Kings among pawns in Juneau, Alaska

Kings among pawns
Tournament chess returns and Juneau has no shortage of talent, but becoming the best means playing the best

By KORRY KEEKER
JUNEAU EMPIRE

Tuesday nights at Juneau Chess Club meetings in the downtown public library take a predictable course: David Jackson, an 8-month resident and a former master with a 2070 rating, shows up and demolishes all comers.

Not so on Saturday, when the club held its first official tournament in almost a decade at the Mendenhall Valley Library.

That day will forever be remembered for Darcy Robinson’s subtle-yet-lethal, queenside counterattack 18 moves into the fourth and final round.

Jackson, playing white, was stymied. And Robinson, with a 1721 rating, was crowned Juneau chess champion.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Robinson said. “I might win one game against him out of 10 or 12 if I’m lucky.”

“The upsets are what makes the tournament fun,” Jackson said. “Then, it’s not the same-old, same-old all the time. It shows me something that I have to work on in my game.”

Here is the full story.