by Jeff Roland

The 3rd ICA Summer Classic was held in Boise, Idaho on July 9-10, 2011 at the AmeriTel Inn (Boise Towne Square Mall). 23 players attended in what was a very memorable and enjoyable event. Jeff Roland was the tournament director.

The competition was very close as indicated by a 4-way tie for first in the Open Section (Caleb Kircher, Kurt Douglas, Tom Taylor, and Jeff Roland); and a 3-way tie for first in the Reserve Section (Gary Hollingsworth, Jamie Lang, and Adam Porth).

10-time Idaho State Champion, Glen Buckendorf attended and played all 5 rounds. Other notable chess players who stopped by briefly to watch were 16-time Idaho State Champion, Larry Parsons, and 2-time Idaho State Champion, Michael Gold.

Danielle Patterson prepared some baked goodies for the players for Sunday and somebody kept bringing flowers, which looked very nice and added to the ambience.

There was a very diverse group of players according to age. Every round started promptly on time, including the first round (which is usually the hardest round to start on time).

During the third round, I actually recorded video and sound of the Kurt Douglas-Christopher Pentico Game (about the last 20 minutes of the game, recorded non-stop!) which was done in such a way that I'll bet the players never even knew I did it.

I was also able to input the games into ChessBase, for historical record and accuracy, as they happened for the first 4 rounds. I decided to wait until I got home after the event to input the 5th round. But the result was that I was able to post the games sooner on the web site (they were posted Monday morning after the event), and in a couple instances, found that I needed the players to clarify what actually happened when it wasn't clear on either or both score sheets.

I want to thank everyone who participated in the event. Chess is a "language" we all share, and a game we all love. It brings us together and gives us rich memories and enjoyment as we share in the "struggle and practice" of chess.