Issue date: 3/22/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Parvizsho Aminov Jamyson Daggett, Pre-Dentistry, freshman, contemplates his next move during the March 10 tournament.

Media Credit: Parvizsho Aminov ''I've been playing chess since I was a kid'' - Jean Sponzilli, Organizational Leadership and Supervision major.

In life, experience is something that cannot be replaced, and for senior Brian Harrigan, there could be no more truth to that statement. Harrigan, an education major who aspires to teach social studies in our school systems, has been playing the game of chess for just over 14 years.

On Wednesday March 10, PUC held its second annual intramural chess tournament with six competitors all vying for the crown of chess king.

"I have always wanted to bring chess to Purdue Cal," Harrigan, also the developer of the tournament, said.

The competition began with one on one matches drawn randomly to determine order. The tournament was a simple three game format and the winner of the most games would be named the champion.

Harrigan jumped out quickly in the first round with a decisive victory, but just as Harrigan did so, senior Mohammed Azharuddin, beat his opponent with relative ease to move on as well.

Azharuddin, an electrical engineering major, was another advocate of the importance of experience. He said that he had been playing chess with his good friend Syed Shafiullah Hussaini, another participant in the tournament, for about six years.

The second round of play was again dominated by Harrigan and Azharuddin, who both cruised to easy victories.

These wins set up the much anticipated championship between Harrigan and Azharuddin and whoever said chess is not a game of intensity clearly has never witnessed a match played by these gurus.

With a few quick, stealthy moves and some trickery, Harrigan was able to overcome an early charge by Azharuddin to pull out the slim victory.

"I felt like I had him at the beginning," Azharuddin said.

After speaking with both Harrigan and Azharuddin, it was clear both men were extremely passionate about chess, and both thoroughly enjoyed it. Each of them plays regularly on Playchess.com, a Web site devoted to chess, and they enjoy the site because they are able to play against real competitors instead of a computer without ever leaving the comfort of their computer chairs.

Harrigan said he enjoys the game of chess because it is always challenging.

"The moves are easy, but getting good is the real challenge," Harrigan said.

In the end, it looked as though every competitor had a great night of friendly chess competition. Harrigan came out on top, but with the turn out bigger than expected for the tournament, it seems the real winners are those who love the game and would like it to continue to be on the PUC intramural schedule.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools