Introduction Part 2: Hot Stuff

After a few months of studying and repeated viewings of Searching for Bobby Fischer, I felt confident enough to return to my childhood chess club. Horsham Chess Club had been in existence since 1879 and was one of the oldest in Great Britain. As a kid, I had always attended the junior classes and hadn't been allowed to play against the adults. At the ripe old age of sixteen, I decided I was now ready to play in the "grown up" tournaments.

London Road Methodist Church where
Horsham Chess Club played (and still plays to this day).

I turned up at the club thinking I was hot stuff. All those weeks of studying my beginner level chess books would surely pay off, right? Wrong! I did manage to beat my brother, who accompanied to the club for a few weeks before calling it quits, but aside from that I lost game after game after game. In fact, it was a full two months before I even earned my first draw. That draw would be my reward for much perseverance. Even though I had a completely winning position, I was so grateful when my opponent offered a draw that I nearly snatched his hand off trying to shake it.

Eventually, I started to win games, at first infrequently but it soon became common place. To be sure, I was hardly one of the better plays at the club but there were plenty of players I could hold my own against. I remember defeating Peter Harbott, consistently one of the club's higher rated players at that time, and drawing club champion James Mansson in a cup game (even though he comfortably won the rematch). Yes, things seemed to be looking up and, after a year or two, I was representing the club in team matches and was asked to play for the county, West Sussex, in the U125 section. (For those who don't know, the English Chess Federation uses a different rating system than the USCF.)

There were still some comical moments, like the two times I missed a mate in one on my move (fortunately, I still won one of the games but lost the other) or the time I dropped a piece on move eight in a match against another club, but overall my play was improving. A real highlight was winning Horsham Chess Club's Rook Trophy, awarded for coming first in the club's lower level tournament. I also won the Knight Trophy, given out to the Horsham player who had the best % in team competition.

By this time I had turned 22 years of age and, in an inexplicable moment of folly for my glittering chess career, decided to move to the middle of nowhere in central California.