Texas Chess Center Grand Opening

by Alexey Root
1/26/2022 – With Omicron on the rise and social gatherings discouraged, leasing 2,000 square feet for in-person chess seems risky. Yet the gamble paid off for the Texas Chess Center, which attracted 67 players to its grand opening on January 22, 2022. WIM Alexey Root reports.| Photo: Christopher Tetzlaff

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Opening prep

The co-founders of the Texas Chess Center are Jarred Tetzlaff, Chief Executive Officer, and David Gaston, President. Their philosophy is that “chess never sleeps.” Tetzlaff and Gaston added, “With many businesses shuttering, or cutting back their offerings, it’s important to keep a diversity of options available for young and old!”

Jarred Tetzlaff (black suit, white shirt) | Photo: Christopher Tetzlaff

Recognizing the safety issues for in-person chess, Tetzlaff and Gaston allow players to wave or fist-bump their opponents in lieu of handshakes. Any player who begins to feel ill or uncomfortable before a round may excuse themselves with a half-point bye. Additionally, the Texas Chess Center offers both in-person and online options for chess games and coaching.

Before Tetzlaff and Gaston cut their center’s ceremonial ribbon at 12:30 p.m. on January 22, they sanitized sets and boards. They provided chess clocks, pre-set to G/30 d/5 (game in 30 minutes, 5-second delay). The men’s and women’s restrooms were clean. A parents’ waiting room had refreshments and video feeds from the tournament rooms. They expected 40 players.

David Gaston (standing). | Photo: Christopher Tetzlaff

Students Win!

Sixty-seven players, split into four sections, began their first-round games just after 1:00 p.m. on January 22. International Master Aaron Grabinsky won the Open section with a perfect 4–0 score, netting $200.

At The University of Texas at Dallas, Grabinsky is in his second semester of a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a member of the chess team. Grabinsky provided the notation for all four of his games. Three of Grabinsky’s wins were against players that finished tied for third through eighth place. Games from other players tied for third through eighth place (with 3–1) and a game from the second-place finisher (3½–½) are also at the end of this article.

Ajitesh Nair (White) vs. Aaron Grabinsky. | Photo: Alexey Root

A University of North Texas (UNT) engineering major, Dhroov Pandey, won the Under-1600 section with two wins and two draws. Pandey is the UNT Chess Club President. “Under 1600” refers to players rated 1599 and lower by the United States Chess Federation.

“Scholastic” means students in kindergarten through twelfth grades. Scholastic players took top honors in the two lowest sections. Ananya Srivatsan won the Under 1100 section with three wins and a draw. Chaithanya Telugu won the Under 600 section with a full-point BYE and three wins.

 
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Both of these players ended up with three points out of four, in a six-way tie for third through eighth place. There was prize money only for first ($200) and second ($50) places in the Open. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.dxe4 e5 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Bc5 7.Ngf3 Bg4 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Nbd7 11.Re1 Qe7 12.Nf1 h6 13.g4 Nh7 14.Ng3 Ng5 15.Qe2 Ne6 16.Nf5 Qf6 17.c3 Kh7 18.b4 Bb6 19.Bd2 Nf4 20.Bxf4 exf4 21.e5 Qe6 22.Qe4 g6 23.Qxf4 gxf5 24.gxf5 Qe7 25.f6 Qe6 26.Be4+ Kh8 27.Qxh6+ and Black resigns as checkmate is coming on g7 or h7 next move. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Hernandez,A1946Zafar,F16671–02022A00Grand Opening Swiss1
Nguyen,K1614Parappurathu,R18530–12022C40Grand Opening Swiss3
Aaron Grabinsky2465Vinh Welsh18441–02022Grand Opening Swiss1
Michael Paul Haskins1854Aaron Grabinsky24650–12022B15Grand Opening Swiss2
Aaron Grabinsky2465Ram Aditya D. Nandula18711–02022C01Grand Opening Swiss3
Ajitesh Nair1889Aaron Grabinsky24650–12022A30Grand Opening Swiss4
Deviprasath,S2343Jagadeeshi,S17291–02022D58Grand Opening Swiss3

The games are from the top eight finishers in the Open section.


Alexey was the 1989 U.S. Women's Chess Champion and is a Woman International Master. She earned her bachelor’s degree in History at the University of Puget Sound and her doctoral degree in Education at The University of California, Los Angeles. She has been a Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies at UT Dallas since 1999 and is a prolific author.

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