More than just a game

Chess – more than a game for Schriever Airman

SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Tech. Sgt. Robert Bucholtz, 50th Space Communications Squadron, started playing chess while attending college in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1995. In 2008, he played in the NATO championships in Brussels, Belgium. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration/Staff Sgt. Daniel Martinez)

by Staff Sgt. Daniel Martinez 50th Space Wing Public Affairs

9/30/2008 – SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — For Tech. Sgt. Robert Bucholtz, chess is more than just a game. It has taken him from the sunny beaches of Los Angeles, Calif., to the foggy climate of London. One particular fateful chess game even became an icebreaker for Sergeant Bucholtz to meet someone special in his life.

“Chess means a lot to me because it was also the reason that I met my wife, Maryann,” the Airman from the 50th Space Communications Squadron said. “I had met a friend of hers who told me she was a very strong chess player. A match was arranged a week later between us. So I had literally never seen her before the day I met her over the chess board.”

Now a seasoned chess player, Sergeant Bucholtz first discovered his passion for chess while attending college in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1995. He played his first tournament in December 1996 in Baltimore at the Pan-Am Intercollegiate Tournament. It wasn’t until August 2001 that he earned an expert rating after tying for first place at the Atlantic Open while assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

“My most memorable chess tournament was the 2000 U.S. Open. I was sick and had to drive almost 17 hours from my home to St. Paul and almost cancelled. I went anyway and didn’t expect to do well because I was still very sick when I got there. I ended up winning my first three games and had six out of eight points going into the final round,” he said.

Sergeant Bucholtz played his first official military tournament in 2002 when the Air Force held its first service-wide chess competition in 10 years. Since then, he’s played every year except in 2003 when he deployed. He qualified for the Interservice Championships in 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Two of those tournaments qualified him for the NATO championships in 2006 and 2008. This year he traveled to Brussels, Belgium, and ranked as the top American finisher with four out of seven points.

“I’ve always loved the game of chess since I first learned the game so playing for the military was just a natural progression for me,” he said. “It’s extremely difficult to make it through all the qualifying tournaments to play in the NATO championships, so when I made it that far, I felt very honored to represent the U.S. military at an international event.”

Other places Sergeant Bucholtz traveled to play in chess tournaments include San Antonio, Biloxi, Miss., San Diego, Jacksonville, Fl. and Tuscon, Ariz. Despite where his skill has taken him, he approaches his ability with a sense of modesty.

“It’s really hard to say what makes a good chess player,” he said. “I think people who achieve a good grasp of the three major phases of a chess game, which include the opening, middlegame and endgame, can become great players.”

The opening is considered the first 10 to 20 moves where players place their pawns in position and develop their pieces. The middlegame, which is typically the next 20 to 40 moves, puts the structured pieces into play. The endgame is where there are only a few pieces left on the board.

As for what inspires Sergeant Bucholtz, he gets his motivation from his wife, who was a national high school chess champion in the Philippines and Maj. (ret.) Zachary Kinney, who he was stationed with at the Pentagon. Major Kinney got Sergeant Bucholtz involved in the Armed Forces Open Tournament.

Now, when it comes to a game of chess, Sergeant Bucholtz is a force to be reckoned with.

“He’s very focused and precise although he makes the game look easier than it is,” said Staff Sgt. James Agee, 50th SCS. “Sergeant Bucholtz is a good friend and person. His competitive nature, a great trait for anyone to have, makes him a very skilled and difficult chess opponent.”

As for Sergeant Bucholtz, what makes a chess match challenging may be surprising, “A good chess game for me isn’t an easy win, it’s a real struggle from start to finish which leaves both players mentally spent at the end.”

Those are the games he said he remembers the most regardless if it’s a win or loss because of the amount of effort. Some of the championship games he has played have taken as long as five hours to finish.

“It may not be physical like running, but it’s very tough to exert everything you have mentally for that long,” he said.

Source: http://www.schriever.af.mil/