Illinois H.S.toric

The players collect for last minute words of encouragement from their coach. They must face a team with a reputation of soundly defeating their opponents, but winning means a chance to play for the state championship. The moment is at hand to begin the match. Mentally preparing for the critical contest about to commence, everyone moves to their position.

The description may not sound like an event with a cerebral reputation, but it is part of chess. Such scenarios have been occurring in Illinois for over 30 years as players and coaches sought the Illinois team title in chess. Chess involves more creative and mental skills than physical power and prowess, and chess team contests are competitive in spirit, generate tension, and create camaraderie just as in a sport.

The setting of a chess tournament is very different than for a sports contest. There are no cheering throngs. No cheerleaders are heard from the sidelines. Teammates do not shout encouragement. Coaches call no plays and give no advice. Instead, at the signal to begin, a hush rapidly falls over the crowd. The sound, as nearly 700 players pair off, is dominated by ticking clocks!

Chess team competition conducted by the IHSA marked its 25th anniversary last year. The annual quest for the state high school chess team championship began in 1968 when Mike Zacate organized a state wide invitational tournament at Evergreen Park H.S. under the sanction of the IHSA. Seven such championships were decided. During those years, the teams were composed of five players.

The participating schools with small enrollment became so numerous by 1973 that a separate tournament was organized at Crete-Monee H. S. The experiences of these tournaments provided a basis for designing the IHSA Chess Team Championship. This arrangement included a two-class system based on school enrollment with the classes further differentiated by team size (Class A having five players and Class AA eight players).

From the beginning, David Fry was the IHSA administrator for chess. His guidance and interest enabled the tournament to grow and maintain the unique character that Swiss System chess tournaments have in championship title struggles.

After becoming the Associate Executive Director, Mr. Fry's increased duties led to the chess assignment being passed to Ola Bundy in 1988. Ms. Bundy's administration challenged the Chess Advisory Committee to refine the tournament. She molded the tournament so as to give it more equality within the IHSA family of championships. She found the tournament a “permanent site” large enough to accommodate Class A and AA simultaneously.

Her improvements in the program book were welcomed as a touch of distinction supplying useful, interesting, and historical information. Her goal to distribute results immediately after the tournament went unrealized until after her retirement when Scott Johnson of the IHSA staff developed a computer program to calculate tie-breaks, cross-tables and finish order in minutes instead of the hours previously consumed.

However, Ola Bundy also had to shepherd the chess activity through distressing changes after the 1994 tournament in order to meet newly drafted standards for all sports and activities. Meeting the new standards affected chess in several ways.

One key change was to abolish the two class system. Thus, since 1995, the IHSA Chess Team Championship has been held with all teams competing for a single title using 8 player teams. The other major change involved the IHSA Individual Chess Championship.

Starting in 1979, the IHSA conducted an Individual Chess Championship. Students qualified for the tournament based on their record in the team championship. Schools not entering the team tournament were permitted to enter one student.

Before the Individual Tournament was established, outstanding individual accomplishment at the team championship was rewarded with medals. As with the team tournament, the Individual Championship had Class A and Class AA.

The two class system was used for 14 years until the classes were combined in 1993 and 1994. However, the new standards led to the Individual Championship was discontinued. Since 1995, outstanding individual achievement in the chess team championship has again been recognized.

Many high schools have been host to IHSA chess tournaments. By 1979, the number of teams competing made it difficult to keep both Class tournaments at the same site. Easing pressure on tournament space and travel on Class A schools, the Class A tournament moved to Roanoke-Benson H. S. with Julian Morrison directing (except in 1984 when it was at Sherrard H. S.). Julian directed the Class A tournament until the classes combined in 1995. He continued service to the tournament as pairing chairman for the combined single class tournament until 1997.

Attend almost any sports event and the spectator's noise quickly tells how exciting they find the game. The sounds of a chess tournament are ticking clocks and silence. No cheering multitude reflects it, but within the silence each player experiences joy, sorrow, hope, fear, elation, sadness, the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat. It takes a different type of toughness to contain those emotions surrounded by 2,800 separate chess battles. Observed Chris Firestone, top scorer for Proviso West's 1982 Championship team, “Nothing in all my athletic experiences compared with the physical and emotional pressures of nearly eighteen hours of over-the-board competition in two days with little food or rest.”

Making it all possible are the coaches who receive little pay for long hours in an interscholastic event with inconsequential glamour. Coaching a chess team does not require a special knowledge of chess. Mainly the coach has to care about the students and find it rewarding to see them grow as human beings. It's no wonder that coaches include teachers of mathematics, science, social studies, English, business, and even custodians and administrators.

The part coaches and tournament officials play in the tournament is easy to notice. Not as well known is the vital role of the volunteers who serve on the Chess Advisory Committee and the Pairing Committee. Even less recognized is the work as the IHSA staff. They prepare manuals, mailings, press releases, programs, and numerous forms as well as handle entries and site preparation.

Without the competently performed duties of Jan Wrigley, Barb Henderson, Tammy Rutherford, and Jamie Thames the tournament could not function.