Athens man ‘hooked’ on chess named co-state champion

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October 1, 2009

By Karen Middleton The News Courier Thu Oct 01, 2009, 04:03 PM CDT

ATHENS — By Karen Middleton

karen@athensnews-courier.com

There’s not many who could sit still for three hours over a game, but when one is “hooked” on chess the total absorption makes the minutes fly by.

Will Stevenson, 30, of Athens recently won the title of co-champion in a state chess tournament at Indian Springs School south of Birmingham.

Stevenson, who graduated with a degree in computer information systems from Athens State University in 2008, is a substitute teacher in both the Athens City and the Limestone County school systems.

The son of Tom and Vicki Stevenson, said he began playing chess toward the end of his high school years and “began taking it up seriously” in his 20s.

“I began competing in tournaments three years ago,” he said.

He says he is “basically self-taught.”

“I started with someone who showed me the moves,” said Stevenson. “I bought a couple of beginner’s books. I kept playing people who were stronger than me because that’s how you learn. And then I just got hooked on it. There are other games and sports I enjoy, but I have never got hooked on anything before.”

Stevenson said he is a member of the Huntsville Chess Club and that’s where he became inspired to compete in tournaments.

“I play one night a week with the Huntsville club,” he said. “These are some of the strongest people in the state.”

When Stevenson got to Indian Springs School for the state tournament the weekend of Sept. 11-13, he said he knew he would be competing against players that were friends as well as staunch rivals in the six-round tournament.

At the end, Stevenson was to be named co-champion with Bradley Denton of Birmingham, a chess master.

Stevenson said to attain the rating of chess master, one must earn a total of 2,200 points, which total up through a series of competitions.

“Bradley’s competition was a little bit stronger overall than mine so he definitely earned it,” he said. “We played in round five and wound up drawing, which is the equivalent of a tie.

“But the last round was the most satisfying. I got to play the multiple-times state champion Scott Varagona. I knew I had to win or tie because of what was going on at the other boards. He is my top, my favorite rival as well as a friend. You get to be friends, but you are also very competitive because you really want to beat the other guy badly — just like in sports.”

In chess tournaments each player is given 100 minutes in which to make his moves. So conceivably, a game could last a full 200 minutes.

“We went right down to the wire,” said Stevenson. “Some people sit there throughout the whole game, but I get up and stretch and move around, get some water and look at the other games. I play blindfold chess, meaning I can remember what the board looks like and picture what’s going on.”

Stevenson is to play in the Space City Open, an annual tournament held in Huntsville, Oct. 10-11.

“I’m real busy in the fall going to football games so I only play about one tournament a month,” he said.

Stevenson said his goal is to earn the rating of chess master.

“I’m not a master yet,” he said. “It’s a rating on a formula the U.S. Chess Federation uses. My rating now is 2,150. If playing someone of the same rating, I could gain 8 or 9 points. The 2,200 points for a master rating is attainable in the next few months, but points are hard to come by. I could lose as easily as I could gain.

“If I make master, I would be the first Alabama-born person to make it in about 10 years.”

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