. In 1998, Alex asked me to coach his young sons David, Gregory, and Joshua. By that time, my rating fluctuated in the high 1900s/low 2000s, while Alex was rated in the 2100s. I had never worked as a chess coach, and I did not understand why a higher rated player wanted me to coach his children. Alex explained with a smile that his sons would not listen to his coaching because he was their father. He reassured me that I was more than strong enough to coach them, and he believed that I had not only the necessary playing strength but also the requisite communication/teaching skills. I accepted his offer, and we agreed that I would come to his house weekly to teach his sons for about an hour each; in return, he would not only pay me, but he would provide a home-cooked meal, and often he and I would play speed chess. The first chess lesson was on September 9, 1998, and the lessons continued on a weekly basis (with just a few exceptions) until April 19, 1999. I found that I very much enjoyed chess teaching, and I did so for nearly 20 years after the Zelner family moved to Florida. 

Alex' sons continued to play chess in Florida, no doubt benefiting from Alex' teaching and from the guidance of Alex' Grandmaster friends. David later reached a peak USCF rating of 2184. Gregory's peak rating is 1849. Joshua's peak rating is 1729. In 2004, Alex had twin daughters, Roza and Zoe; both of them play chess, but I never had the opportunity to coach them, as they were born after the Zelner family moved to Florida.

After Alex moved to Florida, I only saw him a few times, when he returned to Ohio and we played in the same chess tournaments. He beat me in our last Regular rated game in 2006:

Event: MOTCF 4/29/06 (1)
White: Alex Zelner (2256)
Black: David Friedman (2026)

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Qa5 (4... Bg4 followed by ...e6 and ...d5 is the correct plan, aiming for a French-like structure with the QB developed outside of the pawn chain.) 5. Bd2 e5 6. Be2 Bg4 7. d5 Nbd7 8. O-O Be7 9. Nh4 Bxe2 10. Qxe2 (Now Black is saddled with a cramped position and bad B.) O-O (After the game GM Alex Goldin said that 10... g6 is essential, keeping the N out of f5. White still has a small edge, but "nothing special.") 11. Nf5 Qd8 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 h6 (13... g6 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Rfd1 Qe6 16. Qd2 Rfb8 17. b3 Ne8 with a slight advantage to White) 14. Bh4 Re8 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. Qd3 Bf8 (I originally intended 16... Nc5 but then I realized that White can play 17. Qg3 Nh5 18. Qg4 Bxh4 19. Nxh6+ Kh7 20. Nf5 g6 21. Qxh4 with a decisive advantage) 17. Nxd6 Red8 (17... Bxd6 18. Qxd6 Qb6 19. b3 Re6 20. Qd3 with a decisive advantage) 18. Nc4 Nc5 19. Qf3 Rd4 Rxd4 exd4 21. Bxf6 (Best. I was hoping for 21. Ne2 Ncxe4 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 23. Nxd4 Nd5 when Black is only down one pawn.) 21... gxf6 22. Ne2 Rd8 23. Rd1 Ne6 24. Qxf6 Bg7 25. Qf5 c5 26. Ng3 Nf4 27. e5 Ng6 28. f4 Ne7 29. Qg4 Kh7 30. Ne4 Nd5 31. Rd3 Qd7 32. f5 (Lights out.) Ne7 33. Ncd6 Bxe5 34. Ng5+ hxg5 35. Qh5+ Kg8 36. Qxf7+ 1-0

Alex had not played many Regular rated games in recent years, but he was still very active in Quick rated chess, logging 114 Quick rated games in 2023. The last time I played Alex was a Quick rated game that we drew on July 13, 2012 (we had previously played two Quick games against each other, scoring one win apiece).

Alex Zelner inspired me to become a chess coach when I had never previously thought of doing that. Being a chess coach brought me a lot of joy, and I like to think that it brought a lot of joy (and knowledge) to my many students (several of whom subsequently earned the National Master title). Alex Zelner's example as a late-blooming National Master still inspires me during my ongoing (and quite challenging) Journey to the National Master title. I extend my deepest sympathy to Catherine, David, Gregory, Joshua, Roza, and Zoe.

Rest in peace, my friend, competitor, and inspiration.