Going to Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II

I wrote about me and Howard's first out-of-town tournament elsewhere, so I will just add a few notes here.

Before the tournament we went to Charlie Hidalgo to borrow sets and clocks, and we asked him for any last minute advice.  He said, "Drink plenty of water. Water, water water!"  Then he said, "Keep your hands under the table (so as not to accidentally touch a piece or make an impulsive move)." So Howard asked, "What if its a woman?"  Charlie said, "Then play with their t******!"

Elizabeth, NJ

We arrived at the tournament site well in advance.  It was a hotel in Elizabeth, NJ, the town being more prosperous then than it is now.  We thought this was pretty far from home, and so did our parents, so my mother had arranged for us to stay overnight with a friend on Saturday night.

IA Bill Goichberg

We arrived before the tournament director and we overheard that there was

an Under-13 tournament.  We decided to play in it even though we were both 14.

Bill Goichberg came in, and to me he looked very young.  So I said to myself that I could probably be directing tournaments just like him.  After awhile, I learned there is only one Bill Goichberg.

Anyhow one of the parents had overheard, that we were 14, and complained to Goichberg.  I admitted that I was 14, so Bill put me in the other tournament.  Howard didn't admit that he was 14 and won the Under-13 tournament.

I played only the first day of the Novice Section.  I beat Joe Waln.

That night I came to a decision.  That I would not play chess professionally. It didn't occur to me that I didn't have anywhere near the ability.  But I had looked at the entry fee to prize ratios in various tournaments and decided that no one could make a living playing chess.  This was of course long before the great chess instruction boom.

We got lost trying to get back to the tournament site, and by the time we got there the tournament was over.  I had one the UNR trophy as there was no other unrated player.  I got an initial rating in the 1400s.  I think that was high enough to make the top under 16 list at the time.  But my rating went down from there.

I have already written elsewhere about our journey back from Elizabeth so you can read about that too.  I we visited the Marshall for the first time that same day.